Physical Activity Training Program for Patients With Alzheimer's Dementia (MOTODEM)

Technische Universität Dresden

Status: Completed

Conditions: Dementia

Treatments: Behavioral: Exercise

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02196545

MTDEM-001

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to determine if a home based physical activity training program for patients with Alzheimer's dementia has effects on clinical and neurobiological parameters.

Enrollment: 30 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 55+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• age >55 years
• German is the dominant language (necessary for neuropsychological testing)
• minimum of 8 years formal school education
• caregiver (e.g. spouse) living at home with participant
• physical examination does not reveal contraindications to physical activity
• stable dose of pharmacological dementia treatment according to German guidelines (DGPPN) with acetylcholinesterase inhibitor or memantin or combination for at least 6 months
• no other medication that could influence cognitive functioning (e.g. benzodiazepines, sleep aids, neuroleptics)

Exclusion criteria

• history of neurological or psychiatric disease other than AD
• history of substance abuse disorder
• history of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) during the last 6 months
• structural brain deficits diagnosed in the MRI scan, also without clinical relevance (incidental finding)
• pacemaker, artificial heart valve, insulin pump or other medical implants
• average steps/day are above 10.000 steps/day

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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30 participants in 2 patient groups

Exercise

Experimental group

Description:

Exercise, patients train on a specifically programmed movement trainer three times a week for 30 minutes (total duration 12 weeks)

Treatment:

Behavioral: Exercise

Treatment as usual

No Intervention group

Description:

Treatment according to guidelines of German Society for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Nervous Diseases (DGPPN) and German Society of Neurology (DGN) without movement trainer exercise