The effects of multimodal exercise on cognitive and physical functioning and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in older women: a randomised controlled trial

Objective: to test the effect of a 16-week multimodal exercise program on neurocognitive and physical functioning and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).

Design: a single-blinded, parallel-group randomised controlled trial.

Settings: university campus and community-based halls.

Subjects: forty-nine women aged 65 to 75 years, with no cognitive impairment and not undertaking more than 1 h of formal exercise training per week.

Methods: the intervention group attended a 60-min multimodal class twice each week which included cardiovascular, strength and motor fitness training. The primary outcome was neurocognitive functioning and secondary outcomes were physical functioning and plasma levels of BDNF.

Results: twenty-five participants were randomised to the intervention group and 24 to the control group. One control participant withdrew before follow-up data collection. The intervention group performed significantly better than the control group at follow-up (when controlled for baseline) in the Trail Making test A and B, the California Older Adult Stroop test (Word, Interference and Total scores), Controlled Oral Word Association test and the Timed Up-and-Go test, Six-Minute Walk test, One-Legged Stance test and plasma BDNF.

Conclusion: this multimodal exercise program resulted in neurocognitive and physical performance improvements and increased levels of plasma BDNF, in older women, when compared with controls. This RCT provides evidence that a multimodal exercise intervention can achieve larger effect sizes than those generally resulting from single modality interventions. Increases in BDNF levels imply neurogenesis may be a component of the mechanism underpinning the cognitive improvements associated with multimodal exercise.

Trial registration: Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trial Registration Number: ANZCTR12612000451808.