Effect of Cognitive and Aerobic Training Intervention on Older Adults with Mild or No Cognitive Impairment: A Derivative Study of the Nakajima Project

Community-based study Dementia Cognitive rehabilitation Aerobic exercise Non-pharmacological therapies Reasoning Memory performance/appraisal Background: An increasing elderly population in Japan requires effective cognitive interven-tion programs for dementia. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of such programs for older adults. Methods: The participants were local community-dwelling non-demented older adults and adults with mild cognitive impairment who underwent executive function and group aerobic training. In addition, a non-intervention group participated in activity sessions involving handicraft, Skutt ball matches, and cooking. The four criteria for assessment were cog-nitive function, instrumental activities of daily living, human relationships, and physical func-tion. Results: The participants in both intervention groups showed a significant improvement in their memory function compared with the non-intervention group. Conclusion: Early reha-bilitation intervention using executive function and aerobic training programs may improv