Effects of a coordinated program of psychomotricity and cognitive stimulation in vascular mild cognitive impairment and vascular dementia

There is a growing interest in the study of vascular mild cognitive impairment (vMCI) and vascular dementia (VD) due to the increasing incidence of cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes and overweight. The study of non-pharmacological interventions in individuals with vMCI and VD is crucial due to the cognitive and motor consequences of these conditions on the daily lives of individuals. Whereas most interventions are designed from a single disciplinary perspective, the intervention employed in this study integrated both psychomotor and cognitive approaches to concurrently stimulate participants' embodied experience and cognitive processes.

To assess the effects of an intervention combining cognitive stimulation and motor work on memory, attention, praxis, visuospatial abilities, and motor skills.

A two-case study (one with vMCI and one with VD) with psychomotor and cognitive assessments pre- and post-intervention. The intervention combined psychomotor skills and cognitive stimulation and was applied over four months (32 sessions).

The participant with vMCI showed improvements in attention processes, executive functions, and psychomotor skills. The participant with VD showed improvements in memory and psychomotor skills. In both participants, stability was observed in the majority of the cognitive variables measured, along with improvements in processing visuospatial stimuli and neuropsychiatric symptoms (anxiety and apathy).

Motor work can catalyze mental ability, promoting cognitive stimulation from the body to thought, which may be useful in improving and/or achieving stability in cognitive performance in individuals with vMCI and VD.