Combined Dual-Task Gait Training and Aerobic Exercise to Improve Cognition, Mobility, and Vascular Health in Community-Dwelling Older Adults at Risk for Future Cognitive Decline

This 6-month experimental case series study investigated the effects of a dual-task gait training and aerobic exercise intervention on cognition, mobility, and cardiovascular health in community-dwelling older adults without dementia. Participants exercised 40 min/day, 3 days/week for 26 weeks on a Biodex GaitTrainer2 treadmill. Participants were assessed at baseline (V0), interim (V1: 12-weeks), intervention endpoint (V2: 26-weeks), and study endpoint (V3: 52-weeks). The study outcomes included: cognition executive function (EF), processing speed, verbal fluency, and memory; mobility: usual and vascular health: ambulatory blood pressure, carotid arterial compliance, and intima-media thickness (cIMT). Fifty-six participants age: 70(6) years; 61% female were included in this study. Significant improvements following the exercise program (V2) were observed in cognition: EF (p = 0.002), processing speed (p < 0.001), verbal fluency digit symbol coding (p < 0.001), phonemic verbal fluency (p < 0.001), and memory immediate recall (p < 0.001) and delayed recall (p < 0.001); mobility: usual and vascular health: cIMT (p = 0.002). No changes were seen in the remaining outcomes. In conclusion, 26 weeks of dual-task gait training and aerobic exercise improved performance on a number of cognitive outcomes, while increasing usual & dual-task gait speed and step length in a sample of older adults without dementia.