Affective and ergogenic effects of beat‐accented synchronous music on acute exercise training in older adults with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundGiven the increasing dementia population and that no cure for dementia is available, exercise may be important for older adults in the early stages of cognitive decline (ESCD) to delay the progression of cognitive deterioration. However, functional limitations are prevalent in older adults, which often hinder their exercise participation. Exercising with music is a novel approach to facilitate exercise and maximize health benefits because humans like to move in synchrony with music and because both music and exercise can help improve cognitive health. As part of a proof‐of‐concept study, we tested the acute effects of beat‐accented synchronous music (BSM) on affective and psychophysiological responses to exercise in older adults with ESCD.MethodWe developed a chair‐based group exercise program consisting of 30 min of aerobic, strength, and balance training for older adults with functional limitations. A BSM playlist at 85 beats/min was created by imposing 4/4 drumbeats on top of instrumental country music that matched participants’ exercise pace and music preference. Nine older adults with ESCD (M age = 80.9±15.1 years; 2 females; Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores ranged 11‐24) exercised with and without BSM (twice each, counterbalanced) and provided their ratings of feelings (FS) and perceived exertion (RPE) immediately before, midway through, and immediately after each exercise session. Data were analyzed by Friedman tests.ResultWe found significant effects of BSM on FS [χ 2(1) = 4, p<0.05] and RPE [χ 2(1) = 4.5, p<0.05] during exercise. Participants reported more positive feelings (9.78±0.22 > 8.56±0.56) and higher exertion (6±0.96 > 3.94±0.49) during BSM‐based exercise compared with no‐BSM exercise. No effects of BSM on FS and RPE were found before or after exercise (p’s>0.5).ConclusionCognitive and functional decline restrains exercise participation in older adults, which exacerbates the cognitive and functional decline, creating a vicious cycle. Our findings suggest that BSM can make exercise more pleasurable while increasing perceived exercise intensity from ‘somewhat hard’ to above ‘hard’ in older adults with ESCD. These are important findings because positive affect during an acute bout of exercise is associated with future exercise participation. Future research needs to test the efficacy of a long‐term BSM‐based exercise intervention for older adults.