Feasibility and potential benefits of a structured exercise program on cognitive performance in HIV

Area of Science:

• Exercise Science
• Neuroscience
• Infectious Disease Research

Background:

• Exercise improves cardiorespiratory and metabolic health in people with HIV.
• The impact of exercise on cognitive function in this population is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility and potential efficacy of a 12-week aerobic and resistance training program.
• To evaluate the program's effects on cognitive and physical performance in individuals with HIV.

Main Methods:

• A 12-week high-intensity interval training and resistance exercise program conducted 3 days/week.
• Externally controlled feasibility study with intervention, comparison, and refuser groups.
• Cognitive ability assessed using the Brief Cognitive Ability Measure (B-CAM); physical performance using standardized tests.

Main Results:

• Good adherence and acceptability of the exercise intervention.
• Significant improvements in most physical performance measures (effect sizes: 0.2 - 1.5).
• No reliable change observed in cognitive ability (B-CAM) in the exercise group.

Conclusions:

• The 12-week exercise program effectively enhanced physical capacity in people with HIV.
• The program did not result in significant cognitive improvements.
• Future studies should explore exercise parameters to optimize cognitive benefits in this population.