scholarly journals The Effect of Three Months of Aerobic Training on Stroop Performance in Older Adults

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Predovan ◽  
Sarah A. Fraser ◽  
Mélanie Renaud ◽  
Louis Bherer

Growing evidence supports the use of physical training interventions to improve both physical and cognitive performances in healthy older adults. Few studies have examined the impact of aerobic exercise on Stroop task performance, a measure of executive functions. In the current 3-month aerobic training study, 50 older adults (mean age = 67.96 ± 6.25 years) were randomly assigned to either a three-month physical training group or to a control group (waiting list). Training sessions were 3 times per week for 60 minutes. All participants completed pre- and post-test measures of cognitive performance using the modified Stroop task and physical performance (Rockport one-mile test). Compared to controls, the training group showed significant improvements in physical capacity (P<0.001) and enhanced Stroop performance, but only in the inhibition/switching condition (P<0.03). Furthermore, the increase in aerobic capacity induced by the training regimen correlated negatively with reaction time in the inhibition/switching condition of the Stroop task at posttest (r=−0.538;P=0.007). Importantly, the reported gains in cognitive performance were observed after only three months of physical training. Taken together, the results suggest that even short-term physical interventions can enhance older adults’ executive functions.

2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 184-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chun Liang Hsu ◽  
John R Best ◽  
Jennifer C Davis ◽  
Lindsay S Nagamatsu ◽  
Shirley Wang ◽  
...  

BackgroundVascular cognitive impairment (VCI) results from cerebrovascular disease, and worldwide, it is the second most common type of cognitive dysfunction. While targeted aerobic training is a promising approach to delay the progression of VCI by reducing cardiometabolic risk factors, few randomised controlled trials to date have specifically assessed the efficacy of aerobic training on cognitive and brain outcomes in this group at risk for functional decline.AimTo examine the effect of moderate-intensity aerobic training on executive functions and functional neural activity among older adults with mild subcortical ischaemic VCI (SIVCI).MethodsOlder adults with mild SIVCI were randomly assigned to: (1) 6-month, 3×/week aerobic training (n=10) or (2) usual care (control; n=11). Participants completed functional MRI (fMRI) at baseline and trial completion. During the fMRI sessions, behavioural performance on the Eriksen flanker task and task-evoked neural activity were assessed.ResultsAt trial completion, after adjusting for baseline general cognition, total white matter lesion volume and flanker performance, compared with the control group, the aerobic training group significantly improved flanker task reaction time. Moreover, compared with the controls, the aerobic training group demonstrated reduced activation in the left lateral occipital cortex and right superior temporal gyrus. Reduced activity in these brain regions was significantly associated with improved (ie, faster) flanker task performance at trial completion.SummaryAerobic training among older adults with mild SIVCI can improve executive functions and neural efficiency of associated brain areas. Future studies with greater sample size should be completed to replicate and extend these findings.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay S. Nagamatsu ◽  
Alison Chan ◽  
Jennifer C. Davis ◽  
B. Lynn Beattie ◽  
Peter Graf ◽  
...  

We report secondary findings from a randomized controlled trial on the effects of exercise on memory in older adults with probable MCI. We randomized 86 women aged 70–80 years with subjective memory complaints into one of three groups: resistance training, aerobic training, or balance and tone (control). All participants exercised twice per week for six months. We measured verbal memory and learning using the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) and spatial memory using a computerized test, before and after trial completion. We found that the aerobic training group remembered significantly more items in the loss after interference condition of the RAVLT compared with the control group after six months of training. In addition, both experimental groups showed improved spatial memory performance in the most difficult condition where they were required to memorize the spatial location of three items, compared with the control group. Lastly, we found a significant correlation between spatial memory performance and overall physical capacity after intervention in the aerobic training group. Taken together, our results provide support for the prevailing notion that exercise can positively impact cognitive functioning and may represent an effective strategy to improve memory in those who have begun to experience cognitive decline.


