The Relationship among Physical Activity, Autonomic Function and BPSD from Brain-Heart Axis Perspective

Nishikiori Y, Bando H, Yoshioka A and Bando M

Published on: 2026-08-10

Abstract

Recent problems for the elderly include dementia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Several aspects have been involved in these issues, such as physical activity, central nervous system (CNS), autonomic nervous system (ANS), heart rate variability (HRV), and brain-heart axis (BHA). Concerning BHA, HRV represents more than cardiovascular regulation alone. According to neurovisceral integration model, cardiac autonomic activity reflects the functional integrity of neural network. Regular physical activities bring preservation of large-scale resting-state brain networks, and default mode network (DMN) has attracted attention for critical role in episodic memory, self-referential processing, and cognitive integration.