Exercise Training and Cognitive Function in Kidney Disease

Summary

Chronic kidney disease (CKD), affects over 45% of all individuals over 70 years of age. Patients with moderate CKD have more than a two-fold increased risk of cognitive impairment than those without CKD; furthermore, as many as 20-70% of patients with CKD have established cognitive impairment and overt dementia. The burden of cognitive impairment and dementia leads to functional decline and accelerated loss of independence, contributing to the tremendous individual, societal, and economic burden of CKD (i.e., 20% of Medicare expenditures in adults \>65 years of age). There is no recommended treatment to prevent cognitive decline in CKD patients, and the few medications available for cognitive impairment have only short term modest effects. There is a critical need to evaluate therapies to forestall cognitive impairment, and maintain or improve cognitive functioning in older patients with CKD. To address this need, this study will test the hypothesis that older patients with moderate/severe CKD and pre-clinical cognitive impairment randomized to a 6-month home-based exercise program will improve cognitive function and MRI measured brain structure, compared to a usual care control group. This study will combine an assessment of cognition with MR imaging techniques to fully evaluate brain structure, blood flow, and behavior relationships at a level previously not conducted in this population

Conditions

• Cognitive Function, Preclinical
• Chronic Kidney Diseases
• Older Adults

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Partially supervised home-based walking exercise

Participants will be asked to exercise at home by walking at a moderate intensity. Each participant will receive an exercise prescription. Participants will receive a heart rate monitor. The heart rate monitors will be used to achieve a desired exercise intensity and to monitor adherence levels. The participants will receive biweekly to weekly phone calls, and monthly in person meetings will be used to address any barriers, provide encouragement, and progress the exercise.

BEHAVIORAL

Control

Participants will be asked to exercise at home by walking at a moderate intensity. The participants will receive biweekly phone calls, but will not receive a heart rate monitor, individual exercise prescription, or meet with the investigators monthly.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute on Aging (NIA)

  collaborator NIH

• University of Illinois at Chicago

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Ulf G Bronas, PhD · University of Illinois at Chicago

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

60 Years

Max Age

80 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2017-09-01

Primary Completion

2019-11-26

Completion

2019-12-18

Countries

• United States

Study Locations