scholarly journals Effect of hypoxic conditioning on functional fitness, balance and fear of falling in healthy older adults: a randomized controlled trial

Author(s):  
Rafael Timon ◽  
Marta Camacho-Cardeñosa ◽  
Adrián González-Custodio ◽  
Guillermo Olcina ◽  
Narcis Gusi ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Hypoxic conditioning has been proposed as a new tool to mitigate the sarcopenia and enhance health-related function, but decrements in standing balance have been observed during hypoxia exposure. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of a hypoxic conditioning training on functional fitness, balance and fear of falling in healthy older adults. Methods A total of 54 healthy older adults (aged 65–75 years), who voluntarily participated in the study, were randomly divided into three groups: the control group (CON), the normoxia training group (NT) that performed strength training in normoxia, and the hypoxia training group (HT) that trained under moderate hypoxic conditions at a simulated altitude of 2500 m asl. The training programme that was performed during 24 weeks was similar in both experimental groups and consisted of a full-body workout with elastic bands and kettlebells (three sets × 12–15 reps). The Senior Fitness Test (SFT), the Single Leg Stance test (SLS) and the Short Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I) were assessed before and after the intervention. Results Results showed that after training, either in normoxia or in hypoxia, the participants increased upper and lower body strength, and the aerobic endurance, and decreased the fear of falling. Conclusions The moderate hypoxic conditioning seems to be a useful tool to increase the functional capacity in healthy older adults without observing a decline in balance. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04281264. Registered February 9, 2019-Retrospectively registered.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Celia Sánchez Gómez ◽  
Eduardo José Fernández Rodríguez

Abstract Background Everyday cognition is the application of basic cognitive skills and knowledge of the specific cognitive domain for the resolution of problems that are integrated within the instrumental domains of functioning. The main objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of a Training Programme in Everyday Cognition in order to improve the levels of everyday cognition and global cognitive performance in older adults. Methods A randomised controlled trial of two groups. The sample was composed of healthy older adults. The intervention of the experimental group consisted of an Everyday Cognition Training Programme, and the intervention of the control group consisted of a Conventional Cognitive Training Programme. The Rapid Assessment of Cognitive Functions test (ERFC) and the Everyday Cognition Battery test (ECB) were used to assess the intervention. Results Total sample (n = 237) composed of 44 men and 223 women, with a mean age of 73.45 years. Statistically significant differences (p < 0.001) were evidenced between the control group and the experimental group in both the ECB and ERFC; in the final evaluation of the study and in the follow-up. Conclusion The use of a Daily Cognition Training Programme presents greater benefits in terms of both global cognitive performance and everyday cognition than the use of a Conventional Cognitive Training Programme in elderly adults. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04041999. Retrospectively registered. Date of trial registration: 8th July 2019.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celia Sánchez Gómez ◽  
Eduardo José Fernández Rodríguez

Abstract Background: Everyday cognition is the application of basic cognitive skills and knowledge of the specific cognitive domain for the resolution of problems that are integrated within the instrumental domains of functioning. The main objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of a Training Programme in Everyday Cognition in order to improve the levels of everyday cognition and global cognitive performance in older adults.Methods: A randomised controlled trial of two groups. The sample was composed of healthy older adults. The intervention of the experimental group consisted of an Everyday Cognition Training Programme, and the intervention of the control group consisted of a Conventional Cognitive Training Programme. The Rapid Assessment of Cognitive Functions test (ERFC) and the Everyday Cognition Battery test (ECB) were used to assess the intervention.Results: Total sample (n=237) composed of 44 men and 223 women, with a mean age of 73.45 years. Statistically significant differences (p <0.001) were evidenced between the control group and the experimental group in both the ECB and ERFC; in the final evaluation of the study and in the follow-up.Conclusion: The use of a Daily Cognition Training Programme presents greater benefits in terms of both global cognitive performance and everyday cognition than the use of a Conventional Cognitive Training Programme in elderly adults.Trial registration:ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04041999 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04041999)Retrospectively registered.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celia Sánchez Gómez ◽  
Eduardo José Fernández Rodríguez

