Does multicomponent physical exercise with simultaneous cognitive training boost cognitive performance in older adults? A 6-month rando­mized controlled trial with a 1-year follow-up

de Bruin, Eling D.; Eggenberger, Patrick; Schumacher, Vera; Angst, Marius; Theill, Nathan · 2015 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.2147/cia.s87732

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Summary

This randomized controlled trial investigated whether combining multicomponent physical exercise with simultaneous cognitive training yields superior cognitive benefits compared to physical training alone in older adults. Motivated by the high prevalence of age-related cognitive decline and previous evidence suggesting that combined interventions may offer synergistic effects, the study hypothesized that simultaneous cognitive–physical components would provide additional, training-specific cognitive advantages over exclusively physical programs. The study enrolled 89 healthy seniors over 70 years old, randomly assigning them to one of three groups for a 6-month intervention: (1) DANCE, involving virtual reality video game dancing; (2) MEMORY, consisting of treadmill walking with simultaneous verbal memory training; and (3) PHYS, serving as a control with treadmill walking only. All groups received complementary strength and balance exercises. Participants attended two 1-hour sessions per week. Cognitive performance was assessed at baseline, 3 months, 6 months, and at a 1-year follow-up using a battery of nine tasks measuring executive function, memory, attention, and processing speed. Statistical analyses included multiple regression with planned comparisons to evaluate time×intervention interactions. Of the initial participants, 71 completed the 6-month training, and 47 participated in the 1-year follow-up. The results indicated that simultaneous cognitive–physical training provided specific advantages in executive function dimensions. The DANCE and MEMORY groups showed a trend toward better performance in "shifting attention" compared to the PHYS group. Additionally, the DANCE group demonstrated a trend toward superior improvement in "working memory" compared to the MEMORY group. Importantly, improvements in executive functions, long-term visual memory, and processing speed were maintained at the 1-year follow-up across all three groups, suggesting that physical training alone also yields lasting cognitive benefits. The study concludes that while all training modalities sustain cognitive improvements over time, specific executive functions benefit more from simultaneous cognitive–physical training than from physical training alone. The findings suggest that integrating cognitive tasks into physical exercise, particularly through engaging methods like video game dancing, may offer targeted advantages for cognitive health in the elderly. This supports the potential of combined interventions to counteract widespread cognitive impairments, although the magnitude of the specific synergistic effects was modest.

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• cognitive impairment