Assessment of a Cognitive-Motor Training Program in Adults at Risk for Developing Dementia

BACKGROUND: With the prevalence of dementia increasing each year, pre-clinically implemented therapeutic interventions are needed. It has been suggested that cascading neural network failures may bring on behavioural deficits associated with Alzheimer’s disease. METHODS: Previously we have shown that cognitive-motor integration (CMI) training in adults with cognitive impairments generalized to improved global cognitive and activities of daily living scores. Here we employ a novel movement control–based training approach involving CMI rather than traditional cognition-only brain training. We hypothesized that such training would stimulate widespread neural networks and enhance rule-based visuomotor ability in at-risk individuals. RESULTS: We observed a significant improvement in bimanual coordination in the at-risk training group. We also observed significant decreases in movement variability for the most complex CMI condition in the at-risk and healthy training groups. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that integrating cognition into action in a training intervention may be effective at strengthening vulnerable brain networks in asymptomatic adults at risk for developing dementia.