Cognitive and motor training for patients with moderate cognitive impairment and mild dementia

Abstract

Objective:to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive and motor training as an additional method to basic therapy in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular cognitive impairment (VCI).Patients and methods. The investigation enrolled 41 patients (15 women and 26 men; mean age. 73.59+6.3 years), including 32 patients with AD (mean age 74.94+5.15 years) and 9 patients with VCI (mean age, 72.31+4.98 years). Cognitive impairment (CI) corresponded to mild dementia in 15patients (5 women and 10 men; mean age 74.6+2.8years) and to moderate dementia in 29 (10 women and 19 men; mean age 72.1+3.2 years). The patients were randomly assigned to individual, group, and mixed (individual and then group) cognitive training groups. Quantitative scales were used to assess changes in CI and emotional and behavioral disorders after 1.5, 3, and 6 months of therapy.Results and discussion. During cognitive and motor training, all the groups showed a significant decrease in the severity of CI (p < 0.05), depression, anxiety, and apathy. The effectiveness of the training was further influenced by the severity of concomitant cardiovascular disease, the degree of apathy, adherence to the training, and the early initiation of basic symptomatic therapy.The greatest positive changes in anxiety and depressive disorders were noted in the patients receiving group cognitive and motor training.Conclusion. The results of the investigation allow group cognitive and motor training to be recommended as a mainstay in the therapy of patients with CI concurrent with emotional disorders.