Effects Of Cognitive Training Through Exergames on Cognition in Active Community-Dwelling Older-Adults

This study aimed to verify the effects of training with exergames on the cognitive functions of active older adults in the community. The training group (TG) performed training with exergames twice a week for three months. The control group (CG) did not perform any activity during the period. Cognitive performance was assessed by the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and its components: immediate memory, temporal orientation, spatial orientation, attention, recall and language. Possible differences between scores were tested using Student's t and the frequency of improvement between the initial and final assessment between groups was tested using Chi-square. The study had 100 participants, 62 in the TG and 38 in the CG. The two groups were similar on sex (p=0.981, 87% women), age (p=0.241, mean age of 70.5±7.79 years), education (p=0.276, with a mean of 10.1±4.575 years of formal education) and baseline cognitive performance: the CG scored 26.6± 2.66 and the TG 26.9± 2.52 in the MMSE (p=0.510). At second assessment, there was a significant improvement in the total MMSE score in TG, ending with 28.8±1.38 points (p<0.001), while CG remained at 26.6±2.53. The TG showed a significantly higher frequency of improvement than the CG in immediate memory (43.6% versus 15.8, p<0.001), temporal orientation (33.9% versus 15.8, p<0.001) and spatial orientation (29 % versus 7.9, p=0.004). Although not significant, the GT also showed improvements in calculation, recall and language compared to the CG. We concluded that exergames were effective in improving cognitive performance even in healthy older adults.