Effectiveness of neurobic exercise program on memory performance in community-dwelling older adults with mild cognitive impairment: A randomized controlled crossover tria

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an early stage of cognitive decline in
individuals who are still able to perform their activities of daily living. They are at increased risk
of developing dementia. Improving and maintaining cognitive functions are essential goals for
older people with MCI to delay or prevent the transition to dementia.
Objective: This study investigated the effect of the neurobic exercise program on memory
performance among community-dwelling older adults with MCI.
Methods: A single-blind, randomized, controlled, two-period crossover design was used.
Thirty-two older adults who met the study criteria were randomly assigned to one of two
sequence groups, A (n =16) and B (n = 16). Group A received three weeks of neurobic
exercise, followed by a three-week washout period, and then three weeks of the traditional
brain exercise program. Group B received the treatments in the reverse order but otherwise in
a similar manner. Two aspects of memory performance were evaluated: subjective memory
and objective memory. Blinded evaluators measured the outcomes four times at baseline,
post-intervention (week 3), follow-up stage (week 7), and the end of the study (week 9).
Descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, and repeated measures ANOVA were employed for
data analyses.
Results: For subjective memory, rmANOVA revealed a significant difference of within-subject
(F1.437, 43.113 = 9.324, p <0.05) and interaction effect (time*group) (F1.437, 43.113 = 12.313, p <0.05)
and also showed significant differences of within-subject (F1.794,53.811 = 28.931, p < .05) and
interaction effect (time*group) (F1.794, 53.811 = 31.190, p <0.05) for objective memory. The study
results revealed that the participants in both groups had significantly lower mean scores on
the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE), indicating better
or improved subjective memory. They also had significantly higher mean scores on the
Common Objects Memory Test (COMT) after receiving the neurobic exercise program,
indicating improvement in cognitive performance.
Conclusion: The neurobic exercise intervention could improve subjective and objective
memory among community-dwelling older adults with MCI more than those who received the
traditional brain exercise program. Therefore, the neurobic exercise program can be used by
nurses and multidisciplinary teams to enhance memory performance among older adults with
MCI.