Effects of progressive dual-task training on motor performance, cognitive status and fall risk among older adults with and without Mild Cognitive Impairment

Pak Zamir, Faraz; Shahbazi, Mehdi; Bagherzadeh, Fazlollah; Arab Ameri, Elaheh

doi:10.22118/jsmj.2014.237166

Effects of progressive dual-task training on motor performance, cognitive status and fall risk among older adults with and without Mild Cognitive Impairment

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

faraz pak zamir ¹

Mehdi Shahbazi ²

Fazlollah Bagherzadeh ³

Elaheh Arab Ameri ³

¹ PhD Student/ University of Tehran

² Associate Professor of Motor Behavior/ Department of Motor control and learning, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

³ Associate Professor of Motor Behavior/ Faculty of Physical Education, University of Tehran

10.22118/jsmj.2014.237166

Abstract

Background and Objective: Patients with MCI demonstrate suffer from inadequacy in compensatory techniques and lacking motor control while falling, hence it appears that cognitive and motor deficiencies are inter-related. The aim of this study is to investigate the progressive dual-task effects on motor performance, cognitive status and fall risk between older adults.
Subjects and Methods: This study is semi experimental with pre test – post test design. The subjects were selected from community dwelling older adults with mean age of 75.65 years (range, 65–90). Both groups (20 with MCI and 20 Healthy) participated in 12 weeks of intervention with progressive dual-task training.
Results: Examinations after 12 weeks showed that intervention caused improvements in cognitive status, postural control and fall risk in both older adults with and without MCI. The MCI group experienced more positive changes in cognition, while the normal group had the most evident effects in fall risk and performance in FR test..
Conclusion: This finding supports the previous results which implied the positive effects of dual-task training on cognitive variables are associated to biological variations which arise during exercise training. We also suggest that the physical benefits of progressive dual-task training (e.g. flexibility) are overriding the cognitive changes. In future research, the pathophysiology and further clinical implications should be investigated.

Keywords

Cognitive performance

dual task training

elderly

balance

gait