Abstract Background: Everyday cognition is the application of basic cognitive skills and knowledge of the specific cognitive domain for the resolution of problems that are integrated within the instrumental domains of functioning. The main objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of a Training Programme in Everyday Cognition in order to improve the levels of everyday cognition and global cognitive performance in older adults.Methods: A randomised controlled trial of two groups. The sample was composed of healthy older adults. The intervention of the experimental group consisted of an Everyday Cognition Training Programme, and the intervention of the control group consisted of a Conventional Cognitive Training Programme. The Rapid Assessment of Cognitive Functions test (ERFC) and the Everyday Cognition Battery test (ECB) were used to assess the intervention.Results: Total sample (n=237) composed of 44 men and 223 women, with a mean age of 73.45 years. Statistically significant differences (p <0.001) were evidenced between the control group and the experimental group in both the ECB and ERFC; in the final evaluation of the study and in the follow-up.Conclusion: The use of a Daily Cognition Training Programme presents greater benefits in terms of both global cognitive performance and everyday cognition than the use of a Conventional Cognitive Training Programme in elderly adults.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04041999 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04041999)Retrospectively registered. Date of trial registration: 8th July 2019.


2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 302-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katja Linde ◽  
Dorothee Alfermann

Background:Physical and cognitive activity seems to be an effective strategy by which to promote age-sensitive fluid cognitive abilities in older adults.Method:In this randomized controlled trial, 70 healthy senior citizens (age 60–75) were allocated to a physical, cognitive, combined physical plus cognitive, and waiting control group. The trial assessed information processing speed, short-term memory, spatial relations, concentration, reasoning, and cognitive speed.Results:In contrast to the control group, the physical, cognitive, and combined training groups enhanced their concentration immediately after intervention. Only the physical training group showed improved concentration 3 months later. The combined training group displayed improved cognitive speed both immediately and three months after intervention. The cognitive training group displayed improved cognitive speed 3 months after intervention.Conclusions:Physical, cognitive, and combined physical plus cognitive activity can be seen as cognition-enrichment behaviors in healthy older adults that show different rather than equal intervention effects.


2018 ◽  
Vol 72 (10) ◽  
pp. 944-950 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Shimada ◽  
Sangyoon Lee ◽  
Masahiro Akishita ◽  
Koichi Kozaki ◽  
Katsuya Iijima ◽  
...  

BackgroundAlthough research indicates that a physically active lifestyle has the potential to prevent cognitive decline and dementia, the optimal type of physical activity/exercise remains unclear. The present study aimed to determine the cognitive benefits of a golf-training programme in community-dwelling older adults.MethodsWe conducted a randomised controlled trial between August 2016 and June 2017 at a general golf course. Participants included 106 Japanese adults aged 65 and older. Participants were randomly assigned to either a 24-week (90–120 min sessions/week) golf-training group or a health education control group. Postintervention changes in Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) and National Centre for Geriatrics and Gerontology-Functional Assessment Tool scores were regarded as primary outcome measures. Secondary outcome measures included changes in physical performance and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) scores.ResultsA total of 100 participants (golf training, n=53; control, n=47) completed the assessments after the 24-week intervention period. The adherence to the golf programme was 96.2% (51/53 participants). Analysis using linear mixed models revealed that the golf training group exhibited significantly greater improvements in immediate logical memory (p=0.033), delayed logical memory (p=0.009) and composite logical memory (p=0.013) scores than the control group. However, no significant changes in MMSE, word memory, Trail Making Test or Symbol Digital Substitution Test scores were observed. In addition, no significant changes in grip strength, walking speed or GDS were observed.ConclusionsGolf-based exercise interventions may improve logical memory in older adults, but no significant changes in other cognitive tests. Further follow-up investigations are required to determine whether the observed effects are associated with delayed onset of mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease in older adults.Trial registration numberUMIN-CTR UMIN000024797; Pre-results.


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsiao-Ting Tung ◽  
Chi-Chieh Lai ◽  
Kuei-Min Chen ◽  
Han-Ya Tsai

This study was aimed to test the effects of a meridian cuffing exercise, the Healthy Beat Acupunch (HBA) regimen, on the functional fitness and cardiopulmonary functioning of community older adults. A single-blind, cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted. We randomly allocated eight community care centers to the intervention or control group and recruited 228 participants who completed the study (intervention: four centers, n = 111; control: four centers, n = 117). The intervention group underwent a 40-min session of HBA regimen 3 times per week for 6 months. Functional fitness and cardiopulmonary functioning were assessed at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months of the intervention. The intervention group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in functional fitness and cardiopulmonary functioning than the control group between baseline and either 3 months or 6 months. We suggest that activities designed to promote health among community older adults include acupunch exercises.


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.