Author(s):  
Lenka Svobodová ◽  
Martin Sebera ◽  
Kateřina Strašilová ◽  
Tomáš Hlinský ◽  
Marie Crhová ◽  
...  

Introduction:Due to an international trend of the aging population, we see increased attention paid to studies dealing with the factors that have a positive or negative impact on successful aging. As we know, a higher level of physical activity and thus increased physical fitness sig-nificantly affect the quality of aging. One of the major problems in the elderly is the risks of falls. This age group is at high risk of injuries caused by falls. Analyses of aspects related to the falls revealed the significance of lower muscular tension, previous experience with falling, the bad stereotype of the walk, impaired balanced abilities, and so on. Purpose: In this study, we focused on the impact of different types of physical activity on walking as a vital everyday movement. Methods: Fortyfour older adults (Mage 69,09 years, SD 4,25; 22 male and 22 female) were randomly assigned to four groups, three training groups, and one control group; resistance training group, proprioceptive training group, endurance training group. The group consisted of seniors without a history of malignant disease during their life and without regular physical activity. All groups were tested on timed 10-meter walk test (10MWT), the 3-m backward walk (3MBW), and the 6-minute walk test (6MWD) at baseline, after 12 weeks and after 14 weeks (2 weeks after finishing intervention program). The 10MWT is used to assess walking speed over a short distance. The 3MBW is a test-close related fall risk. The 6MWD is a sub-maximal exercise test used to assess aerobic capacity and endurance. The distance covered over a time of 6 minutes is used as the outcome by which to compare changes in performance capacity. Results: We revealed differences between the types of exercises and the sustain-ability of the acquired skills. Results indicated significant improvements in gait speed in all ex-ercise groups. Subsequent measurements after a 14-day off indicated a slight deterioration trend in all groups. The resistance group showed the best results in the walk-back test. This group was the only one to maintain its standard also after 14-days off. All groups, including control, showed an improvement in aerobic capacity and endurance (measured by 6MWD). We found out differences between groups only after 14-day off. Conclusion: Our study confirmed the usefulness of performing targeted physical activity in older adults. Resistance and proprioceptive training has shown an important role in the pre-vention of falls.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad H. Alghadir ◽  
Sami Gabr

Abstract Background: The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of 24 weeks of moderate aerobic exercise on the levels of lipids and lipoprotein; Lipo(a) markers and its association with cognitive performance in healthy older adults. Methods: A total of 150 healthy subjects (100 males, 50 females; age range; 65-95Yrs) were recruited for this study. Based up on LOTCA test score, subjects were classified randomly into two groups control group (n= 50) and cognitive impairment group (n=100).Cognitive functioning, Leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), lipid profile; total cholesterol, TG, HDL-c, LDL-C, and Lipo(a) were assessed at baseline and post- 24 week aerobic exercise interventions using LOTCA battery, pre validated PA questionnaire, colorimetric and immunoassay techniques respectively. Results. Significant improvements in the cognitive function and modulation in lipid profile and lipoprotein (a) markers were reported in all older subjects following 24 week of moderate exercise. LOTCA-7-sets scores showed a significant correlation with physical activity status and the regulation of lipids and lipo(a) markers. Physically active persons showed a higher cognitive performance along with reduction in the levels of T-Cholest., TG, LDL-C, Lipo(a) , and increase in the levels of HDL-C and aerobic fitness VO2max compared with sedentary participants. Cognitive performance correlated positively with the increase in aerobic fitness, HDL-C, and negatively with T-Cholest.,TG, LDL-C, Lipo(a) respectively. However, a significant increase, in the improvement of motor praxis, vasomotor organization, thinking operations, attention and concentration was reported among older adults. Conclusions: The data concluded that supervised moderate aerobic training for 24 weeks plays a positive significant effect in improving cognitive functions via modulating lipid profile and lipoprotein (a) of older adults.


