Effects of Resistance and Dual-Task Training on Physical, Oculomotor, and Executive Functions in Older Adults With MCI

NCT07278141 | Not Yet Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: 4126162
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 66
• Locations: 2 countries
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine the effect of a combined therapeutic intervention program with anaerobic exercises (resistance exercises) and dual tasks on the physical, oculomotor, and executive functions of older adults with mild cognitive impairment. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• How effective will a therapeutic intervention program combining resistance exercises with dual tasks be in improving the physical, oculomotor, and executive functions of older adults with mild cognitive impairment living in the community? Researchers will compare the effectiveness of a resistance exercise training program combined with dual tasks versus a resistance-only exercise training program to see if it improves the physical, oculomotor, and executive functions of older adults with mild cognitive impairment Participants Will:
• Receive resistance exercises, resistance exercises combined with dual tasks. or the standard health care. The intervention programs will consist of 3 weekly sessions over 8 weeks.
• Before the start and after the completion of the programs, they will be evaluated using a battery of tests. This includes sociodemographic and general health background, physical fitness tests, as well as assessments of executive functions and oculomotor Saccadic movements and anti-saccadic error.
• be required to sign a consent form.

Conditions

Physical Function; Executive Function (Cognition); Saccadic Eye Movements

Keywords

combination training; Dual-Task; Physical-Cognitive Training; aging; older adult; Timed Up & Go; executive function; Resistance Training

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (7)

• Physical-functional condition - Risk of falls

  The physical-functional condition, specifically the risk of falls of participants will be assessed using the Timed Up and Go Test (TUG). Description: Time in seconds required to stand up from a chair, walk three meters, turn, return, and sit down. Unit of Measure: Seconds (s)

  Baseline, and immediately post-intervention (week 11),

• Executive function - Inhibitory control

  Participants' inhibitory control will be assessed using the Stroop Colour Test. Performance will be evaluated through response time. Unit of Measure: Milliseconds (ms)

  Baseline, and immediately post-intervention (week 11-12)

• Oculomotor Function- Saccadic and anti-saccadic oculomotor movement

  Saccadic and anti-saccadic eye movements will be assessed using a non-invasive electrooculography (EOG) system (ADInstruments PTK15 EOG model and AD Instruments Brazil PowerLab T26-3079). Two surface electrodes will be placed at the outer canthi of the right and left eyes, with a ground electrode positioned on the forehead. Synchronization between target illumination and EOG signals will be controlled using LabChart software (version 7, Research Ltd.). Performance will be evaluated based on movement latency during visual tasks: left-to-right for saccadic movements and right-to-left for anti-saccadic movements. Unit of Measure: Milliseconds (ms).

  Baseline, and immediately post-intervention (week 11)

• Physical - functional condition - Physical function

  The Physical-functional condition, specifically Participants' physical function will be assessed with the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Description: Composite score evaluating balance, gait speed, and lower limb strength. Unit of Measure: Points on a scale (0-12).

  Baseline, and immediately post-intervention (week 11)

• Physical - functional condition - Grip Strength

  The Physical-functional condition, specifically the grip strenght of particiants will be assesment with the JAMAR dynamometer. Description: Maximum grip strength measured with a hydraulic dynamometer. Unit of Measure: Kilograms (kg)

  Baseline, and immediately post-intervention (week 11)

• Executive Function - Working Memory

  Working memory will be assessed using the Corsi Block-Tapping Test (CBTT), administered in both forward and backward conditions. Performance will be evaluated based on response time for each condition. Unit of Measure: Milliseconds (ms)

  Baseline, and immediately post-intervention (week 11-12)

• Executive Function - Cognitive Flexibility

  Cognitive flexibility will be assessed using the Trail Making Test (TMT). Performance will be evaluated through completion time for Part A (numbers only) and Part B (numbers and letters alternating). Unit of Measure: Miliseconds (ms).

  Baseline, and immediately post-intervention (week 11-12)

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Sociodemographic variable - Age

  Baseline

• Sociodemographic variable - Sex

  Baseline

• Sociodemographic variables-Educational Level

  Baseline

• Health indicators- Comorbidities

  Baseline

• Anthropometric variable- Body Mass Index (BMI)

  Baseline

Study Arms (3)

Intervention Group EGR (Experimental group resistance exercises)

EXPERIMENTAL

EGR will receive only anaerobic therapeutic exercises (resistance exercises) for 8 weeks, with 3 sessions per week. The exercises will focus on the elbow flexor/extensor groups and the knee flexor/extensor groups, using a bilateral leg press, unilateral knee extensions, and bilateral elbow flexion-extension exercises, performed in 3 sets of 8 repetitions for each trained muscle group.

Procedure: Anaerobic therapeutic exercises (resistance exercise)

The EGRD group (Experimental group: resistance exercise plus dual tasks)

EXPERIMENTAL

The EGRD group (experimental group: resistance exercise plus dual tasks) will receive 8 weeks of anaerobic therapeutic exercises (resistance exercises) combined with dual tasks during sessions. They will perform the same exercise protocol as the EGR group and concurrently add memory and arithmetic tasks during the exercises.

Combination Product: Anaerobic therapeutic exercises (resistance exercise) plus Dual Task

The CG Group (control group)

NO INTERVENTION

The control group (CG) will receive usual health care during the intervention period; however, they will receive the best evaluated therapeutic intervention at the end of the study.

