Effects of aerobic physical exercise on cognition (original) (raw)
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The Effects of Physical Exercise on Cognitive Function in the Elderly: A Review
"More people are reaching an older age today than ever before and the incidence of dementia is thus expected to rise. It is therefore important to investigate possible prevention of dementia and cognitive decline using cost-effective life-style changes. In this chapter we present a literature review of observational studies into exercise and cognition in the elderly and treatment studies using different types of exercise interventions and the effect these have on cognitive function. Many studies reported that physical activity can help to maintain cognitive abilities into old age, but not all treatment studies have found positive effects of exercise. This could be related to a variety of factors. We discuss the use of different cognitive tests and different measures of exercise and the influence this can have on whether a beneficial effect of exercise is found or not. We also explore a variety of participant and intervention characteristics that may moderate the effect of exercise on cognitive function. The results of this review suggest that there may be a relationship between physical activity and cognition. However, more future work is required in this area to establish exactly what type of exercise is most efficient and who may benefit from it."
Cognitive Effects of Aerobic Exercise in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 2021
Background: Aerobic exercise has shown inconsistent cognitive effects in older adults with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia. Objective: To examine the immediate and longitudinal effects of 6-month cycling on cognition in older adults with AD dementia. Methods: This randomized controlled trial randomized 96 participants (64 to cycling and 32 to stretching for six months) and followed them for another six months. The intervention was supervised, moderate-intensity cycling for 20–50 minutes, 3 times a week for six months. The control was light-intensity stretching. Cognition was assessed at baseline, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months using the AD Assessment Scale-Cognition (ADAS-Cog). Discrete cognitive domains were measured using the AD Uniform Data Set battery. Results: The participants were 77.4±6.8 years old with 15.6±2.9 years of education, and 55% were male. The 6-month change in ADAS-Cog was 1.0±4.6 (cycling) and 0.1±4.1 (stretching), which were both significantly less than the natural 3....
Effectiveness of exercise on cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease
International Journal of General Medicine, 2013
Physical activity has a protective effect on brain function in older people. Here, we briefly reviewed the studies and results related to the effects of exercise on cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. The main findings from the current body of literature indicate positive evidence for structured physical activity (cardiorespiratory and resistance exercise) as a promising non-pharmacological intervention for preventing cognitive decline. More studies are needed to determine the mechanisms involved in this preventative effect, including on strength, cardiorespiratory, and other types of exercise. Thus, the prevention of Alzheimer's disease may depend on healthy lifestyle habits, such as a structured physical fitness program.
Journal of Aging Research, 2013
Studies supporting the notion that physical activity and exercise can help alleviate the negative impact of age on the body and the mind abound. This literature review provides an overview of important findings in this fast growing research domain. Results from cross-sectional, longitudinal, and intervention studies with healthy older adults, frail patients, and persons suffering from mild cognitive impairment and dementia are reviewed and discussed. Together these finding suggest that physical exercise is a promising nonpharmaceutical intervention to prevent age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases.
Physical Exercise As Stabilizer For Alzheimer'S Disease Cognitive Decline: Current Status
Introduction: Mental health decline is one of the main responsible factors for augments in health care costs, and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Some studies stated physical exercise is useful for reduction in cognitive decline and AD. Moreover, a recent review argued that evidence are scarce due to few studies published and lack of configuration information of exercise protocol, such as intensity and duration of exercise, number of sessions and other relevant data, to allow appropriate assessment. Materials and Methods: Here, we discussed the possible confounders or factors responsible for these differences and possible neurophysiological mechanisms. Results: Most studies revealed a possible positive association between physical exercise and cognitive assessments. There are inconsistencies in studies design responsible for varying use of cognitive assessments and different assessments of fitness. However, these studies do not fail to provide evidence about the benefits of exercise, but fail to make it possible because of the lack of dose-response information in AD patients. Physical exercise of moderate intensity should be considered as standard recommendation to reduce cognitive decline, probably due to the improvement in neurodegenerative mechanisms, and the increase in neuroplastic and neuroprotective neurotrophic factors. Conclusion: Therefore, it is suggested that physical exercise is an important neuroprotective modulator, bringing significant control of the disease and amplifying brain functions.