2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 659-675 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy C. Young ◽  
Nicholas G. Dowell ◽  
Peter W. Watt ◽  
Naji Tabet ◽  
Jennifer M. Rusted

While there is evidence that age-related changes in cognitive performance and brain structure can be offset by increased exercise, little is known about the impact long-term high-effort endurance exercise has on these functions. In a cross-sectional design with 12-month follow-up, we recruited older adults engaging in high-effort endurance exercise over at least 20 years, and compared their cognitive performance and brain structure with a nonsedentary control group similar in age, sex, education, IQ, and lifestyle factors. Our findings showed no differences on measures of speed of processing, executive function, incidental memory, episodic memory, working memory, or visual search for older adults participating in long-term high-effort endurance exercise, when compared without confounds to nonsedentary peers. On tasks that engaged significant attentional control, subtle differences emerged. On indices of brain structure, long-term exercisers displayed higher white matter axial diffusivity than their age-matched peers, but this did not correlate with indices of cognitive performance.


Author(s):  
Marcio Lima ◽  
Talia Falcão Dalçóquio ◽  
M. Cristina Abduch ◽  
Jeane Tsutsui ◽  
Wilson Mathias ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Physical exercise adds benefits improving evolution of the ischemic heart disease, enhancing individual functional capacity and preventing ventricular remodeling. In this study we investigated the impact of a program of physical training started after an uncomplicated post-acute myocardial infarction (AMI) on the mechanics of left ventricle (LV) contraction. METHODS: A total of 53 patients were included, 27 of whom were randomized to a supervised training program (TRAINING group), and 26 to a CONTROL group, who received usual orientations for physical exercise after AMI. All patients underwent cardiopulmonary stress testing and an echocardiogram with speckle tracking technique to measure several parameters of LV contraction mechanics at 1 month and 5 months after AMI. RESULTS: No significant difference in the analysis of LV longitudinal, radial and circumferential strain parameters between groups after the training period was found. After the training program, analysis of torsional mechanics demonstrated a reduction in the LV basal rotation of the TRAINING group in comparison to the CONTROL group (TRAINING, -5.9±2.3 vs CONTROL, -7.5±2.9 ; P=0.03), and in the basal rotational velocity ​​( TRAINING, -53.6±18.4 vs CONTROL, -68.8±22.1 º/s; P=0.01), twist velocity (TRAINING, 127.4±32.2 vs CONTROL, 149.9±35.9 vs º/s; P=0.02) and torsion (TRAINING, 2.4±0.4 vs CONTROL, 2.8±0.8 vs º/cm; P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Physical activity did not cause a significant improvement in LV longitudinal, radial and circumferential deformation parameters. However, the exercise had a significant impact on the LV torsional mechanics, composed particularly of a reduction in basal rotation, twist velocity, torsion and torsional velocity which can be interpreted as a ventricular “torsion reserve” in this population.


Author(s):  
Humberto Castillo Quezada ◽  
Cristian Martínez-Salazar ◽  
Sergio Fuentealba-Urra ◽  
Claudio Hernández-Mosqueira ◽  
Nelson Araneda Garcés ◽  
...  

