Assessment of physical activity and cognitive function and their potential correlation in convalescent patients of cerebrovascular disease

Physical activity (PA) is known to influence cognitive function. However, the impact of PA on patients with cerebrovascular disease (CVD) has not yet been elucidated. PA and cognitive function have not been measured simultaneously over time, which makes it difficult to evaluate their relationship. The purpose of this study was to investigate the change in the amount of PA recorded by ActiGraph GT3X-BT and six test scores of cognitive function, and the relationship between them in 15 patients with CVD (six women and nine men; 78.0 ± 11.6 years old). Results showed an increase in the amount of PA and scores of cognitive tests, and a significant decrease in the duration of sedentary behavior during the four months (p < 0.05). There were significant correlations between PA Energy Expenditure (PAEE) and Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices test (RCPM) (r = 0.536, p < 0.0001). There were significant correlations between PAEE and Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) (r = 0.271, p = 0.036). There were significant correlations between sedentary behavior and RCPM (r = −0.606, p < 0.0001). There were significant correlations between sedentary behavior and SDMT (r = −0.355, p = 0.005). There were significant correlations between Light PA (LPA) and RCPM (r = 0.603, p < 0.0001). There were significant correlations between LPA and SDMT (r = 0.362, p = 0.005).