Effects of Resistance Exercise on Cognitive Performance and Depressive Symptoms in Community-Dwelling Older Chinese Americans: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Overview

Journal Behav Sci (Basel)

Date 2023 Mar 28

PMID 36975266

Authors

Mei-Lan Chen

Ying-Jung Wu

Mi-Jung Lee

Sung-Lin Hsieh

Ing-Jy Tseng

Li-Sheng Chen

Douglas S Gardenhire

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Previous literature has suggested physical exercise may improve cognitive impairments and mitigate depressive symptoms. However, few studies examined the impact of resistance exercise intervention on cognition and depression in older Chinese Americans. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the effects of resistance exercise training on cognitive performance and depressive symptoms among community-dwelling older Chinese Americans. The study was a two-arm randomized controlled trial with pre-test/post-test design. Thirty older adults were randomly assigned into the resistance exercise intervention group or the wait-list control group. Participants' cognitive performance and depressive symptoms were evaluated at baseline (pre-test) and at 12 weeks (post-test). The results showed that there were significant differences between the intervention and control groups on changes in symptoms of depression, global cognitive function, visuospatial/executive functions, attention, language, and orientation. However, there were no significant differences between both groups on changes in naming, abstraction, and delayed recall domains. The findings of this study suggest that resistance exercise training has a positive impact on improving cognitive performance and depressive symptoms in older adults.

Citing Articles

Impact of exercise type, duration, and intensity on depressive symptoms in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Li X, He S, Liu T, Zhang X, Zhu W, Wang C Front Psychol. 2024; 15:1484172.

PMID: 39346508 PMC: 11427357. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1484172.

References

Yoon J, Ha G, Kang S, Ko K . Effects of 12-week resistance exercise and interval training on the skeletal muscle area, physical fitness, and mental health in old women. J Exerc Rehabil. 2020; 15(6):839-847. PMC: 6944885. DOI: 10.12965/jer.1938644.322. View

Schulz K, Altman D, Moher D . CONSORT 2010 Statement: updated guidelines for reporting parallel group randomised trials. BMC Med. 2010; 8:18. PMC: 2860339. DOI: 10.1186/1741-7015-8-18. View

Herring M, Puetz T, OConnor P, Dishman R . Effect of exercise training on depressive symptoms among patients with a chronic illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Arch Intern Med. 2012; 172(2):101-11. DOI: 10.1001/archinternmed.2011.696. View

Wang C, Alderman B, Wu C, Chi L, Chen S, Chu I . Effects of Acute Aerobic and Resistance Exercise on Cognitive Function and Salivary Cortisol Responses. J Sport Exerc Psychol. 2019; 41(2):73-81. DOI: 10.1123/jsep.2018-0244. View

Miller K, Goncalves-Bradley D, Areerob P, Hennessy D, Mesagno C, Grace F . Comparative effectiveness of three exercise types to treat clinical depression in older adults: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Ageing Res Rev. 2019; 58:100999. DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2019.100999. View

Fournier J, DeRubeis R, Hollon S, Dimidjian S, Amsterdam J, Shelton R . Antidepressant drug effects and depression severity: a patient-level meta-analysis. JAMA. 2010; 303(1):47-53. PMC: 3712503. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2009.1943. View

Cassilhas R, Viana V, Grassmann V, Santos R, Santos R, Tufik S . The impact of resistance exercise on the cognitive function of the elderly. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007; 39(8):1401-7. DOI: 10.1249/mss.0b013e318060111f. View

Rojer A, Ramsey K, Gomes E, DAndrea L, Chen C, Szoeke C . Objectively assessed physical activity and sedentary behavior and global cognitive function in older adults: a systematic review. Mech Ageing Dev. 2021; 198:111524. DOI: 10.1016/j.mad.2021.111524. View

Volpi E, Nazemi R, Fujita S . Muscle tissue changes with aging. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2004; 7(4):405-10. PMC: 2804956. DOI: 10.1097/01.mco.0000134362.76653.b2. View

10.

de la Torre J . Cardiovascular risk factors promote brain hypoperfusion leading to cognitive decline and dementia. Cardiovasc Psychiatry Neurol. 2012; 2012:367516. PMC: 3518077. DOI: 10.1155/2012/367516. View

11.

Austin B, Nair V, Meier T, Xu G, Rowley H, Carlsson C . Effects of hypoperfusion in Alzheimer's disease. J Alzheimers Dis. 2011; 26 Suppl 3:123-33. PMC: 3303148. DOI: 10.3233/JAD-2011-0010. View

12.

Colcombe S, Erickson K, Raz N, Webb A, Cohen N, McAuley E . Aerobic fitness reduces brain tissue loss in aging humans. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2003; 58(2):176-80. DOI: 10.1093/gerona/58.2.m176. View

13.

Heyn P, Abreu B, Ottenbacher K . The effects of exercise training on elderly persons with cognitive impairment and dementia: a meta-analysis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2004; 85(10):1694-704. DOI: 10.1016/j.apmr.2004.03.019. View

14.

Alosco M, Gunstad J, Beard C, Xu X, Clark U, Labbe D . The synergistic effects of anxiety and cerebral hypoperfusion on cognitive dysfunction in older adults with cardiovascular disease. J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol. 2014; 28(1):57-66. PMC: 4289129. DOI: 10.1177/0891988714541871. View

15.

Wang S, Yin H, Wang X, Jia Y, Wang C, Wang L . Efficacy of different types of exercises on global cognition in adults with mild cognitive impairment: a network meta-analysis. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2019; 31(10):1391-1400. DOI: 10.1007/s40520-019-01142-5. View

16.

Li Z, Peng X, Xiang W, Han J, Li K . The effect of resistance training on cognitive function in the older adults: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2018; 30(11):1259-1273. DOI: 10.1007/s40520-018-0998-6. View

17.

Jorgensen L, Perko G, Secher N . Regional cerebral artery mean flow velocity and blood flow during dynamic exercise in humans. J Appl Physiol (1985). 1992; 73(5):1825-30. DOI: 10.1152/jappl.1992.73.5.1825. View

18.

Angelini A, Bendini C, Neviani F, BERGAMINI L, Manni B, Trenti T . Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1): relation with cognitive functioning and neuroimaging marker of brain damage in a sample of hypertensive elderly subjects. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2009; 49 Suppl 1:5-12. DOI: 10.1016/j.archger.2009.09.006. View

19.

Tsai J, Chen C, Chu H, Yang H, Chung M, Liao Y . Comparing the Sensitivity, Specificity, and Predictive Values of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Mini-Mental State Examination When Screening People for Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia in Chinese Population. Arch Psychiatr Nurs. 2016; 30(4):486-91. DOI: 10.1016/j.apnu.2016.01.015. View

20.

Mellor D, Lewis M, McCabe M, Byrne L, Wang T, Wang J . Determining appropriate screening tools and cut-points for cognitive impairment in an elderly Chinese sample. Psychol Assess. 2016; 28(11):1345-1353. DOI: 10.1037/pas0000271. View