Dementia, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Older Adults
Conditions
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to explore how performing two exercise-based tasks simultaneously (dual-task exercise) affects the neurovascular and cognitive responses of people with cognitive impairment, which is a growing concern globally. Specifically, the study will examine how motor-cognitive dual-task exercises, such as using elastic resistance bands combined with visual perception training, including eye movement exercises, can immediately improve outcomes such as Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, cerebral blood flow, cognitive function, and mobility. BDNF is a special chemical in our brain that helps with the connections between brain cells. Participants will be asked to complete a single 30-minute exercise session and undergo assessments before and after the intervention. Participants with cognitive impairment will be initially assessed using Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) which is a 30-point questionnaire used extensively in clinical and research settings to measure cognitive impairment. Any score of 24 or more (out of 30) indicates normal cognition. Below this, scores can indicate severe (≤9 points), moderate (10-18 points), or mild (19-23 points) cognitive impairment. Participants with lower MMSE scores (<10) will be removed from the study.
Interventions
OTHERDual-task exercise traning
To assess the dynamic effects of each intervention, only one session (30 mins) will be provided. The chair-based exercise session consists of three parts 5 min of active stretching exercises to warm-up, 20 mins of resistance band exercises in a sitting position (Elliott-King et al., 2019) (please see the link for detailed descriptions for seated resistance band workout) and 5 min of passive stretching exercises to cold down. The motor-cognitive dual-task group will be additionally asked to do horizontal eye movements by watching a TV screen and following a duck moving from side to side (bilateral condition) while performing strengthening exercises. The duck moves successively between left and right banks of a river at a rate of 500 ms (Brunyé et al., 2009) which was previously found to improve cognitive function
Sponsors
Loughborough University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
65 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Age >65 (PwD or cognitively impaired older adults) (ICD-10) * People with and without cognitive impairment (MMSE score 13-30) * Subjects must be able to exercise at a moderate intensity level (see
Exclusion criteria
) * Subject must be willing and able to provide a blood sample
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| BDNF serum level | before and immediately after treatment | Blood samples will be drawn from the antecubital vein by venepuncture in dry vacuum tubes immediately before the beginning of the exercise training and within 5 min from the termination of the exercise session. Serum will be obtained by the centrifugation of blood (2,000 g for 10 min, 4°C) and then all serum samples will be stored at -80°C until analysis (Máderová et al., 2019). |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Visual screening | before and immediately after treatment | visual processing speed |
Countries
United Kingdom
Outcome results
None listed