Mindfulness, Education, and Exercise for age-related cognitive decline: Study protocol, pilot study results, and description of the baseline sample.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine whether mindfulness training combined with exercise or exercise alone improves cognitive function in older adults compared to a health education control group.
Results Summary
The study provides preliminary results from a non-randomized pilot (n=29) showing feasibility of combining mindfulness and exercise interventions. The full randomized controlled trial (n=585) will assess cognitive outcomes, but final results are not yet available.
Population
Older adults
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
18 months
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
physical exercise | decrease | cognitive decline | aging population | - | may reduce or reverse | #1 |
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction | decrease | cognitive decline | aging population | - | may reduce or reverse | #2 |
mindfulness training plus moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise | neutral | cognitive function | older adults | - | will assess the effect | #3 |
moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise alone | neutral | cognitive function | older adults | - | will assess the effect | #4 |
exercise and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction interventions | neutral | - | non-randomized pilot participants | - | received | #5 |
mindfulness training plus moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise or moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise alone | neutral | cognitive functioning | older adults | - | will inform the research community on the efficacy | #6 |
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Age-related cognitive decline is a pervasive problem in our aging population. To date, no pharmacological treatments to halt or reverse cognitive decline are available. Behavioral interventions, such as physical exercise and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, may reduce or reverse cognitive decline, but rigorously designed randomized controlled trials are needed to test the efficacy of such interventions. METHODS: Here, we describe the design of the Mindfulness, Education, and Exercise study, an 18-month randomized controlled trial that will assess the effect of two interventions-mindfulness training plus moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise or moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise alone-compared with a health education control group on cognitive function in older adults. An extensive battery of biobehavioral assessments will be used to understand the mechanisms of cognitive remediation, by using structural and resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging, insulin sensitivity, inflammation, and metabolic and behavioral assessments. RESULTS: We provide the results from a preliminary study (n = 29) of non-randomized pilot participants who received both the exercise and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction interventions. We also provide details on the recruitment and baseline characteristics of the randomized controlled trial sample (n = 585). CONCLUSION: When complete, the Mindfulness, Education, and Exercise study will inform the research community on the efficacy of these widely available interventions improve cognitive functioning in older adults.