Results concerning the association of chronic physical activity and motor performance are mixed and seem to be influenced by the study design , kind of exercise , motor task , and exercise intensity .
Regarding motor learning , a high physical activity or cardiovascular fitness level seems to boost the initial phase of motor learning ; results differ with respect to motor retention .
Overall , ( motor-coordinative ) intervention studies seem to be more promising than cross-sectional studies
Upper extremity motor performance declines with increasing age .
However , older adults need to maintain , learn new and relearn known motor tasks .
Research with young adults indicated that regular and acute physical activity might facilitate motor performance and motor learning processes .
Therefore , this review aim ed to examine the association between chronic physical activity and acute bouts of exercise on motor performance and motor learning in upper extremity motor tasks in older adults .
Neurobiological markers of exercise-related brain plasticity in older adults
The current study examined how a r and omized one-year aerobic exercise program for healthy older adults would affect serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor ( BDNF ) , insulin-like growth factor type 1 ( IGF-1 ) , and vascular endothelial growth factor ( VEGF ) - putative markers of exercise-induced benefits on brain function . The study also examined whether ( a ) change in the concentration of these growth factors was associated with alterations in functional connectivity following exercise , and ( b ) the extent to which pre-intervention growth factor levels were associated with training-related changes in functional connectivity . In 65 participants ( mean age=66.4 ) , we found that although there were no group-level changes in growth factors as a function of the intervention , increased temporal lobe connectivity between the bilateral parahippocampus and the bilateral middle temporal gyrus was associated with increased BDNF , IGF-1 , and VEGF for an aerobic walking group but not for a non-aerobic control group , and greater pre-intervention VEGF was associated with greater training-related increases in this functional connection . Results are consistent with animal models of exercise and the brain , but are the first to show in humans that  exercise-induced increases in temporal lobe functional connectivity are associated with changes in growth factors and may be augmented by greater baseline VEGF
Results concerning the association of chronic physical activity and motor performance are mixed and seem to be influenced by the study design , kind of exercise , motor task , and exercise intensity .
Regarding motor learning , a high physical activity or cardiovascular fitness level seems to boost the initial phase of motor learning ; results differ with respect to motor retention .
Overall , ( motor-coordinative ) intervention studies seem to be more promising than cross-sectional studies
Upper extremity motor performance declines with increasing age .
However , older adults need to maintain , learn new and relearn known motor tasks .
Research with young adults indicated that regular and acute physical activity might facilitate motor performance and motor learning processes .
Therefore , this review aim ed to examine the association between chronic physical activity and acute bouts of exercise on motor performance and motor learning in upper extremity motor tasks in older adults .