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Four weeks of combination exercise training improved executive functions, episodic memory, and processing speed in healthy elderly people: evidence from a randomized controlled trial

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Abstract

Previous reports have described that long-term combination exercise training improves cognitive functions in healthy elderly people. This study investigates the effects of 4 weeks of short-term combination exercise training on various cognitive functions of elderly people. We conducted a single-blinded randomized controlled trial with two parallel groups. Sixty-four healthy older adults were assigned randomly to a combination exercise training group or a waiting list control group. Participants in the combination exercise training group participated in the combination exercise training (aerobic, strength, and stretching exercise trainings) 3 days per week during 4 weeks (12 workouts total). The waiting list control group did not participate in the combination exercise training. Measures of the cognitive functions (executive functions, episodic memory, working memory, reading ability, attention, and processing speed) were conducted before and after training. Results showed that the combination exercise training improved executive functions, episodic memory, and processing speed compared to those attributes of the waiting list control group. This report was the first of a study demonstrating the beneficial effects of short-term combination exercise training on diverse cognitive functions of elderly people. Our study provides important evidence of the short-term combination exercise's effectiveness.

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Acknowledgments

This study was an industry–academic collaboration of Tohoku University, namely Smart Aging Square (http://www2.idac.tohoku.ac.jp/dep/sairc/square.html). We thank H. Saito, T. Nakajima, and H. Tsuda for recruiting participants, testers for performing psychological tests, Curves staff members for conducting the combination exercise training, the participants, and our other colleagues in IDAC, Tohoku University for their support.

Ethics statement

Ethical approval was provided by the Institutional Review Board of the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine (ref. 2011-58). Based on the Declaration of Helsinki, written informed consent was received from each participant.

Conflict of interest

All authors have declared no competing interests. This study was supported by Curves Japan Co., Ltd. Funding sources of the trial had no involvement in the study design, collection, analysis, interpretation of data, or writing of the papers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Human and Social Response Research Division, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, 4-1 Seiryocho, Aobaku, Sendai, 980-8575, Japan

    Rui Nouchi

  2. Smart Ageing International Research Centre, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8575, Japan

    Rui Nouchi, Takayuki Nozawa, Haruka Nouchi & Ryuta Kawashima

  3. Division of Medical Neuroimage Analysis, Department of Community Medical Supports, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, 4-1 Seiryo-machi, Sendai, 980-8575, Japan

    Yasuyuki Taki & Atsushi Sekiguchi

  4. Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8575, Japan

    Yasuyuki Taki, Hikaru Takeuchi, Hiroshi Hashizume & Ryuta Kawashima

  5. Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8575, Japan

    Atsushi Sekiguchi & Ryuta Kawashima

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  1. Rui Nouchi
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Correspondence to Rui Nouchi.

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Nouchi, R., Taki, Y., Takeuchi, H. et al. Four weeks of combination exercise training improved executive functions, episodic memory, and processing speed in healthy elderly people: evidence from a randomized controlled trial. AGE 36, 787–799 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-013-9588-x

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