Abstract

The combined use of cognitive activity (CA) and physical activity (PA) seems to modulate the factors associated to the incidence of mild Alzheimer. Objectives: To examine the effects of a combined intervention of CA and PA on cognitive performance in the elderly with mild AD. Method: Quasi-experimental design, single blind evaluation with groups comparison. Participants: 80 subjects = 60 years with neurological diagnosis of mild Alzheimer’s dementia, of whom 60 completed the study (19 men and 41 women). Participants were randomly divided into an intervention group (IG: n = 24, M = 71.8 years, SD = 5.5) subjected to a combined program of cognitive training and physical activity for 6 months, and a control group (CG: n = 36, M = 73.8 years, SD = 6.3) composed of sedentary subjects who didn’t do any physical activity or were subjected to cognitive training during the study. Results: inter and intragroup t-student tests reported significant differences in MMSE, TRCF, TAAVR and TMT-A and B for the GI, an increase in the mean performance of all dimensions evaluated after AF program and BC, in the CG. The ANCOVA reported favorable evidence of the impact of AC and AF on cognitive function of GI versus controls (f = 17,378, P<.000). Conclusions: favorable results showing a significant difference in the study groups, emerging as the CA and PA improves cognitive performance of the elderly with dementia were found.