Neuro-exergaming for older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI): A single bout of interactive Physical and Cognitive Exercise (iPACES v2.5)

Mild neurocognitive disorder, also known as Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), poses a serious risk to the older population. This disease may be a precursor to a more debilitating dementia, such as Alzheimer’s Disease, and it affects the cognitive abilities as well as overall quality of life of those who suffer from it (Sachs-Ericsson & Blazer, 2014). Finding preventative ways to combat these illnesses is imperative for our increasing older population at risk. Prior research has shown benefits of physical exercise (Kramer & Colombe, 2018), but few older adults achieve recommended levels. Some researchers have explored the use of potentially more motivating exergames and found benefits above and beyond physical exercise alone perhaps due to synergistic effects of physical and mental engagements (Anderson-Hanley et al., 2012, 2018). The current study attempts to replicate and extend prior research by examining the cognitive impact of a single bout of a neuro-exergame in which older adults pedal an under-table elliptical while playing the Memory Lane game, which simulates real life challenge of running errands and retracing one’s path home. Eighteen older adults (mean age = 68.4 years old) were assessed pre- and post-exercise with neuropsychological tests of executive function (Stroop and Trails) as well as verbal memory (ADAS Word Recall). A repeated measures ANOVA indicated that the benefit to verbal memory for MCI participants was significantly greater than for normative older adults (p = .008) Further research is needed to confirm this finding in a larger sample, but it is consistent with some prior research on single bouts of exercise benefiting MCI more than normative older adults.