The Impact of Exercise on the Cognitive Functioning of Healthy Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Author: Kelly ME1, Loughrey D2, Lawlor BA3, Robertson IH4, Walsh C5, Brennan S6.
Affiliation:
1The NEIL Programme, Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland. Electronic address: kellym50@tcd.ie. 2The NEIL Programme, Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland. Electronic address: loughred@tcd.ie. 3The NEIL Programme, Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland. Electronic address: lawlorb@stjames.ie. 4The NEIL Programme, Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland. Electronic address: iroberts@tcd.ie. 5Department of Statistics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland. Electronic address: walshc@tcd.ie. 6The NEIL Programme, Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland. Electronic address: brennas1@tcd.ie.
Conference/Journal: Ageing Res Rev.
Date published: 2014 May 23
Other:
Pages: S1568-1637(14)00061-0 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2014.05.002 , Word Count: 187
Data from epidemiological, cross-sectional, and neuroimaging research show a relationship between higher levels of exercise and reduced risk of cognitive decline but evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCT's) is less consistent. This review examines the impact of aerobic exercise, resistance training, and Tai Chi on the cognitive function of older adults without known cognitive impairment. We investigate explanations for inconsistent results across trials and discrepancies between evidence from RCT's and other research data. Twenty-five RCT's were included in the review. Meta-analysis results revealed significant improvements for resistance training compared to stretching/toning on measures of reasoning (p<0.005); and for Tai Chi compared to 'no exercise' controls on measures of attention (p<0.001) and processing speed (p<0.00001). There were no significant differences between exercise and controls on any of the remaining 26 comparisons. Results should be interpreted with caution however as differences in participant profiles, study design, exercise programmes, adherence rates, and outcome measures contribute to both discrepancies within the exercise research literature and inconsistent results across trials.
Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.
KEYWORDS:
Systematic review; cognitive functioning; exercise; healthy older adults; meta-analysis; physical activity
PMID: 24862109
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