Effect of physical exercise and noninvasive brain stimulation on cognition and dementia of elderly people with frailty: A randomized study

Abstract

AbstractThe objective was to verify the effects of intervention with physical and mental exercises (PMED) and noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) on cognition and dementia of frail elderly people with mild cognitive deficits. Sixty elderly people (aged 65–80 years) were divided into three groups, an experimental group (GAE) that received intervention with PMED plus NIBS, a control group for physical exercises (GCA), which received only the PMED, and the third also control non‐invasive brain stimulation group (GCF) that practiced only the NIBS intervention. The three types of intervention lasted 10 weeks, with 60 min per session The GAE received 20 min of NIBS, 5 min for warm‐up, 30 min for physical and mental training and 5 min for a cooling down rest. The other two groups had the same period per section, being that the GCA, in place of the real NIBS, had 20 min of white noise and the GCF, instead of practicing the real plan of physical exercises as did the other groups, experienced 30 min of relaxing exercises for body relaxation. Inhibitory control, working memory, dementia symptoms, and the brainwaves alpha‐band rhythm and resting‐state sensorimotor rhythm [SMR]) were the variables evaluated before and after the interventions. Individuals in the GAE group showed improvement in working memory (p < 0.0001), but those in the GCF (p > 0.05) and the GCA (p > 0.05) groups did not. All groups experienced an improvement in inhibitory control, alpha‐band rhythm and in the SMR rhythms. All groups also obtained a reduction in the dementia symptoms, but no difference between groups was observed. So, the interventions improved cognition, reduced dementia symptoms, and had a modulating effect on alpha wave activity and SMR in elderly people with mild cognitive deficits and frailty, but only the combined intervention (PMED plus NIBS) improved working memory.