Executive function: Responses to aerobic exercise in Alzheimer's disease.
Fang Yu, David M Vock, Terry R Barclay
PMID 29031520WHAT IT FOUND
Six months of supervised cycling did not significantly improve executive function in 28 older adults with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.
Scores declined non-significantly. EXIT-25, BDS, and Stroop tracked change better than Trail Making Test and COWAT.
Key findings
01After 6 months, executive function declined non-significantly on all measured instruments.
02EXIT-25, BDS, and Stroop identified changes in executive function, while COWAT and Trail Making Test did not.
03At 6 months, executive function factor score declined (ES = -0.21, p = 0.06), comparable to global cognition decline (ES = -0.20, p = 0.34).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study had no control group, so the non-significant decline cannot be credited to exercise or compared with usual care. Only 28 participants were enrolled and 22 completed 6-month data collection, so the estimates are imprecise. All participants were Caucasian, so the findings may not generalise to other racial groups. The sample included more participants with mild Alzheimer's disease (16) than moderate Alzheimer's disease (12), so results may not apply to more advanced disease. The Trail Making Test was terminated at 5 minutes 92% of administrations, showing a floor effect that limited its usefulness in this population.
Declared interests
The supplied publication types indicate NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support. No author conflicts of interest or sponsor role in study design, writing, or analysis are stated in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that 6 months of cycling improved or prevented decline in executive function. The study had no control group, and the 6-month executive function changes were non-significant declines.