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Getting to Compliance in Forced Exercise in Rodents: A Critical Standard to Evaluate Exercise Impact in Aging-related Disorders and Disease
Published on: August 22, 2014
Aerobic exercise effects upon cognition in Alzheimer's Disease: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials
D M Cammisuli1, A Innocenti, J Fusi
1Department of Medicine and Surgery, Laboratory of Clinical Psychology, Psychophysiology and Clinical Neuropsychology, University of Parma, Parma, Italy -
Background:
Previous reviews and meta-analysis have shown that physical activity has positive effects on cognition in healthy elderly as well as in patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment, even if with a minor effect whereas less is known about the effectiveness of aerobic exercise in patients with Alzheimer's Disease (AD).
Objectives:
The aim of the present study was to systematically review the evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) designed to evaluate aerobic exercise effects upon cognition in AD patients.
Methods:
PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Science and DARE databases were analytically searched for RCTs including aerobic exercise interventions for AD patients.
Results:
There is scarce evidence that aerobic exercise improves cognition in AD patients. Overall, the included studies reported only positive effects for patients'global cognition after intervention, mainly due to a lack of accurate neuropsychological assessment of each cognitive domain. Whether the bene ts of exercise are evident in all stages of AD pathology remain also uncertain.
Conclusions:
Standardized protocols, larger and more rigorous RCTs with long-term follow-ups may provide better insight into the effects of aerobic exercise on cognitive deterioration characterizing people with AD.
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