Investigating the Impact of Cardiac Rehabilitation on Brain Activity and Cognition in Adults With Congenital Heart Disease

Thanks to advances in medical research, individuals born with heart defects (Congenital Heart Disease: CHD), are now 95% more likely to reach adulthood, with around 250,000 adults with CHD currently living in Canada. CHD-related diseases and conditions are extremely common in the adult CHD population, and undermine the successes achieved by medical research. For example, compared to healthy peers, adults with CHD are between 3 to 6 times more likely to experience heart accidents or develop other heart conditions during lifetime. Adults with CHD also have more health problems, and have between 1.5 and 2 increased risk of precocious cognitive decline and dementia. Better lifestyle choices and management of medical risk factors play a crucial role in preventing such problems and in increasing the quality of life of those living with CHD. In this regard, physical activity has been suggested as one of the most cost-effective methods for decreasing mortality and incidence of cardiovascular diseases related to CHD. An increasing body of studies have shown that both physical activity and exercise training improve physical and mental health in adults with CHD, who typically tend to be less active than healthy adults. Although physical activity and exercise training have been shown to enhance cognition and brain activity in individuals with other cardiovascular diseases, such effects in CHD are yet to be investigated.

In the present project, the impact of a cardiac rehabilitation program on brain activity and on cognitive functions will be explored in adults with moderate and severe forms of CHD. The 3-month intervention will include an individualised program consisting of combined aerobic and muscle strengthening exercises provided by certified kinesiologists, to be completed at the research center and at home (hybrid program). Brain imaging technology (fNIRS) will be used to measure changes in brain activity related to the intervention. The benefits on cognitive functions, such as attention, executive functions and memory, will be measured with standardized neuropsychological tests before and after the intervention. The results of this project will contribute to a better understanding of the many benefits of exercise training in individuals with CHD, and will lay the foundations for optimal interventions, targeted to prevent CHD-related conditions and impairments.