The Effects of Exercise Programs on Cognition in Older Adults: A Review
Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 2009
Van Uffelen JGZ, Chin A Paw MJM, Hopman-Rock M, van Mechelen W. The effects of exercise on cognition in older adults with and without cognitive decline: a systematic review. Clin J Sport Med. 2008;18:486-500. Objective: To review the evidence from randomized controlled trials of the effects of physical exercise on cognition in older adults with and without cognitive decline. Data sources: PubMed, EMBASE, CEN-TRAL (Cochrane Central Register of controlled trials), PsycINFO, and AgeLine were searched up to April 22, 2008, for clinical trials using terms relating to older adults, physical activity and exercise, types of exercise, and cognitive processes and decline. Additional articles were sought in the authors' own databases. Study selection: The selection criteria for a study were: a randomized controlled trial; a sample of older adults who were cognitively healthy or cognitively impaired or who had dementia but no other mental disorder; the intervention was physical exercise; cognitive function was assessed using neuropsychologic tests; and the report was full-text, in English. Two independent reviewers assessed the abstracts of 79 potentially relevant articles of 1059 identified. The full text of 31 articles was retrieved, and 23 studies met selection criteria. Data extraction: Data on the study population, intervention, and outcomes were extracted by the same 2 reviewers. The study methods were rated on the Delphi scale (9 criteria, with a score of 5/9 rated high quality). Main results: Most of the study participants were women and most of the interventions were group based. No studies found any diminution in cognitive ability
Aerobic Fitness and Cognition Changes After Exercise Training in Alzheimer's Disease
Journal of Clinical Exercise Physiology, 2017
Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) currently affects 5.4 million Americans and is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. The mechanism of exercise-induced brain adaptations are not fully understood, but enhanced aerobic fitness has been postulated as an essential physiological mechanism and is beginning to be studied. The purpose of this analysis was to examine the relationship between changes in aerobic fitness and cognition following 6 months of aerobic exercise training in older adults with AD. Methods: Twenty-seven community-dwelling older adults with mild to moderate AD completed a 6-month, 3 times per week, moderate-vigorous intensity cycling exercise program in 2 identical studies using a single-group repeated-measures designs. AD symptoms were measured with the AD Assessment Scale–cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog), while aerobic fitness was assessed by the intermittent shuttle walk test (ISWT) at baseline and 6 months. Pearson's correlation coefficient ...
Protective Effects of Exercise on Cognition and Brain Health in Older Adults
Exercise and sport sciences reviews, 2018
Accelerated trajectories of cognitive decline in older adults may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD). Physical activity has potential modifying effects on these changes that could prevent and/or delay ADRD. This review explores the hypothesis that multiple, mutually complimentary and interacting factors explain the positive association between exercise and the optimization of cognition in older adults.
The effect of physical activity on cognitive function in patients with dementia
Introduction Dementia is a clinical syndrome characterized by cognitive decline, motor deficits and/or behavioral problems, causing a decline in daily functioning. Various neuropathologies can underlie dementia syndromes but the most prevalent cause is Alzheimer’s disease (AD), accounting for 60–70%of the cases. Other types of dementia include vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia. Advancing age is the main risk factor for most sporadic forms of dementia and with the ever-increasing aging population worldwide the prevalence of dementia is expected to nearly double from 35.6 million cases in 2010 to 65.7 million in 2030. This expected increase will have profound social and financial consequences, and dementia has therefore been denoted a public health priority by the World Health Organization. Currently, no disease-modifying drugs for dementia are avail-able and pharmacological treatment is limited to therapies that alleviate the symptoms. However, these treatments are not efficacious in all patients and may introduce undesirable side effects. Non-pharmacological interventions, such as physical activity interventions, are therefore appealing alternatives or add-ons. Epidemiological studies have shown that increased lifetime engagement in physical activities reduces the risk of dementia-onset in cognitively normal elderly persons. Experimental animal studies have identified several molecular mechanisms such as enhancement of neurotrophic levels, neurogenesis, and vascularization that may explain this beneficial effect. Moreover, physical activity may even reduce aggregation of pathogenic proteins, mediate neuroinflammation and inhibit neuronal dysfunction. Physical activity thus seems to enhance brain vitality and several studies have investigated whether physical activity interventions are sufficient to slow down cognitive decline once the clinical diagnosis of dementia has been established. Results have been mixed; however, as some studies indeed showed a positive effect of physical activity interventions, while others did not. In the current study, we performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials that investigated the effect of physical activity on cognitive function in patients with dementia. Secondary objectives of this meta-analysis were to assess whether the effect of physical activity on cognitive function was (1) comparable across different types of dementia, (2) dependent on aerobic and/or non-aerobic exercise, and (3) affected by the frequency of the intervention.
Brain Sciences, 2012
The population of elderly adults in the US is growing, and the prevalence of age-related cognitive decline and dementia is expected to increase in turn. Effective and inexpensive interventions or preventive measures are necessary to attenuate the increased economic and social burden of dementia. This review will focus on the potential for physical activity and exercise training to promote brain health and improve cognitive function via neurophysiological changes. We will review pertinent animal and human research examining the effects of physical activity on cognitive function and neurophysiology. We will discuss cross-sectional and longitudinal studies addressing the relationship between neurocognitive health and cardiorespiratory fitness or habitual activity level. We will then present and discuss longitudinal investigations examining the effects of exercise training on cognitive function and neurophysiology. We will conclude by summarizing our current understanding of the relationship between physical activity and brain health, and present areas for future research given the current gaps in our understanding of this issue.