Effects of the Group-Based Combining Physical Exercise and Cognitive Training for the Elderly with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Subjective Cognitive Decline.

Background and purpose Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and subjective cognitive decline (SCD) are risk groups for dementia. Although some evidence suggests that physical activity combined with cognitive training could enhance the cognitive function for elderly with MCI and SCD, these studies have shown inconsistent results. Moreover, it is yet not clear which combination method could induce better training effects for elderly with MCI and SCD. This study aims to (1) determine the intervention effects of sequential and simultaneous training on cognitive function and health-related function for elderly with MCI and SCD; (2) compare which combination approach is more advantageous for improvement on outcome measures；(3) investigate the differences between the MCI group and SCD group on outcome measures. Method We will recruit 63 elderly with MCI and 66 elderly with SCD. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: sequential training (first perform physical exercise followed by cognitive training), simultaneous training (perform physical exercise and cognitive tasks simultaneously), and control group (perform body stretching and health education courses). All participants will receive trainings for 90 minutes per day, two days per week for 12 weeks. The outcome will include measurements that evaluate the cognitive, physical, daily functions, quality of life, and social participation. Participants will be assessed at baseline, after the intervention, and at 6-month follow-up. Repeated measures of analysis of variance (ANOVA) will be used to evaluate the changes in outcome measures at three different time points for the elderly with MCI and SCD, respectively. We also use the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to investigate the differences between the MCI and SCD groups on the outcome measures. Significance and expected results We anticipate both sequencing and simultaneous training can facilitate cognitive function. Furthermore, the sequential training may improve cognitive and physical function more than the simultaneous training while the simultaneous training could enhance daily function, quality of life, and social participation than the sequential one. In addition, the elderly with MCI may have better performance on the cognitive function, physical function, and daily function than those with SCD while people with SCD may have better quality of life and participation than those with MCI. The significance of this study is identifying the effect of combined therapy to provide the adequate intervention for elderly with MCI and SCD. It could delay and prevent the progression to dementia and lead to new milestone in non-pharmacological treatment.

Project ID:PC10901-2268
External Project ID:MOST109-2314-B182-008-MY2