PROVIDENCE – The Miriam Hospital seeks to enroll 40 local participants for a pilot study designed to evaluate whether mindfulness and physical activity can prevent dementia.
The combined intervention, known as the “Active Mind” study, features training in both mindfulness and aerobic exercise for adults at risk for developing dementia. Who’s eligible to participate? Local adults 65 or older who are physically inactive, i.e., getting fewer than 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week or fewer than 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity each week.
Although 5.2 million Americans had Alzheimer’s disease in 2014 and the prevalence of dementia is expected to quadruple over 30 years, only a few studies have assessed the effect of combined cognitive and aerobic training, and none have explored the cumulative effect on cognitive function in older, cognitively impaired adults, according to a news release from the hospital.
“There is currently no pharmacological treatment to improve the course of dementia or reduce the risk of dementia and age-related cognitive impairment,” Dr. Elena Salmoirago-Blotcher, a research scientist at The Miriam Hospital Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine leading the study, said. As new pharmacological approaches are being developed, there’s increased attention to developing preventive and behavioral strategies, she said. “There is strong observational evidence that both physical and cognitively stimulating activity may prevent cognitive decline or dementia.”
The Miriam Hospital reported that mindfulness training programs have shown significant benefits for reducing anxiety, depression and many physical symptoms. In addition, studies have shown that mindfulness training improves attention and working memory capacity. “Aerobic exercise is also proven to be very helpful in preventing dementia, so we thought of combining the two activities to see whether they might provide additional benefit in this population,” said Salmoirago-Blotcher.
Researchers will assess participants’ cognitive skills, including verbal fluency, episodic memory and working memory intermittently during the research study. The next cycle of classes will begin during the first week of September; participation is free and participants will receive compensation.
The Norman Prince Neurosciences Institute, part of the Brown Institute for Brain Science’s clinical component, funded this pilot study with a two-year grant of $80,000, reported Salmoirago-Blotcher.
For more information, contact The Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine at (401) 793-8184 or ActiveMind@lifespan.org.
