Aerobic Exercise for Alzheimer Disease
This study is evaluating whether exercise may have positive impacts for individuals with Alzheimer's disease.
See full descriptionAbout the trial for Alzheimer Disease
Treatment Groups
This trial involves 2 different treatments. Aerobic Exercise is the primary treatment being studied. Participants will be divided into 2 treatment groups. There is no placebo group. The treatments being tested are not being studied for commercial purposes.
About The Treatment
Side Effect Profile for Standard Care Plus Exercise Program
Eligibility
This trial is for patients born any sex aged 18 and older. There are 4 eligibility criteria to participate in this trial as listed below.
Approximate Timelines
Measurement Requirements
This trial is evaluating whether Aerobic Exercise will improve 1 primary outcome and 2 secondary outcomes in patients with Alzheimer Disease. Measurement will happen over the course of Resting Vs acute exercise bout: ~1 month.
Patient Q & A Section
Has aerobic exercise proven to be more effective than a placebo?
Although cognitive function improved with aerobic exercise, no meaningful differences were detected between groups in any mental or physical functioning in this randomized controlled experimental study.
What is alzheimer disease?
Alzheimer disease, commonly known as dementia, is a chronic dementia which impairs the ability to live independently. Some symptoms may resemble those seen with other types of dementia, however, and it is common for symptoms to be first noticed in adolescence or early adulthood. Most people over the age of 65 have developed dementia while the chance of developing Alzheimer disease before the age of 65 is approximately 15% per person per year.
What are common treatments for alzheimer disease?
The majority of AD patients have treatment, though it is poorly recorded and the quality of documentation is inconsistent. A number of treatments are discussed, including behavioural, pharmaceutical and other nonpharmacological approaches. It is recognized that much remains unknown about the nature and impact of AD, which makes this the only possible treatment. Given the current lack of definitive evidence and ongoing difficulties in diagnosing or assessing the degree of illness, treatment in most cases is geared toward symptomatic control using multiple methods.
What are the signs of alzheimer disease?
Some signs of Alzheimer's include memory problems, visual and tactile hallucinations, confusion or thinking problems. Other signs include loss of the ability to recognize friends or family members or get dressed, and changes to the way the hands move, called tremor.
Can alzheimer disease be cured?
ALZ is more debilitating, incurable and protracted than AD, but it typically responds to conventional treatment. The possibility of curing or slowing progression to dementia is more likely with AD.
How many people get alzheimer disease a year in the United States?
As of 2007, approximately 50,200 people in the United States have Alzheimer's disease. This is more than 3% of the overall US population. But as the average life spans of the US population increases, the number of people with Alzheimer's disease will actually go up.
What causes alzheimer disease?
Alzheimer disease can result from hereditary problems, from a brain tumor, or from a specific virus such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Other causes can also result in the disease. A person's genes combined with how the person lives can lead to the condition. Although the brain is not fully understood, the most famous theory is the "globus theory", which states that the brain is riddled with blood vessels. This causes nerve damage, which then causes plaques to form and eventually fill up the brain with white goo. Atrophy of the brain can also occur, as seen in the earliest stages of the disease.
Have there been other clinical trials involving aerobic exercise?
In summary, the results of this pilot study demonstrate the potential of aerobic exercise in patients with mild dementia without known cardiovascular problems. The benefits of aerobic exercise in patients with mild dementia were maintained at 6 months, and further research is planned to investigate how exercise could be better organized, implemented and regulated to improve efficacy over time.
What does aerobic exercise usually treat?
There was a substantial increase in aerobic treadmill exercise following a randomized trial, and both exercise programs showed improvements in cognitive and physical function. There was a trend regarding treatment effect for treatment of APOE4. A larger number of participants (n = 461) could contribute to better statistical power.
Who should consider clinical trials for alzheimer disease?
Clinicians are less likely to consider potential clinical trial participants if they are not a family member. Future clinical trials should consider recruiting first-degree relatives of persons with Alzheimer disease for enrollment.
Does aerobic exercise improve quality of life for those with alzheimer disease?
Participants who exercised for 14 weeks (two sessions per week at home) had a greater QoL than those who did not exercise. This result supports previous findings that show positive effects of regular exercise on cognitive decline. More research is required to explore if long-term exercise could improve the level of physical activity people with AD currently get.
How does aerobic exercise work?
Findings from a recent study suggest that exercise has the capacity to trigger the synthesis of neuromodulation molecules, which could result in increased neural plasticity and improved cognition. Therefore, exercise could be an additional therapeutic option for patients with amnestic MCI who are being treated for AD.