Brain Gym® Exercises for Institutionalized Elderly People With Cognitive Impairment

NCT ID: NCT03368482

Last Updated: 2017-12-11

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 50 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2014-09-01
• Study Completion Date: 2015-07-01

Brief Summary

Scientific evidence regarding the effects of Brain Gym®, on people with cognitive impairment is scarce. This study aimed at comparing the effects of a program based on Brain Gym® exercises against a fitness exercise program on the cognitive function, functional independence, physical fitness and quality of life in institutionalized older adults with cognitive impairment.

Detailed Description

Cognitive training and physical exercise have been regarded as useful strategies in order to improve the cognitive function in older people with cognitive impairment. In this regard, it has been argued that while physical exercise improves the metabolic activity of the brain, the performance of cognitively demanding tasks increases the amount of dendritic branches and the level of synaptic plasticity, implying that the combination of both therapies may result in synergistic effects that positively influence various cognitive domains in different ways. One of the best known therapies which combines mental and physical training is Brain Gym® (BG), a movement-based program originally designed to improve learning capabilities through the performance of mind-body exercises. Brain Gym® can be considered as an interesting field of research due to the need of identifying novel therapies which might be more pleasant for older adults who tend not to be prone to participating in conventional exercise programs and might have a positive effect on their cognitive function. In spite of this, scientific evidence regarding the effects of BG on people with cognitive impairment is scarce and none of the studies compared the potential benefits of BG versus traditional exercise programs for this population. Moreover, to the authors' knowledge no study of this kind has been published so far. Under these circumstances, the present study aims at identifying the potential benefits of performing BG exercises on the cognitive function, functional independence, physical fitness, and quality of life of institutionalized older people with cognitive impairment, as well as at finding out whether the effects are more significant than those produced by a traditional exercise program.

Conditions

Cognition Disorders in Old Age; Physical Activity

Keywords

cognition disorders; frail elderly; human physical conditioning; institutionalization; physical activity

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

Brain Gym Exercises

Brain Gym® (BG) is a movement-based program originally designed to improve learning capabilities through the performance of mind-body exercises. BG can be considered as an interesting field of research due to the need of identifying novel therapies which might be more pleasant for older adults who tend not to be prone to participating in conventional exercise programs and might have a positive effect on their cognitive function. In spite of this, scientific evidence regarding the effects of BG on people with cognitive impairment is scarce.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Brain Gym Exercises

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants in the BrainGym Exercises group performed six of the following BG exercises in every training session they took part in: "Cross Crawl", "Gravity Glider", "Arm Activation", "Belly Breathing", "Hook-ups", "Think of an X", "Lazy Eights", "Elephant", "Space Buttons", "The Owl", "Energy Yawn", "Balance Buttons" and "The Energizer". All exercises were executed from a sitting position but following the main tenets of the Brain Gym® work routine.

Standard Exercises

A traditional physical exercise program designed for institutionalized elderly people aimed at increasing their range of mobility and coordination, specifically focused on the lower limbs.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Standard exercise program for institutionalized older adults.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants in the Standard Exercise group took part in a traditional physical exercise program designed for institutionalized elderly people aimed at increasing their range of mobility and coordination, specifically focused on the lower limbs.

Interventions

Brain Gym Exercises

Participants in the BrainGym Exercises group performed six of the following BG exercises in every training session they took part in: "Cross Crawl", "Gravity Glider", "Arm Activation", "Belly Breathing", "Hook-ups", "Think of an X", "Lazy Eights", "Elephant", "Space Buttons", "The Owl", "Energy Yawn", "Balance Buttons" and "The Energizer". All exercises were executed from a sitting position but following the main tenets of the Brain Gym® work routine.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Standard exercise program for institutionalized older adults.

Participants in the Standard Exercise group took part in a traditional physical exercise program designed for institutionalized elderly people aimed at increasing their range of mobility and coordination, specifically focused on the lower limbs.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Older than 65 years old.
• Mean score ≤ 24 in the Spanish adapted version of the Mini-Mental State Examination.
• Cognitive and co-operative ability to follow simple instructions.

Exclusion Criteria

• Individuals whose medical condition hindered or prevented their full and complete participation in the evaluation tests.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 65 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

University of Vigo

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

José M. Cancela

Principal Investigator

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Fundación San Rosendo

Panxón, Pontevedra, Spain

Countries

Spain

Other Identifiers

2-2402-16

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id