Decreased Physical Activity Associated with Executive Dysfunction Correlates with Cognitive Impairment among Older Adults in the Community: A Retrospective Analysis from the Kurihara Project

Yoritoshi Kobayashi, Yumi Takahashi, Takashi Seki, Tomohiro Kaneta, Kenichi Amarume, Mari Kasai, Kenichi Meguro
2016 Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra  
Background/Aims: No previous studies have explored the relationship between physical activity (PA) and executive dysfunction. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the PA for 590 older participants in the Kurihara Project; 221 participants had a Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) of 0 (healthy), 295 CDR 0.5 (very mild dementia), and 74 CDR 1+ (dementia). Results: In the complicated task, whether the motor intensity was high (e.g. farming) or low (e.g. shopping), PA exhibited an inverse relationship
more » ... with the CDR level. By contrast, for simple tasks with high intensity (e.g. walking), no CDR group differences were noted. For PA with low intensity (e.g. cleaning), the CDR 1+ group exhibited decreased levels. Conclusion: PA was related to the burden of executive function in patients with mild cognitive impairment; however, in patients with dementia, PA was related to both the burden of executive function and motor intensity.
doi:10.1159/000448027 pmid:27703468 pmcid:PMC5040897 fatcat:57zvz5cofnbjdmm776nmjxa66e