Combined Aerobic Exercise and Cognitive Training in Seniors With Genetic Susceptibility for Alzheimer's Disease

Combined Aerobic Exercise and Cognitive Training for Alzheimer's Disease Prevention in Seniors With Genetic Susceptibility Estimated by Polygenic Risk Models: Cognition and Neural Plasticity Effects

The study aims to investigate the effect of a long-term combined aerobic exercise and cognitive training program on cognitive function, daily function, psychosocial status, and neural plasticity in seniors with genetic susceptibility for Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia and the leading cause of disability in people older than 65 years worldwide. However, there is no effective disease-modifying therapy currently. Therefore, improvement of cognitive function in people at risk and, potentially, prevention of cognitive decline has been gaining attraction.

Our previous research reported a model of a combination single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (rs3777215, rs234434, rs71352238, and rs4420638) can predict AD onset with high performance, which is useful to identify people at risk for AD and thus allows for timely treatment and prevention.

Both aerobic exercise and cognitive training have been demonstrated beneficial effects on cognition in subjects with AD and healthy populations. Moreover, the synergistic effects of the combination have been proven recently. However, the effect of combined aerobic exercise and cognitive training on seniors with genetic susceptibility for AD remains to be elucidated. Herein, this study aims to

1. assess the effects of long-term combined aerobic exercise and cognitive training on cognitive function, daily function, psychosocial status, and neural plasticity in seniors with single nucleotide polymorphism of rs3777215, rs234434, rs71352238, and rs4420638.
2. confirm the predictive value of the SNP model for AD in a longitudinal setting.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Mandarin-speaking subjects.
• Not clinically demented.
• Meeting the cutoff values of MMSE and CDR.
• With positive variation of rs3777215, rs234434, rs71352238, and rs4420638.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Had major neurologic diagnosis (e.g., Parkinson's disease, stroke, encephalitis, and epilepsy) or other condition that might impair cognition or confound assessments.
• Had a history of psychotic episodes or had major depression (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score > 24 points).
• Had severe systemic diseases, such as tumors, cardiovascular or orthopedic disorder that can affect the ability to perform the proposed intervention tasks.