Change in Fitness and the Relation to Change in Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms After Aerobic Exercise in Patients with Mild Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Sobol, Nanna A. | Dall, Christian Have | Høgh, Peter | Hoffmann, Kristine | Frederiksen, Kristian Steen | Vogel, Asmus | Siersma, Volkert | Waldemar, Gunhild | Hasselbalch, Steen G. | Beyer, Nina
Article Type: Research Article
Abstract: Background: Physical activity has the potential to improve physical function in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and may contribute to modify disease processes and cognitive function. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate 1) the effect of moderate-high-intensity aerobic exercise on cardiorespiratory fitness, i.e., peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak ) determined by direct breath-by-breath cardiopulmonary exercise test, and 2) the association between changes in VO2peak and changes in cognition and neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with mild AD. Methods: The study is based on secondary outcome analyses from the large single-blinded multi-center study ADEX (Preserving Cognition, Quality of Life, Physical …Health and Functional Ability in Alzheimer’s Disease: The Effect of Physical Exercise). A preselected sub-group of 55 participants (age 52–83 years), 29 from the intervention group (IG) and 26 from the control group (CG), was included. IG performed 16 weeks of supervised moderate-to-high intensity aerobic exercise. Assessments of VO2peak , mental speed and attention (Symbol Digit Modalities Test, SDMT), and neuropsychiatric symptoms (Neuropsychiatric Inventory, NPI) were performed at baseline and at 16 weeks. Result: VO2peak increased 13% in the IG and a between-group difference in mean change (3.92 ml/kg/min, 95% CI 6.34–1.51, p = 0.003) was present in favor of the IG. Combined data from IG and CG showed positive associations between changes in VO2peak and changes in NPI (Rho = – 0.41, p = 0.042) and changes in SDMT (Rho = 0.36, p = 0.010), respectively. Conclusion: Aerobic exercise improves VO2peak in community-dwelling patients with mild AD. Furthermore, changes in VO2peak appear to be associated to changes in cognition and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Show more
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, aerobic exercise, cardiorespiratory fitness, cognitive function, neuropsychiatric symptoms
DOI: 10.3233/JAD-180253
Citation: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 65, no. 1, pp. 137-145, 2018
Moderate-to-High Intensity Physical Exercise in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Hoffmann, Kristine | Sobol, Nanna A. | Frederiksen, Kristian S. | Beyer, Nina | Vogel, Asmus | Vestergaard, Karsten | Brændgaard, Hans | Gottrup, Hanne | Lolk, Annette | Wermuth, Lene | Jacobsen, Søren | Laugesen, Lars P. | Gergelyffy, Robert G. | Høgh, Peter | Bjerregaard, Eva | Andersen, Birgitte B. | Siersma, Volkert | Johannsen, Peter | Cotman, Carl W. | Waldemar, Gunhild | Hasselbalch, Steen G.
Article Type: Research Article
Abstract: Background: Studies of physical exercise in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are few and results have been inconsistent. Objective: To assess the effects of a moderate-to-high intensity aerobic exercise program in patients with mild AD. Methods: In a randomized controlled trial, we recruited 200 patients with mild AD to a supervised exercise group (60-min sessions three times a week for 16 weeks) or to a control group. Primary outcome was changed from baseline in cognitive performance estimated by Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) in the intention-to-treat (ITT) group. Secondary outcomes included changes in quality of life, ability to perform activities …of daily living, and in neuropsychiatric and depressive symptoms. Results: The ITT analysis showed no significant differences between intervention and control groups in change from baseline of SDMT, other cognitive tests, quality of life, or activities of daily living. The change from baseline in Neuropsychiatric Inventory differed significantly in favor of the intervention group (mean: –3.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) –5.8 to –1.3, p = 0.002). In subjects who adhered to the protocol, we found a significant effect on change from baseline in SDMT as compared with the control group (mean: 4.2, 95% CI 0.5 to 7.9, p = 0.028), suggesting a dose-response relationship between exercise and cognition. Conclusions: This is the first randomized controlled trial with supervised moderate-to-high intensity exercise in patients with mild AD. Exercise reduced neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with mild AD, with possible additional benefits of preserved cognition in a subgroup of patients exercising with high attendance and intensity. Show more
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, behavioral symptoms, cognition, exercise, randomized controlled trial
DOI: 10.3233/JAD-150817
Citation: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 50, no. 2, pp. 443-453, 2016