Introduction: The effect of two physical training methods on older adults should be investigated in greater depth and its results shared with the community. Objective: To determine the effects of two types of physical training on the functional features associated with the cognitive state and the effect on a physiological mediator of growth hormone (IGF-1) in older women. Material and Methods: Quasi-experimental study that included 12 weeks of training in two groups divided into resistance and aerobic training. The study included a population of 113 women aged 69.39 ± 6.48 years from Talcahuano, Chile. All participants were randomly assigned to either group. The MINIMENTAL test was used to examine the executive functions of cognitive state and blood concentration of IGF-1, which was also used to examine neurotrophic factors. For the assessment of physical condition, an indirect test was used for the maximum mass displaced in one repetition (1RM) by the limbs and the TM6 test to estimate maximal oxygen consumption. Results: Significant differences between the groups with respect to the total score obtained in the MINIMENTAL test (EG1 = 28.13 ± 2.26; EG2 = 28.57 ± 1.83 and CG = 23.47 ± 2.80; ANOVA; p = 0.000) were observed. A post hoc analysis revealed no significant differences when examining executive functions individually between groups (Bonferroni; p > 0.05). An increase in the neurotrophic factor IGF-1 was also recorded in the training groups (EG1 p = 0.014 and EG2 p = 0.005). The pre- and post-test showed large differences in magnitude in the resistance training group (ES = 0.9; 20.41% change). Conclusion: Both workouts produce an overall improvement in the functions associated with cognitive status and increase blood concentrations of IGF-1 in older adults.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yifan Chen ◽  
Wei Zhou ◽  
Zijing Hong ◽  
Rongrong Hu ◽  
Zhibin Guo ◽  
...  

AbstractThis study aimed to assess the effects of combined cognitive training on prospective memory ability of older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). A total of 113 participants were divided into a control group and three intervention groups. Over three months, the control group received only community education without any training, whereas for the first six weeks, an executive function training group received executive function training, a memory strategy training group received semantic encoding strategy training, and the combined cognitive training group received executive function training twice a week for the first six weeks, and semantic encoding strategy training twice a week for the next six weeks. The combined cognitive training group showed improvement on the objective neuropsychological testing (Montreal Cognitive Assessment scale). The memory strategy training group showed improvement on the self-evaluation scales (PRMQ-PM). Combined cognitive training improved the prospective memory and cognitive function of older adults with MCI.


2021 ◽  
pp. 019394592110297
Author(s):  
Graham J. McDougall ◽  
Todd B. Monroe ◽  
Keenan A. Pituch ◽  
Michael A. Carter ◽  
Laurie Abbott

Cultural stereotypes that equate aging with decreased competence and increased forgetfulness have persisted for decades. Stereotype threat (ST) refers to the psychological discomfort people experience when confronted by a negative, self-relevant stereotype in a situation where their behavior could be construed as confirming that belief. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships of ST on memory performance in older adults over 24 months. The ST levels on average significantly declined, or improved in the memory training, but not the health training group. Although not significant at the .01 level, the bivariate correlation indicated that change in ST was moderately related to change in verbal memory, suggesting the possibility that improvements (or reductions) in ST may be related to increases in verbal memory scores. We discovered that the unique contribution of ST into the memory performance of healthy older adults offers a possible malleable trait.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiangfei Hong ◽  
You Chen ◽  
Jijun Wang ◽  
Yuan Shen ◽  
Qingwei Li ◽  
...  

AbstractWorking memory (WM) is a fundamental cognitive function that typically declines with age. Previous studies have shown that targeted WM training has the potential to improve WM performance in older adults. In the present study, we investigated whether a multi-domain cognitive training program that was not designed to specifically target WM could improve the behavioral performance and affect the neural activity during WM retrieval in healthy older adults. We assigned healthy older participants (70–78 years old) from a local community into a training group who completed a 3-month multi-domain cognitive training and a control group who only attended health education lectures during the same period. Behavioral and electroencephalography (EEG) data were recorded from participants while performing an untrained delayed match or non-match to category task and a control task at a pre-training baseline session and a post-training follow-up session. Behaviorally, we found that participants in the training group showed a trend toward greater WM performance gains than participants in the control group. Event-related potential (ERP) results suggest that the task-related modulation of P3 during WM retrieval was significantly enhanced at the follow-up session compared with the baseline session, and importantly, this enhancement of P3 modulation was only significant in the training group. Furthermore, no training-related effects were observed for the P2 or N2 component during WM retrieval. These results suggest that the multi-domain cognitive training program that was not designed to specifically target WM is a promising approach to improve WM performance in older adults, and that training-related gains in performance are likely mediated by an enhanced modulation of P3 which might reflect the process of WM updating.


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