Cephalalgia ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 983-991 ◽  
Author(s):  
H van Ettekoven ◽  
C Lucas

We conducted a multicentre, randomized controlled trial with blinded outcome assessment. The treatment period was 6 weeks with follow-up assessment immediately thereafter and after 6 months. The objective was to determine the effectiveness of a craniocervical training programme combined with physiotherapy for tension-type headache. Eighty-one participants meeting the diagnostic criteria for tension-type headache were randomly assigned to an exercise group (physiotherapy and an additional craniocervical training programme) and a control group (physiotherapy alone). The primary outcome measure was headache frequency. Secondary outcomes included headache intensity and duration, Quality of Life (SF-36) and the Multidimensional Headache Locus of Control scale (MHLC). At 6 months' follow-up, the craniocervical training group showed significantly reduced headache frequency, intensity and duration ( P < 0.001 for all). Effect sizes were large and clinically relevant. Loss to follow-up amounted to 3.7±. Physiotherapy including craniocervical training reduces symptoms of tension-type headache significantly over a prolonged time frame.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gunes Sevinc ◽  
Johann Rusche ◽  
Bonnie Wong ◽  
Tanya Datta ◽  
Robert Kaufman ◽  
...  

Maintaining optimal cognitive functioning throughout the lifespan is a public health priority. Evaluation of cognitive outcomes following interventions to promote and preserve brain structure and function in older adults, and associated neural mechanisms, are therefore of critical importance. In this randomized controlled trial, we examined the behavioral and neural outcomes following mindfulness training (n = 72), compared to a cognitive fitness program (n = 74) in healthy, cognitively normal, older adults (65–80 years old). To assess cognitive functioning, we used the Preclinical Alzheimer Cognitive Composite (PACC), which combines measures of episodic memory, executive function, and global cognition. We hypothesized that mindfulness training would enhance cognition, increase intrinsic functional connectivity measured with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) between the hippocampus and posteromedial cortex, as well as promote increased gray matter volume within those regions. Following the 8-week intervention, the mindfulness training group showed improved performance on the PACC, while the control group did not. Furthermore, following mindfulness training, greater improvement on the PACC was associated with a larger increase in intrinsic connectivity within the default mode network, particularly between the right hippocampus and posteromedial cortex and between the left hippocampus and lateral parietal cortex. The cognitive fitness training group did not show such effects. These findings demonstrate that mindfulness training improves cognitive performance in cognitively intact older individuals and strengthens connectivity within the default mode network, which is particularly vulnerable to aging affects.Clinical Trial Registration: [https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02628548], identifier [NCT02628548].


Author(s):  
P. Srisuwan ◽  
D. Nakawiro ◽  
S. Chansirikarnjana ◽  
O. Kuha ◽  
P. Chaikongthong ◽  
...  

ACKGROUND: Cognitive interventions have the potential to enhance cognition among healthy older adults. However, little attention has been paid to the effect of cognitive training (CT) on mood and activities of daily living (ADL). OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of a multicomponent CT using a training program of executive functions, attention, memory and visuospatial functions (TEAM-V Program) on cognition, mood and instrumental ADL. DESIGN: A randomized, single-blinded, treatment-as-usual controlled trial. SETTING: Geriatric clinic in Bangkok, Thailand. PARTICIPANTS: 77 nondemented community-dwelling older adults (mean age 65.7±4.3 years). INTERVENTION: The CT (TEAM-V) program or the treatment-as-usual controlled group. The TEAM-V intervention was conducted over 5 sessions, with a 2-week interval between each session. Of 77 participants randomized (n=40 the TEAM-V program; n=37 the control group). MEASUREMENTS: The Thai version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), The Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-cog), Thai version of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and The Chula ADL were used to assess at baseline, 6 months and 1 year. RESULTS: Compared with the control arm, the TEAM-V Program was associated with reducing anxiety (P = 0.004). Compared with the baseline, participants receiving the TEAM-V Program were associated with significantly improved general cognition (MoCA, P < 0.001), immediate recall (word recall task, P = 0.01), retrieval and retention of memory process (word recognition task, P = 0.01), attention (number cancellation part A, P < 0.001) and executive function (maze test, P = 0.02) at 1 year. No training effects on depression (P = 0.097) and IADL (P = 0.27) were detected. CONCLUSIONS: The TEAM-V Program was effective in reducing anxiety. Even though, the program did not significantly improve cognition, depression and ADL compared with the control group, global cognition, memory, attention and executive function improved in the intervention group compared with baseline. Further studies incorporating a larger sample size, longitudinal follow-up and higher-intensity CT should be conducted.


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