Interventions

Anaerobic therapeutic exercises (resistance exercise) PROCEDURE

The intervention period will last 8 weeks, with 3 sessions per week. Each resistance training session will last one hour and will consist of three parts: the first part will include joint mobility and basic preparatory movements; the second part will involve the resistance training itself (with added weight); and finally, the third part will feature breathing exercises and stretches as a cool-down. Weighted exercises will focus on the elbow flexor/extensor groups and the knee flexor/extensor groups through bilateral leg presses, unilateral knee extensions, and bilateral elbow flexion-extension exercises, performed in 3 sets of 8 repetitions for each muscle group trained. The training intensity for the first two weeks will be set at 60% of 1RM and will then be increased to the target intensity (80% of 1RM) by at least week 7 of the training. To ensure that the training program is progressive, a 1RM strength evaluation will be performed every two weeks, to adjust the training load.

Intervention Group EGR (Experimental group resistance exercises)

Anaerobic therapeutic exercises (resistance exercise) plus Dual Task COMBINATION_PRODUCT

The anaerobic (resistance) exercise training group combined with dual tasks will follow the same protocol as the previously described anaerobic therapeutic exercise training and will additionally incorporate memory and arithmetic tasks concurrently during the exercises. The intervention period will also last 8 weeks, with 3 sessions per week, and each training session will last one hour (Pantoja-Cardoso et al. 2023).

The EGRD group (Experimental group: resistance exercise plus dual tasks)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 60 Years - 90 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Men and women aged 60 years or older
• Score between 10 and 25 points on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scale
• Provide informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• Visual or auditory disability that impedes communication
• Previous diagnosis of dementia
• Wheelchair use
• Epilepsy
• Progressive or terminal illness
• Depression
• History of alcoholism
• Musculoskeletal or cardiovascular contraindications for strength exercises
• Color blindness
• Dyslexia
• Severe mental or cognitive problems supported by medical reports

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universidad Santo Tomas, Chile: lead
• University of Valencia: collaborator

Study Sites (2)

Arica- Chile y Valencia -España

Arica, Arica y Parinacota Region, 1000000, Chile

Location

Valencia-Spain

Valencia, Valencia, 46001, Spain

Location

Related Publications (4)

• Voos MC, Custodio EB, Malaquias J Jr. Relationship of executive function and educational status with functional balance in older adults. J Geriatr Phys Ther. 2011 Jan-Mar;34(1):11-8. doi: 10.1097/JPT.0b013e3181ff2452.

  PMID: 21937887 BACKGROUND

• Vandierendonck A. Working memory benchmarks-A missed opportunity: Comment on Oberauer et al. (2018). Psychol Bull. 2018 Sep;144(9):963-971. doi: 10.1037/bul0000159.

  PMID: 30148381 BACKGROUND

• Heath M, Weiler J, Gregory MA, Gill DP, Petrella RJ. A Six-Month Cognitive-Motor and Aerobic Exercise Program Improves Executive Function in Persons with an Objective Cognitive Impairment: A Pilot Investigation Using the Antisaccade Task. J Alzheimers Dis. 2016 Oct 4;54(3):923-931. doi: 10.3233/JAD-160288.

  PMID: 27567829 BACKGROUND

• Glisky EL, Alexander GE, Hou M, Kawa K, Woolverton CB, Zigman EK, Nguyen LA, Haws K, Figueredo AJ, Ryan L. Differences between young and older adults in unity and diversity of executive functions. Neuropsychol Dev Cogn B Aging Neuropsychol Cogn. 2021 Nov;28(6):829-854. doi: 10.1080/13825585.2020.1830936. Epub 2020 Oct 8.

  PMID: 33028159 BACKGROUND

Related Links

• CONSORT 2025 explanation and elaboration: updated guideline for reporting randomised trials

Study Officials

• Jorquera-Caceres I Ivonne, MSc

  Universidad Santo Tomas, Chile

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Central Study Contacts

Jorquera-Caceres I Ivonne, MSc

CONTACT

+56981390837; ivonnejorquera@santotomas.cl

Arnal-Gómez A Anna, PhD

CONTACT

anna.arnal@uv.es

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: Due to the study design, proper blinding is not feasible, as it is a non-pharmacological within-subject design. The intervention is visible to both the participants and the investigators administering it. To mitigate this issue, in accordance with the CONSORT extension for non-pharmacological trials (Boutron et al., 2017), the study's hypothesis is concealed from the participants, and the outcomes assessor at the beginning and the end of the intervention will be blinded to the participants' intervention group.
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Physical therapist, MSc

Model Details: The intervention period will last 8 weeks, with therapeutic intervention programs consisting of 3 weekly sessions. The older adults (OA) of EGR group will receive a minimum of 20 sessions, with a maximum of up to 24 sessions. Each resistance training session will last one hour and will consist of three parts: Preparation (joint mobility and basic movements for warm-up), Resistance Training (Implementing added weight exercises), Cool Down (breathing exercises and stretches). Weight exercises will focus on the flexor/extensor groups of the elbow and the flexor/extensor groups of the knee, through bilateral leg presses, unilateral knee extensions, and bilateral elbow flexo-extensions. These exercises will be performed in 3 sets of 8 repetitions for each trained muscle group. The combined resistance training group with dual-task exercises (EGRD) will follow the same exercise protocol and additionally incorporate memory and arithmetic tasks. The CG will receive the usual care.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 8, 2025
• First Posted: December 11, 2025
• Study Start: January 17, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): November 17, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 17, 2026
• Last Updated: December 11, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CL (1); ES (1)