The Impact of 6-months of Resistance Training on Brain and Muscle Health in Older Adults With MCI

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about the effect of long resistance training intervention on brain and muscle health in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The main question it aims to answer is whether progressive resistance training can prevent/delay neurodegenerative/pro-inflammatory processes that are detrimental to cognition, mobility, vitality, and mental health of older adults with MCI. Participants will undergo 6 months of supervise resistance training. Subjects in the intervention group will undergo sessions of structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy at baseline and end of intervention. Blood analyses and functional and cognitive tests will be performed at baseline after 3 months from the start of intervention and at the end of the intervention. Observations obtained from the intervention group will compare to data collected from age-matched active control group who will undergo flexibility training of lower limb muscles.

Conditions

• Mild Cognitive Impairment
• Older Adults at High Risk for MCI

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Resistance exercise training

Supervised PRT will consist of leg extension, leg curl, leg press, and calf raises. Initially participants will start with a 4 weeks adaptation with low loads at 15 (repetition maximum, RM) conducting for 1-3 sets. Further on subjects will continue with a 5 month of PRT with intensity increasing every 2 weeks from 12 to 6 RM. Each exercise will be done for 3 sets with 2 min rest periods between sets. After the 2 weeks at 6 RM, 1 week of rest will be applied. After the rest week, the same cycle starting from 12 RM will be repeated until the end of intervention.

BEHAVIORAL

Active control

Supervised static stretching exercises will be performed without causing an unpleasant feeling of stretching, up to pain, maintaining the stretching position for at least 30 s. Exercises will be performed slowly so that heart rate (HR) does not exceed 50% maximum. Subjects will calculate their HR before training, in the middle and after the training measuring the pulse for 10 s. Exercises will be repeated 3-5 times for each side of the body. The duration of the training will be match to PRT group and will take around 40 min. In order to keep the subjects interested and motivated, two of the stretching exercises will be changed every two weeks.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Lithuanian University of Health Sciences

  collaborator OTHER

• KU Leuven

  collaborator OTHER

• Vrije Universiteit Brussel

  collaborator OTHER

• Wingate Institute

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Hamburg-Eppendorf

  collaborator OTHER

• Maastricht University

  collaborator OTHER

• Lithuanian Sports University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Oron Levin, PhD · Lithuanian Sports University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

65 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-02-15

Primary Completion

2025-02-28

Completion

2025-12-31

Countries

• Lithuania

Study Locations