Brain Gym® Exercises for Institutionalized Elderly People With Cognitive Impairment

NCT03368482 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 2-2402-16
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 50
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Scientific evidence regarding the effects of Brain Gym®, on people with cognitive impairment is scarce. This study aimed at comparing the effects of a program based on Brain Gym® exercises against a fitness exercise program on the cognitive function, functional independence, physical fitness and quality of life in institutionalized older adults with cognitive impairment.

Conditions

Cognition Disorders in Old Age; Physical Activity

Keywords

cognition disorders; frail elderly; human physical conditioning; institutionalization; physical activity

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Assessment of the changes in participants' cognitive function.

  By means of the Spanish version of the Mini-Mental State Examination. This is a 30-point questionnaire comprised by eight different categories and score range: Orientation to time (0-5 points) Orientation to place (0-5 points) Registration (0-3 points) Attention and calculation (0-5 points) Recall (0-3 points) Language (0-2 points) Repetition (0-1 points) Complex commands (0-6 points) The total score is the result of the summation of the categories. Interpretation: Any score greater than or equal to 24 points (out of 30) indicates a normal cognition. ≤9 points: severe cognitive impairment 10-18 points: moderate cognitive impairment 19-23 points: mild cognitive impairment

  10 weeks

• Assessment of the changes in participants' functional independence.

  By means of the Barthel Index (BI) Spanish version. This scale evaluates the independence for the activities of daily living. It contains 10 different activities, with a possible score ranging from 0 to 10, with a maximum total score of the scale of 100 (summing the subscales results). Interpretation: \<20 Total dependence 21 - 60 Severe dependence 61 - 90 Moderate dependence 91 - 99 Mild dependence 100 Total Independence

  10 weeks

• Assessment of the changes in participants' health-related self-perceived quality of life.

  By means of the 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12), spanish version. For each of the 8 subscales, the value can go from 0 to 100. For the interpretation of the results, the 50 (standard deviation 10) value on each dimension must be the mean valor for the sub scale reported for the general population, meaning that more or less than 50 must be considered better or worse, respectively.

  10 weeks

• Assessment of the changes in participants' fitness level.

  By means of the 5-Chair Stands Test.

  10 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Brain Gym Exercises

EXPERIMENTAL

Brain Gym® (BG) is a movement-based program originally designed to improve learning capabilities through the performance of mind-body exercises. BG can be considered as an interesting field of research due to the need of identifying novel therapies which might be more pleasant for older adults who tend not to be prone to participating in conventional exercise programs and might have a positive effect on their cognitive function. In spite of this, scientific evidence regarding the effects of BG on people with cognitive impairment is scarce.

Behavioral: Brain Gym Exercises

Standard Exercises

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

A traditional physical exercise program designed for institutionalized elderly people aimed at increasing their range of mobility and coordination, specifically focused on the lower limbs.

Behavioral: Standard exercise program for institutionalized older adults.

Interventions

Brain Gym Exercises BEHAVIORAL

Participants in the BrainGym Exercises group performed six of the following BG exercises in every training session they took part in: "Cross Crawl", "Gravity Glider", "Arm Activation", "Belly Breathing", "Hook-ups", "Think of an X", "Lazy Eights", "Elephant", "Space Buttons", "The Owl", "Energy Yawn", "Balance Buttons" and "The Energizer". All exercises were executed from a sitting position but following the main tenets of the Brain Gym® work routine.

Brain Gym Exercises

Standard exercise program for institutionalized older adults. BEHAVIORAL

Participants in the Standard Exercise group took part in a traditional physical exercise program designed for institutionalized elderly people aimed at increasing their range of mobility and coordination, specifically focused on the lower limbs.

Standard Exercises

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 65 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Older than 65 years old.
• Mean score ≤ 24 in the Spanish adapted version of the Mini-Mental State Examination.
• Cognitive and co-operative ability to follow simple instructions.

You may not qualify if:

• Individuals whose medical condition hindered or prevented their full and complete participation in the evaluation tests.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Vigo: lead

Study Sites (1)

Fundación San Rosendo

Panxón, Pontevedra, 36340, Spain

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity; Cognition Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior; Neurocognitive Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 28, 2017
• First Posted: December 11, 2017
• Study Start: September 1, 2014
• Primary Completion: March 1, 2015
• Study Completion: July 1, 2015
• Last Updated: December 11, 2017

Record last verified: 2017-12

Locations

ES (1)