Title

Multiple-Modality Exercise And Mind-Motor Training To Improve Mobility In Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Authors

Narlon Cassio Boa Sorte SilvaFollow
Dawn P. Gill, Western University
Michael A. Gregory, Western University
John Bocti, Western University
Robert Petrella, Western University

Category

Lifestyle and Healthy Aging

Publication Date

Fall 12-17-2017

Journal

Experimental Gerontology

Volume

103

First Page

17

Last Page

26

URL with Digital Object Identifier

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2017.12.011

Abstract

Objective:

To investigate the effects of multiple-modality exercise with or without additional mind-motor training on mobility outcomes in older adults with subjective cognitive complaints.

Methods:

This was a 24-week randomized controlled trial with a 28-week no-contact follow-up. Community-dwelling older adults underwent a thrice -weekly, Multiple-Modality exercise and Mind-Motor (M4) training or Multiple-Modality (M2) exercise with an active control intervention (balance, range of motion and breathing exercises). Study outcomes included differences between groups at 24 weeks and after the no-contact follow-up (i.e., 52 weeks) in usual and dual-task (DT, i.e., serial sevens [S7] and phonemic verbal fluency [VF] tasks) gait velocity, step length and cycle time variability, as well as DT cognitive accuracy.

Results:

127 participants (mean age 67.5 [7.3] years, 71% women) were randomized to either M2 (n =64) or M4 (n = 63) groups. Participants were assessed at baseline, intervention endpoint (24 weeks), and study endpoint (52 weeks). At 24 weeks, the M2 group demonstrated greater improvements in usual gait velocity, usual step length, and DT gait velocity (VF) compared to the M4 group, and no between- or within-group changes in DT accuracy were observed. At 52 weeks, the M2 group retained the gains in gait velocity and step length, whereas the M4 group demonstrated trends for improvement (p =0.052) in DT cognitive accuracy (VF).

Conclusions:

Our results suggest that additional mind-motor training was not effective to improve mobility outcomes. In fact, participants in the active control group experienced greater benefits as a result of the intervention.