Effects of Exercise and Intensive Vascular Risk Reduction on Cognitive Function in Older Adults

Can exercise, intensive pharmacological reduction of blood pressure (BP) and serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), or the combination of these interventions improve cognitive function in older adults with family history of dementia and/or self-reported subjective cognitive decline?In this randomized clinical trial of 513 participants, moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise training, intensive pharmacological lowering of BP and serum LDL-C, or both did not result in statistically significant differences in improvements in global cognitive function over 24 months.The findings do not provide evidence in support of exercise, intensive reduction of BP and serum LDL-C, or both for improving cognitive function in older adults with family history of dementia and/or self-reported subjective cognitive decline.

Corresponding Author: Rong Zhang, PhD, Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, 7232 Greenville Ave, Dallas, TX 75231 (rongzhang@texashealth.org).

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