Aging and Mentalizing Decline: The Protective Effect of Physical Activity

The current study aimed to understand how aging influences cognitive and mentalizing processes, and to explore whether physical activity protects against cognitive and social function decline in older adults. A total of 104 participants (44 Older adults, 60 younger Control) were recruited to complete the Go/No-go task and the Picture sequencing task. Their general cognitive function was measured using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and the frequency of physical activity was assessed through a self-report question. The current study demonstrated that, compared to Control, Older participants performed relatively well in maintaining attention and inhibiting irrelevant responses, as evidenced by comparable response times on Go trials and accuracy on both Go and No-go trials (all ps > 0.1). However, Older participants showed significant impairments in reconstructing sequences of both mechanical and social events, particularly those requiring inferring others’ false belief, even after controlling MoCA scores (both accuracy and response times, all ps < 0.05). Importantly, the frequency of physical activity was found to buffer declines in processing speed in sequencing mechanical and social stories in Older, especially stories involved others’ false belief (ps < 0.01). Overall, the current findings suggest that mentalizing abilities decrease independently of general cognitive decline. Furthermore, physical activity may serve as a potential protective factor in mitigating age-related cognitive impairments.