Dataset Information

Evaluation of beneficial effect of a dual-task exercise based on Japanese transitional games in older adults: a pilot study.

ABSTRACT: Not only does Japan has the world's longest healthy life expectancy, but also the world's longest average life span. This study investigated the effect of a novel dual-task (DT) exercise called "Synapsology" (SYNAP), developed as a game-like activity to improve older adults' physical and cognitive functions. Participants (n=24) with a mean age of 70.6 years (65-77 years) were randomly assigned to the SYNAP exercise group (SG, n=15) and the control group (CG, n=9). The SG participated in the DT intervention consisting of 60-minute sessions, twice a week, for 8 weeks. Physical function in timed-up-and-go had significant pre- and post- trial differences (P=0.017) in SG. In addition, cognitive function results in the a 25-hole trail-making peg test (P=0.004) and an oxidative stress marker (P=0.039) had a statistically significant difference within the SG. However, there were no significant differences in the physical and cognitive functions between SG and CG. In the study, older adults who participated in cognitive-motor DT intervention improved significantly with regard to motor ability and cognitive function results. Thus, a game-like DT exercise may help maintain the healthy life of older adults compared to no intervention.

SUBMITTER: Yoon J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7732331 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Evaluation of beneficial effect of a dual-task exercise based on Japanese transitional games in older adults: a pilot study.

Yoon Jieun J Isoda Hiroko H Okura Tomohiro T

Aging 20201011 19

Not only does Japan has the world's longest healthy life expectancy, but also the world's longest average life span. This study investigated the effect of a novel dual-task (DT) exercise called "Synapsology" (SYNAP), developed as a game-like activity to improve older adults' physical and cognitive functions. Participants (n=24) with a mean age of 70.6 years (65-77 years) were randomly assigned to the SYNAP exercise group (SG, n=15) and the control group (CG, n=9). The SG participated in the DT i ...[more]

PMID: 33041263

Similar Datasets

Project description:BACKGROUND:The ability to walk and perform cognitive tasks simultaneously is a key aspect of daily life. Performance declines in these dual-tasks may be associated with early signs of neurodegenerative disease and increased risk of falls. Thus, interventions to improve dual-task walking performance are of great interest for promoting healthy aging. Here, we present results of a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the effects of a simultaneous aerobic exercise and cognitive training intervention on dual-task walking performance in healthy older adults. METHODS:Community-dwelling, healthy older adults were recruited to participate in a 12-week RCT. Participants were randomized into one of four groups (n = 74): 1) cognitive training (COG), 2) aerobic exercise (EX), 3) combined aerobic exercise and cognitive training (EXCOG), and 4) video-watching control (CON). The COG and EXCOG groups both used a tablet-based cognitive training program that challenged aspects of executive cognitive function, memory, and processing speed. Performance on a dual-task walking test (DTWT; serial subtraction during two-minute walk) was assessed by researchers blinded to groupings before the intervention, and at 6 and 12 weeks. We included all participants randomized with baseline measurements in an intention to treat analysis using linear mixed effects models. RESULTS:We found a significant group by time interaction for cognitive performance on the DTWT (p = 0.039). Specifically, participants in the EXCOG, EX, and COG groups significantly improved on the cognitive aspect of the DTWT following the full 12-week intervention (p = 3.5e-7, p = 0.048, p = 0.048, respectively). The improvements in EXCOG were twice as large as in the other groups, and were significant at 6 weeks (p = 0.019). The CON group did not show a significant change in cognitive performance on the DTWT, and no group significantly altered dual-task gait measures following the intervention. CONCLUSIONS:A simultaneous aerobic exercise and cognitive training intervention significantly improved cognitive performance during a DTWT in healthy older adults. Despite no change in DTWT gait measures, significant improvements in cognitive performance indicate that further investigation in a larger RCT is warranted. TRIAL REGISTRATION:Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT04120792, Retrospectively Registered 08 October 2019.

Project description:BackgroundFunctional independence and safe mobility, especially in older people, mostly rely on the ability to perform dual tasks, particularly during activities with variable- and fixed-priority attention. The aim of this study is to compare the dual-task training with progression from variable- to fixed-priority instructions versus dual-task training with variable-priority on gait speed in community-dwelling older adults.MethodsThis is an assessor- and participant-blinded, two-arm, randomized controlled trial with 60 community-dwelling male and female older adults between the ages of 60 and 80 years old. Participants will be randomly allocated into either the intervention group or the control group using a computer-generated permuted block randomization schedule. The intervention group will undertake a progressive dual-task training in which the participants will be progressively submitted to dual-task walking and postural balance exercises with variable- to fixed-priority instructions. The control group will be submitted to dual-task training with variable-priority attention exercises. Both groups will receive 48 sessions lasting for 60 min each over 24 weeks. The primary outcome will be the gait speed under single- and dual-task conditions. Secondary outcomes will include spatiotemporal gait parameters, functional balance, executive function, falls, quality of life, and depression symptoms. All the analyses will be based on the intention-to-treat principle.DiscussionThis is the first assessor- and participant-blinded, two-arm, randomized controlled trial with 6 months of intervention and an additional 6-month post-training follow up aiming to evaluate the effectiveness of training with progression from variable- to fixed-priority instructions on gait biomechanics, postural balance, falls episodes, executive functioning, and quality of life in community-dwelling older adults. If our hypotheses are confirmed, this training protocol can be implemented widely to improve gait speed and other functional activities and quality of life in community-dwelling older adults. This study protocol can be used to improve these functional aspects of community-dwelling older adults. This study may also contribute to future guidelines for the improvement of these clinical and biomechanical aspects in older people.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier - NCT03886805, Registered 22 March 2019.

