Dancing group presented an increase in BDNF level (); after 6 months, there were no differences in the sport groups.
Through MRI, an increase in gray matter was observed on the left side of the precentral gyrus in the dance group after 6 months (). At 18 months, there was an increase in gray matter in the right parahippocampal gyrus in the dance group ().
Neuropsychological tests were performed to assess short- and long-term memory (verbal learning test and attentional performance test). Both groups demonstrated improvements in short-term memory (early VLMT recovery, ) and long-term (long-term free verbal recall, ; long-term verbal recognition, ) after 6 and 18 months of training in both tests. However, there was no difference between groups.
The trained group showed an increase in gray matter in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate/precuneus cortex, hand motor area, occipital lobe, and cerebellum. There was no difference in the striatum.
The following tests were used to assess neuropsychological function: immediate, delayed, and recognition recall from Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT_Imm, HVLT_Delay, and HVLT_Recog); immediate and delayed story recall from the rivermead behavioral memory test (RM_Imm and RM_Delay), WAIS-III digit symbol substitution modality test (DSST), WAIS-III digit span, trail making test (trails A and trails B), and Stroop color and word test. The physical training group performed the cognitive tests before and after the 6-week training. All neuropsychological test scores increased after exercise, except HVLT_Recognition. An improvement was observed on memory () and executive function (). The physical training group showed significantly greater improvement in the discrimination rate than the control group () after 6 weeks.
The dance group showed an increase in plasma BDNF levels () when compared to the sport group.
After the intervention, the dance group showed greater volume in gray matter in frontal and temporal cortical areas, including the anterior cingulate and medial cortex, the left supplementary motor area, the left precentral gyrus, the left medial frontal gyrus, the left insula, the upper left temporal gyrus, and the left post-entral gyrus compared to the sport group. However, there was greater volume in the occipital and cerebellar regions in the sport group. In white mass, there was greater volume in the dance group in the truncus and splenium of the corpus callosum, in the right and left frontal and right parietal. In the sport group, there was a greater volume of white matter in the right temporal and right occipital.
Tests were used to assess cognition (alertness, go/no go, divided attention, and flexibility), processing speed (trail test), verbal fluency of words, short-term memory and working memory (digit span forward and backward of the Wechsler Memory Scale), verbal episodic memory (verbal learning and memory task), and visuospatial memory (Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test). The visuospatial memory improved after the two training sessions () as well as for late recovery (). The other analyses did not obtain differences between the beginning and the end of the protocol. There were no differences between groups.
Cognitive performance was assessed using the following tests: spatial cognition assessment (FRS), “Dresden Spatial Navigation Task,” human analogue of the “Morris water maze” (huWMZ), “location memory” subtest of the “Berlin Intelligence Structure Test” (BIS) 51 and memory evaluation: VVM, subtests through “figures,” “data,” and “matrices” of “Intelligence Structure Test 2000R” (IST), and “California Verbal Learning Test” (CVLT). The groups did not differ on the longitudinal change in cognitive performance ().
There were no differences between subcortical gray matter volume in the hippocampus of either group, in the right hemisphere () or in the left (). The balance group showed a reduction in putamen gray matter volume bilaterally compared to the relaxation group (left hemisphere, ; right, ). In addition, better balance performance caused greater precentral cortical thickness (left hemisphere, ; right, ). Participants who showed the greatest increase in balance performance showed a greater decrease in gray matter volume in the left putamen ().
