Protecting the Brain From Post-Stroke Cognitive Impairment and Dementia With Multimodal Exercise Training

Summary

The rates of cognitive decline and dementia after stroke are disproportionately high. Strategies that can protect the brain early after the stroke event could reduce the future risk of cognitive decline and dementia in these patients. Although physical exercise is usually recommended after stroke, there is very little information about the protective effect of exercise implemented in early stages of recovery as a potential protective measure against cognitive decline and dementia risk in these patients. This study will investigate the effect of a multimodal exercise intervention implemented early after the stroke event on cognition and on a selected group of markers that can predict cognitive decline and dementia risk.

Conditions

• Stroke

Interventions

OTHER

Multimodal Training

Training sessions, which will include resistance training followed by aerobic exercise training, will start with \~5 minutes of warm-up and end with \~5 minutes of cool down. Resistance training (20-30 minutes) will involve one day of upper limb, one day of lower limb and one day of full body exercises involving major muscle groups. Each session will include 5 exercises for 2-3 sets x 10 repetitions. Workloads will be increased from moderate to vigorous intensities (≥50-85% 1-RM; RPE≥14/20) by adding movement modifications and/or increasing resistance to ensure progressive overload. The first 4 weeks of aerobic exercise will involve 20 minutes of moderate intensity continuous training (40-60% HRR; RPE\<13/20). The following 4 weeks, will involve 3x4 minutes (long-interveral) high intensity interval training (HIIT) at ≥60-80% HRR; RPE=≥14-17. The last 4 weeks will involve 10, 1x1 minutes (short-interval) HIIT at ≥80-100% HRR; RPE≥17/20.

OTHER

Balance, Toning and Stretching

Sessions will be performed at light intensity (\<40% HRR) and finalize with a 5-minute cool-down. During the 40-60 minute session, 5 to 6 exercises (2-3 sets x 10 reps) involving balance, toning and stretching will be performed. Participants will progress through increasingly challenging exercises (e.g., reduce base of support in balance exercises), but they will aim to maintain a HRR \<40%.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital

  collaborator OTHER

• McMaster University

  collaborator OTHER

• Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal

  collaborator OTHER

• Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital

  collaborator OTHER

• McGill University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Marc Roig · McGill University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

40 Years

Max Age

80 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-03-09

Primary Completion

2030-01-30

Completion

2030-12-31

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations