Journal article
A randomized controlled trial of high-intensity exercise and executive functioning in cognitively normal older adults
The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, Vol.29(2), pp.129-140
2020
Abstract
Background
There is a paucity of interventional research that systematically assesses the role of exercise intensity and cardiorespiratory fitness, and their relationship with executive function in older adults. To address this limitation, we have examined the effect of a systematically manipulated exercise intervention on executive function.
Methods
Ninety-nine cognitively normal participants (age = 69.10 ± 5.2 years; n = 54 female) were randomized into either a high-intensity cycle-based exercise, moderate-intensity cycle-based exercise, or no-intervention control group. All participants underwent neuropsychological testing and fitness assessment at baseline (preintervention), 6-month follow-up (postintervention), and 12-month postintervention. Executive function was measured comprehensively, including measures of each subdomain: Shifting, Updating/ Working Memory, Inhibition, Verbal Generativity, and Nonverbal Reasoning. Cardiorespiratory fitness was measured by analysis of peak aerobic capacity; VO2peak.
Results
First, the exercise intervention was found to increase cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2peak) in the intervention groups, in comparison to the control group (F =10.40, p≤0.01). However, the authors failed to find mean differences in executive function scores between the high-intensity, moderate intensity, or inactive control group. On the basis of change scores, cardiorespiratory fitness was found to associate positively with the executive function (EF) subdomains of Updating/Working Memory (β = 0.37, p = 0.01, r = 0.34) and Verbal Generativity (β = 0.30, p = 0.03, r = 0.28) for intervention, but not control participants.
Conclusion
At the aggregate level, the authors failed to find evidence that 6-months of high-intensity aerobic exercise improves EF in older adults. However, it remains possible that individual differences in experimentally induced changes in cardiorespiratory fitness may be associated with changes in Updating/ Working Memory and Verbal Generativity.
Details
- Title
- A randomized controlled trial of high-intensity exercise and executive functioning in cognitively normal older adults
- Authors/Creators
- N.J. Frost (Author/Creator) - The University of Western AustraliaM. Weinborn (Author/Creator) - The University of Western AustraliaG.E. Gignac (Author/Creator) - The University of Western AustraliaS.R. Rainey-Smith (Author/Creator)S. Markovic (Author/Creator) - Murdoch UniversityN. Gordon (Author/Creator) - Murdoch UniversityH.R. Sohrabi (Author/Creator) - Edith Cowan UniversityS.M. Laws (Author/Creator) - Edith Cowan UniversityR.N. Martins (Author/Creator) - Edith Cowan UniversityJ.J. Peiffer (Author/Creator) - Murdoch UniversityB.M. Brown (Author/Creator) - Murdoch University
- Publication Details
- The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, Vol.29(2), pp.129-140
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc.
- Identifiers
- 991005542585107891
- Copyright
- © 2020 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Allied Health
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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- Web Of Science research areas
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