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MOVE for Your MIND

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Cognitive Decline
Fall
Interventions
Other: home exercise strength program
Other: Dalcroze Eurhythmics Program
Registration Number
NCT03384602
Lead Sponsor
University of Zurich
Brief Summary

Among the most promising interventions targeting both cognitive and functional decline, is Exercise. However, evidence regarding exercise interventions among seniors with cognitive impairment are inconclusive, likely due to challenges of recruitment and adherence. Alternatively, seniors with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), who are not yet meeting objective criteria of cognitive impairment, but have been shown to have twice the conversion rate to dementia compared with healthy seniors, are more likely to be motivated to participate and adhere to exercise interventions. Thus, exercise interventions in seniors with SCD may provide a window of opportunity for early prevention of dementia and falls.

The investigators aim to test the effect of a group exercise (multi-task Jaques-Dalcroze Eurhythmics) and a simple home strength exercise program on change of cognitive function and the rate of falling among seniors with SCD.

Detailed Description

In Europe and in Switzerland, the number of seniors age 70 and older is predicted to increase from 25% to 40% by 2030, as is the number of seniors with cognitive impairments, physical frailty and resulting consequences, such as falls and loss of autonomy. One out of three seniors age 65 and one out of two seniors age 80 experience at least one fall per year. Prevalence of dementia increases with age and more than doubles a seniors' risk of falling.

Among the most promising interventions targeting both cognitive and functional decline, is Exercise. However, evidence regarding exercise interventions among seniors with cognitive impairment are inconclusive, likely due to challenges of recruitment and adherence. Alternatively, seniors with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), who are not yet meeting objective criteria of cognitive impairment, but have been shown to have twice the conversion rate to dementia compared with healthy seniors, are more likely to be motivated to participate and adhere to exercise interventions. Thus, exercise interventions in seniors with SCD may provide a window of opportunity for early prevention of dementia and falls.

The investigators aim to test the effect of a group exercise (multi-task Jaques-Dalcroze Eurhythmics) and a simple home strength exercise program on change of cognitive function and the rate of falling among seniors with SCD.

The MOVE for your MIND trial will be a single center, single-blinded randomized controlled clinical trial among 195 senior men and women and a 12 month follow-up. Participants will be community-dwelling seniors, age 70+ who meet the criteria for SCD without evidence for objective cognitive impairment. The 3 treatment arms are: (1) Jaques-Dalcroze Eurhythmics group exercise (1x60min/week), (2) simple home exercise strength program (3x30min/week), (3) control group without exercise intervention. All participants will receive a monthly "Healthy Nutrition" lecture. The hypothesis is that both exercise groups are superior to control. Under these assumptions, and a sample size of 195 seniors, the investigators will have \>90% power for change in cognitive function and \>80% power for the difference in the rate of falls. Clinical visits will be at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Therapeutic interventions for seniors with early subjective signs of cognitive decline that are effective, affordable, and well-tolerated in the prevention of both, cognitive and physical function decline, are urgently needed and will have an outstanding impact on public health as a whole. To the investigator's knowledge, this is the first exercise trial to target seniors with SCD and with the change in cognitive function and the rate of falls as the primary endpoints. Providing an evidence-base for a group- and a home-based exercise will give a choice to patients. Further, the mechanistic biomarker study for brain and muscle health among seniors with SCD will support the findings at the cellular level and whole-brain MRI imaging will support them at a structural level.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
195
Inclusion Criteria
  • Age 70+, living in the community
  • Meet the criterion for SCD defined by a score of ≥25 points on the MAC-Q questionnaire
Exclusion Criteria
  • Signs of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), MoCA score ≤24
  • Score of ≥5 on the short form of the Geriatric Depression Scale (15items)
  • Inability to walk or to come to the study entre
  • Severe gait impairment or diseases with a risk of recurrent falling (e.g. Parkinson's disease/syndrome, Hemiplegia after stroke, symptomatic stenosis of the spinal canal, polyneuropathy, epilepsy, recurring vertigo, recurring syncope, heavy alcohol consumption)
  • Currently engaged in regular (once a week or more) strength training instructed by a professional teacher and including the explicit aim to improve muscle strength, or regular (once a week or more) Dalcroze eurhythmics classes
  • Active cancer or current cancer treatment
  • Inability to read and/or speak German necessary to understand the instructions