Project description:BackgroundRecent studies suggest that computerized puzzle games are enjoyable, easy to play, and engage attentional, visuospatial, and executive functions. They may help mediate impairments seen in cognitive decline in addition to being an assessment tool. Eye tracking provides a quantitative and qualitative analysis of gaze, which is highly useful in understanding visual search behavior.ObjectiveThe goal of the research was to test the feasibility of eye tracking during a puzzle game and develop adjunct markers for cognitive performance using eye-tracking metrics.MethodsA desktop version of the Match-3 puzzle game with 15 difficulty levels was developed using Unity 3D (Unity Technologies). The goal of the Match-3 puzzle was to find configurations (target patterns) that could be turned into a row of 3 identical game objects (tiles) by swapping 2 adjacent tiles. Difficulty levels were created by manipulating the puzzle board size (all combinations of width and height from 4 to 8) and the number of unique tiles on the puzzle board (from 4 to 8). Each level consisted of 4 boards (ie, target patterns to match) with one target pattern each. In this study, the desktop version was presented on a laptop computer setup with eye tracking. Healthy older subjects were recruited to play a full set of 15 puzzle levels. A paper-pencil-based assessment battery was administered prior to the Match-3 game. The gaze behavior of all participants was recorded during the game. Correlation analyses were performed on eye-tracking data correcting for age to examine if gaze behavior pertains to target patterns and distractor patterns and changes with puzzle board size (set size). Additionally, correlations between cognitive performance and eye movement metrics were calculated.ResultsA total of 13 healthy older subjects (mean age 70.67 [SD 4.75] years; range 63 to 80 years) participated in this study. In total, 3 training and 12 test levels were played by the participants. Eye tracking recorded 672 fixations in total, 525 fixations on distractor patterns and 99 fixations on target patterns. Significant correlations were found between executive functions (Trail Making Test B) and number of fixations on distractor patterns (P=.01) and average fixations (P=.005).ConclusionsOverall, this study shows that eye tracking in puzzle games can act as a supplemental source of data for cognitive performance. The relationship between a paper-pencil test for executive functions and fixations confirms that both are related to the same cognitive processes. Therefore, eye movement metrics might be used as an adjunct marker for cognitive abilities like executive functions. However, further research is needed to evaluate the potential of the various eye movement metrics in combination with puzzle games as visual search and attentional marker.

Project description:Standing upright on stable and unstable surfaces requires postural control. Postural control declines as humans age, presenting greater risk of fall-related injury and other negative health outcomes. Secondary cognitive tasks can further impact balance, which highlights the importance of coordination between cognitive and motor processes. Past research indicates that this coordination relies on executive function (EF; the ability to control, maintain, and flexibly direct attention to achieve goals), which coincidentally declines as humans age. This suggests that secondary cognitive tasks requiring EF may exert a greater influence on balance compared to non-EF secondary tasks, and this interaction could be exaggerated among older adults. In the current study, we had younger and older adults complete two Surface Stability conditions (standing upright on stable vs. unstable surfaces) under varying Cognitive Load; participants completed EF (Shifting, Inhibiting, Updating) and non-EF (Processing Speed) secondary cognitive tasks on tablets, as well as a single task control scenario with no secondary cognitive task. Our primary balance measure of interest was sway area, which was measured with an array of wearable inertial measurement unit sensors. Replicating prior work, we found a main effect of Surface Stability with less sway on stable surfaces compared to unstable surfaces, and we found an interaction between Age and Surface Stability with older adults exhibiting significantly greater sway selectively on unstable surfaces compared to younger adults. New findings revealed a main effect of Cognitive Load on sway, with the single task condition having significantly less sway than two of the EF conditions (Updating and Shifting) and the non-EF condition (Processing Speed). We also found an interaction of Cognitive Load and Surface Stability on postural control, where Surface Stability impacted sway the most for the single task and two of the executive function conditions (Inhibition and Shifting). Interestingly, Age did not interact with Cognitive Load, suggesting that both age groups were equally impacted by secondary cognitive tasks, regardless the presence or type of secondary cognitive task. Taken together, these patterns suggest that cognitive demands vary in their impact on posture control across stable vs. unstable surfaces, and that EF involvement may not be the driving mechanism explaining cognitive-motor dual-task interference on balance.

Dataset Information

Evaluation of beneficial effect of a dual-task exercise based on Japanese transitional games in older adults: a pilot study.

Publications

Evaluation of beneficial effect of a dual-task exercise based on Japanese transitional games in older adults: a pilot study.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure