None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Dementia is now the second leading cause of death in Australia and no cure exists. There is evidence to suggest that bilingualism and changes in lifestyle (e.g. increasing levels of physical activity and improving eating habits) are associated with improved health outcomes. We aim to explore whether studying a new language and health-related advice can improve cognitive performance and related biomarkers in subjective memory complainers (risk factor for AD). Participants (aged 60-85) with subjective memory complaints will be randomly allocated to one of two group: 6-month experimental groups: language learning + one-to-one health-related advice sessions and control (health advice only). Outcome measures include cognitive performance (e.g. episodic memory) and blood markers (e.g. Apoe E 4).
Interventions
1) Language: participants will complete a six-month course in French using a free online language course (www.duolingo.com). Participants will receive an e-mail inviting them to sign up and join an online classroom wherein they will be able to access the material. There are three levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Participants will start from the beginner level and work their way to more complex levels at a pace of approximately four three to four hours of engagement per week.
2) Th
1) Language: participants will complete a six-month course in French using a free online language course (www.duolingo.com). Participants will receive an e-mail inviting them to sign up and join an online classroom wherein they will be able to access the material. There are three levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Participants will start from the beginner level and work their way to more complex levels at a pace of approximately four three to four hours of engagement per week. 2) The primary goals of the program are for participants to complete a minimum of 150 minutes of physical activity at moderate intensity each week and engage in a further 30 minutes of moderate to high intensity exercise per week. The secondary goals will include (i) a mix of aerobic exercise, resistance-based exercise, balance and flexibility exercises to be included in the overall program; (ii) Basic dietary advise which is in accordance with guidelines (Farrow M, Ellis K. Physical activity for brain health and fighting dementia. Alzheimer’s Australia Paper 36. 2013; Alzheimer’s Australia: Canberra). The program will incorporate face-to-face sessions with allied health services (6 sessions/26 weeks) which will include specifically designed (to the needs of the individual) functional testing, advise, demonstrations, and support. There will be a total of 6 sessions during which advice and guidance on exercises and lifestyle choices will be delivered Exercise program will be developed by an Accredited Exercise Physiologist (accreditation through Exercise and Sports Science Australia, ESSA) taking into consideration physical capacity, medical information, exercise history, exercise preferences, exercise barriers/enhancers. The physical activity program will be reviewed and adherence assessed at each subsequent meeting. This will be delivered during face to face sessions each month (~once per 4 weeks) which are scheduled for 45 minutes. The sessions will be conducted as 6x45 minute sessions. The first session includes assessment of physical function/capacity, medical information and exercise history. An exercise program along with physical activity advise (incidental exercise) is designed/provided during this session. The next session includes a review of activity and exercise habits, modification of program. Healthy eating patterns are discussed during this session. The next session reviews/modifies physical activity program; nutrition label reading is included. The next session reviews/modifies physical activity program; appetite changes, and incidental activity promotion is discussed. The next session reviews/modifies physical activity program; reassessment of functional capacity. Participants will receive lifestyle advice using a program based on current guidelines (Farrow M, Ellis K. Physical activity for brain health and fighting dementia. Alzheimer’s Australia Paper 36. 2013; Alzheimer’s Australia: Canberra) and in accordance with treatment as usual for aged individuals (Tiedemann A, et al. Exercise and Sports Science Australia Position Statement on exercise and falls prevention in older people. J Sci Med Sport(2011), doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2011.04.001; National Institute for Aging. Exercise&Physical Activity: Your Everyday Guide from the National Institute on Aging! December 2016. https://go4life.nia.nih.gov/).
Sponsors
Murdoch University
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
60 Years to 85 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Between the ages of 60 and 85 years English monolingual Subjective memory complainers (self-reported) who score above 25 on the MAC-Q (the standard cut-off for identifying subjective memory complainers)
Exclusion criteria
Non-memory complainer Bilingual individuals Pregnant women (due to radiation safety regulations) Participants who score below 24 on the MoCA (indicating the presence of mild cognitive impairment) Participants who score six or above on the Geriatric Depression Inventory. Any conditions (acute or chronic) which may be worsened through exercise (assessed using Stage One of the ESSA screening tool) Unable to perform physical activity unhindered (e.g. walking) Alcohol abuse Individuals who have undergone prior tests involving radiation exposure (e.g. multiple X-rays, Barium Swallows etc.) and where involvement in this study would result in exceeding the recommended level of radiation for patients.
Outcome results
None listed