Effects of weight training on cognitive functions in elderly with Alzheimer's disease

Deterioration in cognitive functions is characteristic in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and may be associated with decline in daily living activities with consequent reduced quality of life. OBJECTIVE: To analyze weight training effects on cognitive functions in elderly with AD. SUBJECTS: 34 elderly with AD were allocated into two groups: Training Group (TG) and Social Gathering Group (SGG). METHODS: Global cognitive status was determined using the Mini-Mental State Exam. Specific cognitive functions were measured using the Brief Cognitive Battery, Clock Drawing Test and Verbal Fluency Test. The protocols were performed three times a week, one hour per session. The weight training protocol consisted of three sets of 20 repetitions, with two minutes of rest between sets and exercises. The activities proposed for the SGG were not systematized and aimed at promoting social interaction among patients. The statistical analyses were performed with the U Mann Whitney and Wilcoxon tests for group comparisons. All analyses were considered statistically significant at a p-value of 0.05. RESULTS: There were no significant differences associated to the effects of the practice of weight training on cognition in AD patients. CONCLUSION: In this study, no improvement in cognitive functions was evident in elderly with AD who followed a low intensity resistance exercise protocol. Thus, future studies could evaluate the effect of more intense exercise programs.