Impact of 6-Month Aerobic Exercise on Alzheimer's Symptoms. (June 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Yu, Fang; Thomas, William; Nelson, Nathaniel W.; Bronas, Ulf G.; Dysken, Maurice; Wyman, Jean F.
• Is Part Of: Journal of applied gerontology. Volume 34:Number 4(2015:Jun.)
• Page Start: 484
• Page End: 500
• Publication Date: 2015-06
• Subjects: exercise -- Alzheimer's disease -- dementia -- aging -- cognition; Gerontology -- Periodicals; 362.6
• DOI: 10.1177/0733464813512895
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0733-4648

Abstract

Little is known about how aerobic exercise affects Alzheimer's disease (AD). The purpose of this pilot study was to test the impact of 6-month cycling on AD symptoms in community-dwelling older adults with mild-to-moderate AD, using a single-group, repeated-measures design ( n = 26). AD symptoms were measured with the AD Assessment Scale–Cognitive (ADAS-Cog), Disability in AD (DAD), and Neuropsychiatric Inventory–Caregiver (NPI-Q) scales at baseline, 3 and 6 months. Data were analyzed using mixed linear models. The ADAS-Cog, DAD, and NPI-Q severity scores remained unchanged over the 6-month period, while caregiver distress decreased 40% (p < .05). We conclude that aerobic exercise may reduce AD symptoms and appears effective in decreasing caregiver distress. Further randomized controlled trials are needed to examine the effects of aerobic exercise in AD.