Multiple-modality exercise and mind-motor training to improve mobility in older adults: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract Objective To investigate the effects of multiple-modality exercise with or without additional mind-motor training on mobility outcomes in older adults with subjective cognitive complaints. Methods This was a 24-week randomized controlled trial with a 28-week no-contact follow-up. Community-dwelling older adults underwent a thrice -weekly, Multiple-Modality exercise and Mind-Motor (M4) training or Multiple-Modality (M2) exercise with an active control intervention (balance, range of motion and breathing exercises). Study outcomes included differences between groups at 24 weeks and after the no-contact follow-up (i.e., 52 weeks) in usual and dual-task (DT, i.e., serial sevens [S7] and phonemic verbal fluency [VF] tasks) gait velocity, step length and cycle time variability, as well as DT cognitive accuracy. Results 127 participants (mean age 67.5 [7.3] years, 71% women) were randomized to either M2 (n = 64) or M4 (n = 63) groups. Participants were assessed at baseline, intervention endpoint (24 weeks), and study endpoint (52 weeks). At 24 weeks, the M2 group demonstrated greater improvements in usual gait velocity, usual step length, and DT gait velocity (VF) compared to the M4 group, and no between- or within-group changes in DT accuracy were observed. At 52 weeks, the M2 group retained the gains in gait velocity and step length, whereas the M4 group demonstrated trends for improvement (p = 0.052) in DT cognitive accuracy (VF). Conclusions Our results suggest that additional mind-motor training was not effective to improve mobility outcomes. In fact, participants in the active control group experienced greater benefits as a result of the intervention.