Effects of resistance training exercise on cognitive performance in elderly individuals with memory impairment: results of a controlled trial

Objective: To detect the effects of a resistance training programon cognitive performance and muscle strength in sedentaryelderly individuals with memory impairment. Methods: Thirty-onesedentary elderly persons with no dementia or depression wererandomly distributed into two groups: Physical Activity Group andControl Group. The resistance training exercise program lastednine months and consisted of three series of six exercises persession, carried out on lever-type equipment for approximatelyone hour, twice a week. Every three months, both groups weresubmitted to the following cognitive tests: Rivermead BehavioralMemory Test (RBMT), Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)Direct and Indirect Digit Span, Memory Complaints Scale, andCambridge Cognitive Test (CAMCOG). Results: After nine months,the group that did resistance exercises showed a significantincrease in the standardized RBMT score (p = 0.021) and in musclestrength (p < 0.001), with no significant difference in the otherparameters evaluated. Conclusions: These results indicate thatsupervised resistance exercises can improve memory performancein sedentary elderly individuals with prior memory compromise,besides increasing muscle strength.