A community-based approach to trials of aerobic exercise in aging and Alzheimer's disease.
The benefits of exercise for aging have received considerable attention in both the popular and academic press. The putative benefits of exercise for maximizing cognitive function and supporting brain health have great potential for combating Alzheimer's disease (AD). Aerobic exercise offers a low-cost, low-risk intervention that is widely available and may have disease modifying effects. Demonstrating that aerobic exercise alters the AD process would have enormous public health implications. The purpose of this paper is to report the protocol of a current, community-based pilot study of aerobic exercise for AD to guide future investigation. This manuscript provides 1) an overview of possible benefits of exercise in those with dementia, 2) a rationale and recommendations for implementation of a community-based approach, 3) recommendation for implementation of similar study protocols, and 4) unique challenges in conducting an exercise trial in AD.
Dept. of Neurology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
Eric D
ED
Vidoni
Angela
A
Van Sciver
David K
DK
Johnson
Jinghua
J
He
Robyn
R
Honea
Brian
B
Haines
Jami
J
Goodwin
M Pat
MP
Laubinger
Heather S
HS
Anderson
Patricia M
PM
Kluding
Joseph E
JE
Donnelly
Sandra A
SA
Billinger
Jeffrey M
JM
Burns
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects