Minor memory lapses, brief alterations in visual or spatial perception: these are some of the symptoms of so-called Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), an early form of cognitive decline that does not compromise the independence of those affected, but that nonetheless produces symptoms recognizable by both the patient and family members. This is not always the case, but MCI can in some cases precede the development of more severe forms of dementia. A study published in JAMA Network Open analyzed the effect of combining different types of intervention — physical exercise, cognitive training and vitamin D supplementation — in a total of 175 patients with MCI. While vitamin D supplementation showed no particular effects, the combination of physical and cognitive training had positive effects on participants’ cognitive functions, still detectable a year later.
The study
The research group involved a total of 175 Canadian participants aged between 65 and 84, all with MCI. The participants were then randomly divided into five groups and given different types of treatment for a period of 20 weeks. Group one received what the study authors call a “multidomain intervention”, consisting of physical exercise (both aerobic and resistance), cognitive exercises of progressive difficulty to be performed through a dedicated program installed on a tablet, and 10,000 IU (International Units) of vitamin D three times a week. The patients in the other four groups received similar treatments, in which, however, one or more of the various types of intervention were replaced by the corresponding placebo.
The results
The analyses showed a cognitive improvement especially in the groups of participants who underwent both cognitive training and physical training. Vitamin D intake, on the other hand, showed no effect.
The patients’ cognitive function was measured using the so-called Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale Cognitive 13 (ADAS-Cog-13), consisting of 13 cognitive tests designed to assess different aspects of brain function. The score ranges from a minimum of zero to a maximum of 85, and higher scores correspond to lower cognitive function.
In detail, the people in the groups that underwent physical training sessions obtained a score 1.79 points lower (thus showing better cognitive function) than the group that did no real physical activity but only balance exercises. As mentioned, however, the best results were obtained from the combination of physical training and cognitive training: participants in the groups exposed to this type of combined intervention obtained on average a score 1.45 points lower than those who practiced only physical exercise and not cognitive training.
