Participant characteristics impact the effects of physical and cognitive training on executive functions

Published on October 25, 2022

Imagine you’re a scientist trying to understand how different factors can influence the effects of a physical and cognitive training program on executive functions in older adults. You know that previous research has shown that these interventions can have positive effects, but you’re curious if participant characteristics like sex, training compliance, and age might play a role. To investigate this, you analyze data from a randomized controlled trial where participants received either physical training or physical and cognitive training for 12 months. You measure executive functions related to inhibition, set shifting, and updating before and after the intervention. And what do you find? Well, fascinatingly, you discover that women and participants with low compliance who received the physical and cognitive training showed greater improvements in certain executive functions compared to their counterparts in the physical training only group. Specifically, women who received the combined training had significant improvements in the Stroop task, while individuals with low compliance had improved performance on the Trail Making Test B. These findings suggest that different participant characteristics can impact the effectiveness of these interventions on executive functions. Now, if you’re as intrigued by this research as I am, I encourage you to delve into the full article to learn more!

BackgroundPhysical and cognitive interventions have been shown to induce positive effects on older adults’ executive functioning. However, since participants with different background characteristics may respond differently to such interventions, we investigated whether training effects on executive functions were associated with sex, training compliance, and age. We also investigated if change in global cognition was associated with physical and cognitive training intervention-induced changes in executive functions.MethodsExploratory data from a randomized controlled trial were analyzed. Participants were 70–85-year-old men and women who received a 12-month physical (PT) or physical and cognitive training (PTCT) intervention. Measurements of executive functions related to inhibition (Stroop), set shifting (Trail Making Test B) and updating (Verbal Fluency) were performed at baseline and 12 months. Data were analyzed using a longitudinal linear path model for the two measurements occasion.ResultsStroop improved significantly more in women and participants in the low compliance subgroup who received PTCT than in counterparts in the PT subgroup (difference –8.758, p = 0.001 and difference –8.405, p = 0.010, respectively). In addition, TMT B improved after the intervention in the low compliance PTCT subgroup and worsened in the corresponding PT subgroup (difference –15.034, p = 0.032). No other significant associations were observed.ConclusionExecutive functions in women and in the participants, who only occasionally engaged in training showed greater improvement after the PTCT than PT intervention. However, the additional extra benefit gained from the PTCT intervention was uniquely expressed in each executive function measured in this study.

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