Active Gains in Brain Using Exercise During Aging
Condition: Healthy; Cognitive Function 1, Social
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      AGUEDA (Active Gains in brain using Exercise During Aging) is a randomized controlled trial
      designed to examine the effects of a 24-week resistance exercise program on brain health in
      cognitively normal adults between 65-80 years of age.
    

Detailed description: 
      Exercise has emerged as the most promising non-pharmacologic intervention for improving brain
      health in older adults. The main aim of AGUEDA (Active Gains in brain using Exercise During
      Aging) trial is to examine the effects of a 6-month resistance exercise program on executive
      function in cognitively normal older adults. The secondary aims are (i) to examine the
      effects of exercise on central and peripheral brain markers, and (ii) to investigate
      mediators and moderators of the exercise-derived improvements observed in executive function
      and brain markers. AGUEDA is a randomized controlled trial in which 90 cognitively normal
      older adults, aged 65-80 years old, will be randomized into an exercise group (n=45) or a
      wait-list control group (n=45). Participants assigned to the exercise group will participate
      in a 24-week resistance exercise program (3 sessions/week, 60 min/session), while the control
      group will be asked to maintain their usual lifestyle. A comprehensive neuropsychological
      test battery, amyloid PET scan, cutting-edge MRI scan, DXA scan, physical ﬁtness, physical
      function and physical activity measures will be used. Blood, saliva and fecal samples will be
      collected. Mental health and psychosocial variables will be self-reported.
    

Intervention name(s): 24-week resistance exercise program
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): This group will perform a 24-week resistance exercise program. Participants will engage in 180 minutes/week of resistance exercise (3 supervised sessions peer week, 60 min/session). The training will consist of a combination of upper and lower body exercises using elastic bands and participants' body weight as the primary resistance. Exercise load and intensity will be based on the number of repetitions (i.e.,10-12 repetitions), resistance of the elastic bands, in ascending order with seven intensities, and also on the exercises' difficulty (i.e., three levels). The prescribed targeted intensity will reach 70-80% of the participants' maximum rating perceived exertion (i.e., 7-8 RPE).The progression (horizontal) will be standardized according to the execution time and RPE, and individualized according to execution speed and band resistance. Heart rate will be monitored in all sessions. Further, intrinsic motivation before and after session and sleep quality will be registered.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: brain; cognition; executive function; exercise; brain-gut axis; positron emission tomography; magnetic resonance imaging; aging; preclinical Alzheimer Disease stages