Brain Stiffness, Aerobic Fitness, and Memory Performance Differences Between Older Adults with and without Mild Cognitive Impairment

Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is a robust and sensitive tool used to measure brain mechanical properties that can accurately detect improvements in brain health and function. Exercise and aerobic fitness levels are strongly tied to these brain mechanical properties and their related functionality. In healthy older adults, greater fitness is associated with better memory and increased mechanical integrity of the brain. In a population of older adults with mild cognitive impairment, there is a notable decrease in memory function and aerobic fitness compared to healthy controls, and this decrease is measurable in the mechanical properties of the brain using MRE.