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
home exercise strength programhome exercise strength programsimple strength training program to perform individually at home
Dalcroze Eurhythmics programDalcroze Eurhythmics Programmusic-based multi-task exercise intervention
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change in cognitive function12 months

assessed with the CERAD-plus test

Rate of falls12 months

The circumstances and injuries associated with the fall will be ascertained with a questionnaire.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Proportion of seniors with any falls and injurious falls12 months

Participants will record incident falls in the study diary.

Cognitive function: Mini Mental State Exam12 months

The Mini Mental State Exam is part of the CERAD test battery (change over 12 months will be evaluated)

Cognitive function: verbal fluency test12 months

The verbal fluency test (animal naming) is part of the CERAD test battery (change over 12 months will be evaluated)

Cognitive function: Word List Recognition12 months

Word List Recognition (10 original words, 10 foils) is part of the CERAD-plus test battery (change over 12 months will be evaluated)

Rate of injurious falls12 months

The number of falls that resulted in any injury will be examined and categorized according to severity of the injury.

Cognitive function: Boston Naming test12 months

The Boston Naming test (15 items) is part of the CERAD test battery (change over 12 months will be evaluated)

Cognitive function: Phonematic Fluency Test12 months

The Phonematic Fluency test (S-words) is part of the CERAD-Plus test battery (change over 12 months will be evaluated)

Incident MCI12 months

Based on the results from the CERAD-plus test battery

Cognitive function: Constructional Praxis Recall12 months

Constructional Praxis Recall is part of the CERAD test battery (change over 12 months will be evaluated)

Functional decline: repeated sit-to-stand test12 months

Assessed with the repeated sit-to-stand test protocol

Change in gait variability under single task condition12 months

Assessed with a GAITRite® gait analysis system (Platinum CIR Systems, PA, USA) and/or Gait Up gait analysis system (Gait UP SA, Lausanne, Switzerland)

Quality of life: RAND 36-Item Short Form Survey12 months

Assessed using the RAND 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36)

Changes in biomarkers of inflammation: hr-CRP12 months

Blood marker analyses: hr-CRP

Cognitive function: Trial Making Test A12 months

The Trial Making Test A is part of the CERAD-Plus test battery (change over 12 months will be evaluated)

Functional decline: gait speed12 months

Gait speed will be measured with a stop watch over a distance of 4 meters.

Cognitive function: Trial Making Test B12 months

The Trial Making Test B is part of the CERAD-Plus test battery (change over 12 months will be evaluated)

Cognitive function: Word List Learning12 months

Word List Learning is part of the CERAD test battery (change over 12 months will be evaluated)

Cognitive function: Word List Recall12 months

Word List Recall is part of the CERAD test battery (change over 12 months will be evaluated)

Functional decline: timed up and go test12 months

Assessed with the standard timed up and go test protocol

Quality of life: EuroQuol12 months

Assessed using the German Version of EuroQuol EQ5D-3L questionnaire according to the Austrian reference scale

Changes in biomarkers of inflammation: IL-612 months

Blood marker analyses: IL-6

Cognitive function: Constructional Praxis12 months

Constructional Praxis is part of the CERAD test battery (change over 12 months will be evaluated)

Functional decline: short physical performance battery12 months

Assessed using the short physical performance battery

Change in gait variability under dual task condition12 months

Assessed with a GAITRite® gait analysis system (Platinum CIR Systems, PA, USA) and/or Gait Up gait analysis system (Gait UP SA, Lausanne, Switzerland)

Changes in IGF-112 months

Blood marker analyses: IGF-1

Functional decline: grip strength12 months

Assessed using a Martin Vigorimeter

Mental Health: Geriatric Depression Scale12 months

Assessed with the short form of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Centre on Aging and Mobility, University of Zurich

🇨🇭

Zürich, Switzerland

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