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. 2020 May 2;9(5):1312.
doi: 10.3390/jcm9051312.

The Effect of a Multicomponent Dual-Task Exercise on Cortical Thickness in Older Adults with Cognitive Decline: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Seongryu Bae  1 , Kenji Harada  1 , Sangyoon Lee  1 , Kazuhiro Harada  1   2 , Keitaro Makino  1 , Ippei Chiba  1 , Hyuntae Park  1   3 , Hiroyuki Shimada  1
Affiliations

The Effect of a Multicomponent Dual-Task Exercise on Cortical Thickness in Older Adults with Cognitive Decline: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Seongryu Bae et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine cortical thickness changes associated with a multicomponent exercise intervention combining physical exercise and cognitive training in older adults with cognitive decline. This study involved a secondary analysis of neuroimaging data from a randomized controlled trial with 280 older adults having cognitive decline who were randomly assigned to either a multicomponent exercise group (n = 140) that attended weekly 90-minute exercise and cognitive training sessions or a health education control group (n = 140). The cortical thickness and cognitive performance were assessed at the baseline and at trial completion (10 months). The cortical thickness in the frontal and temporal regions was determined using FreeSurfer software. Cognitive performance was evaluated using the Gerontology-Functional Assessment Tool (NCGG-FAT). The cortical thickness significantly increased in the middle temporal (p < 0.001) and temporal pole (p < 0.001) in the multicomponent exercise group compared with the control group. Cortical thickness changes were significantly associated with change in trail making test (TMT)-A, TMT-B, and story memory after a 10-month multicomponent exercise intervention. This study suggests that multicomponent exercise programs combining physical exercise and cognitive training have important implications for brain health, especially in providing protection from age-related cortical thinning.

Keywords: cognitive training; cortical thickness; dual-task; physical exercise; randomized controlled trial.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of the participants’ recruitment process. MMSE, Mini-Mental State Examination; MRI, Magnetic resonance imaging.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Relationship between changes in cortical thickness of the left temporal pole and cognitive performance: The change in thickness in the left temporal pole is plotted against change in cognitive performance (A) TMT-A, (B) TMT-B, and (C) story memory. Observations from the control group are triangles, and the regression line is dashed. Observation from the intervention group are circles, and the regression line is linear. TMT: trail making test.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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