Neurobic Exercise Program on Cognitive Abilities

Effects of Neurobic Exercise Program on Cognitive Abilities Among Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment. A Randomised Controlled Trial.

This research aims to investigate the significance of a neurobic exercise program on cognitive abilities, memory retention, activities of daily living (ADL), and quality of life (QOL) among older adults with mild cognitive impairment in Pakistan. It aims to find the long-term effects of a neurobic exercise program by comparing subjective and objective memory and its effects on quality of life.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Mild Cognitive Impairment
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Neurobic Exercise Program; Other: Traditional Brain Exercise

Detailed Description

MCI is a condition marked by a noticeable decline in cognitive functions, it is often considered a precursor to more severe forms of dementia, making early intervention crucial. Neurobic exercises are designed to stimulate the brain through multiple senses and to create a novel thinking pattern. These exercises might include activities involving sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing, structured over six weeks to challenge the brain with non-routine tasks that promote creative thinking and memory retention.

Neurobic exercise aims to maintain strength, flexibility, and mental health as you age.

However, most research has focused on older, healthy individuals or those with chronic conditions. Studies on elderly persons with MCI are rare, and there are limited studies on the long-term effects of improved memory function. This research aims to investigate the significance of a neurobic exercise program on cognitive abilities in older adults with mild cognitive impairment in Pakistan. It aims to find the long-term effects of a neurobic exercise program by comparing subjective and objective memory and its effects on quality of life. The findings will give insight to physiotherapists and multidisciplinary teams to improve memory retention, delay brain deterioration, and promote memory health and quality of life, making the intervention program a valuable guide.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 44
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Pakistan
  • Punjab
    • Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan
      • ZUK old home and health care center, Ghulam Haider Road, House# I-546-547, 342, 343, Faiz Building St#5, Committee Chowk, Rawalpindi.

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Older adults above 60
• Both male and female.
• Scored <24 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).
• Scored >12 on the Modified Barthel ADL index (BAI).
• Ability to write and read as well as communicate well, willingness to participate in the study throughout the program

Exclusion Criteria:

• Neurological, musculoskeletal, psychiatric conditions, hearing loss and visual impairment.
• Older adults with a history of allergies to the food or flowers used in the activities.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Neurobic exercise program; Neurobic exercise program + Traditional Brain Exercises	Other: Neurobic Exercise Program; 6 weeks to improve cognitive function, memory and overall brain health by introducing non-routine activities that require participants to utilise their multiple senses and remember sequences and patterns. Each activity would be performed 2-3 times/ session, for recalling the observation period set at 1 minute and at the end of the 9th week, the memory retention effect will be measured.
Active Comparator: Traditional brain exercises; Traditional brain exercises calculation or memory games.	Other: Traditional Brain Exercise; activities like calculation or memory games. These exercises will be conducted in 2 days/week for 60-minute sessions in 6 weeks. The memory retention effect will be measured at the end of the 9th week. It is intended to be the baseline for comparing the effectiveness of a neurobic exercise program.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
MOCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment)	The MOCA is a popular screening tool used to determine if cognitive impairment is present. It takes approximately ten minutes to complete. It evaluates visuospatial skills, attention, language, abstract reasoning, delayed recall, executive function, and orientation. MoCA is scored out of 30. A cut-off score of 26 signifies mild cognitive impairment.	9 weeks
Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE)	It is used to measure subjective memory. This test measures the informant's perception of the older person's cognitive decline. Older adults are required to compare their performance today with their performance ten years ago. Informants were asked to indicate the change on a 16-item scale from 1 (much improved) to 5 (much worse). The cut-off scores were based on the total score divided by the number of questions (average item score range 1- 5). Lower scores indicated better subjective memory performance.	9 weeks
Common Object Memory Test (COMT)	It is used to measure objective memory. The COMT was designed to assess age related memory impairments in individuals with various educational, language, and cultural backgrounds. It included repeated presentations of colour photographs containing 10 common objects (button, chair, clock, comb, cup, key, knife, leaf, scissors and umbrella) and multiple opportunities for participants to recall and recognise the original list. The total COMT scores were summed across these three steps, and the possible range was 0-90. Higher scores indicated better objective memory performance.	9 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Modified Barthel ADL Index (BAI)	The Barthel Index for Activities of Daily Living is an ordinal scale used to measure a person's ability to perform ten common daily activities, including feeding, bathing, grooming, dressing, bowel and bladder control, toilet use, transfers (bed-to-chair), mobilityon level surfaces, and stair negotiation. A modified version by Collin and Wade uses a three-point scoring system (0 = unable, 1 = needs assistance, 2 = independent) with a total score ranging from 0 to 20. The assessment takes 2-5 minutes to complete.	9 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Riphah International University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Dr.Aroosa Tariq, MS-NMPT, Riphah International University Islamabad

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 22, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 25, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): June 25, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 16, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 16, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): September 19, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): July 8, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 6, 2025
• Last Verified: July 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Memory; Cognitive impairment; ADL; Neurobic exercise
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Neurocognitive Disorders; Cognition Disorders; Cognitive Dysfunction
• Other Study ID Numbers: Memoona Awan

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No