title: Effects of physical activity training in patients with Alzheimer's dementia: results of a pilot RCT study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is evidence that physical activity (PA) is of cognitive benefit to the ageing brain, but little is known on the effect in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The present pilot study assessed the effect of a home-based PA training on clinical symptoms, functional abilities, and caregiver burden after 12 and 24 weeks.
  
  
  METHODS
  In an RCT thirty patients (aged 72.4±4.3 years) with AD (MMSE: 20.6±6.5 points) and their family caregivers were allocated to a home-based 12-week PA intervention program or the usual care group. The program changed between passive, motor-assisted or active resistive leg training and changes in direction on a movement trainer in order to combine physical and cognitive stimuli.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analysis of activities of daily living in the patients (ADCS ADL total score) revealed a significant group × time interaction effect (95% CI of the difference between both groups at T2: 5.01-10.51). The control group experienced decreases in ADL performance at week 12 and 24 whereas patients in the intervention group remained stable. Analyses of executive function and language ability revealed considerable effects for semantic word fluency with a group × time interaction (95% CI of the difference between both groups at T2: 0.18-4.02). Patients in the intervention group improved during the intervention and returned to initial performance at week 12 whereas the controls revealed continuous worsening. Analyses of reaction time, hand-eye quickness and attention revealed improvement only in the intervention group. Caregiver burden remained stable in the intervention group but worsened in the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that PA in a home-based setting might be an effective and intrinsically attractive way to promote PA training in AD and modulate caregiver burden. The results demonstrate transfer benefits to ADL, cognitive and physical skill in patients with AD.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02196545.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Division of Old Age Psychiatry and Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307, Dresden, Germany; DZNE, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Vjera A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Holthoff
authors.affiliation: DZNE, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Kira
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Marschner
authors.affiliation: DZNE, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scharf
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Division of Old Age Psychiatry and Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Julius
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Steding
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Division of Old Age Psychiatry and Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Shirin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Division of Old Age Psychiatry and Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Division of Old Age Psychiatry and Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307, Dresden, Germany; DZNE, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Donix
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation
chemical_list: D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors