A recent pilot study presented by Dr. Brian M. Sandroff at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers, provided intriguing results on treadmill walking and its impact on cognitive measures and aerobic fitness.
In this study, subjects were either enrolled in a graded walking program 3 days a week for 12 weeks, or wait-listed. Using a treadmill, a graded increase in walking time and intensity was accomplished, starting subjects initially at light walking for 15 to 20 minutes per session, then gradually increasing duration to 30 to 40 minutes by the end of the study.
By the end of the study, cognitive performance in measures sensitive for processing speed and executive functioning, improved in all subjects assigned to the walking intervention arm, while the non-walkers on the wait-list actually saw a decrease in their cognitive test performance. Notably, improvement in measures of cardiovascular fitness appeared to associate with improvement in cognitive measures.
These results are intriguing as a starting point of further inquiry. It remains to be seen how long benefits last after a set course of exercise, and whether the intensity of exercise must be maintained over prolonged periods of time to keep up benefits.
Clearly, individuals who are not able to walk safely for exercise would need to be studied separately, and provided with an alternative exercise strategy to improve aerobic fitness. None-the-less, given that no drug effectively targets cognition or fatigue, an approach through exercise makes a lot of sense.
Dr. Sandroff and his colleagues are planning a study, funded by The National institutes of Health, to examine the maintenance of effect of exercise on cognition in a large randomized, controlled trial in individuals with multiple sclerosis who have impaired cognition.
No comments:
Post a Comment