The Effects of Physical Exercise with Music on Cognitive Function of Elderly People: Mihama-Kiho Project

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 9; no. 4; p. e95230
• Main Authors: Satoh, Masayuki, Ogawa, Jun-ichi, Tokita, Tomoko, Nakaguchi, Noriko, Nakao, Koji, Kida, Hirotaka, Tomimoto, Hidekazu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 01.04.2014; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alzheimer Disease - prevention & control; Alzheimer Disease - psychology; Alzheimer's disease; Atrophy; Batteries; Biology and Life Sciences; Care and treatment; Clinical trials; Cognition; Cognitive ability; Exercise; Exercise - psychology; Female; Geriatrics; Health aspects; Humans; Intervention; Male; Medical research; Medicine and Health Sciences; Music; Music - psychology; Music therapy; Musicians & conductors; Neurodegenerative diseases; Older people; Physical exercise; Physical training; Prevention; Regional analysis; Regional planning; Research and Analysis Methods; Social Sciences; Temporal lobe; Temporal Lobe - physiopathology; Variance analysis; Walking - psychology; Japan
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095230

Physical exercise has positive effects on cognitive function in elderly people. It is unknown, however, if combinations of non-pharmaceutical interventions can produce more benefits than single ones. This study aimed to identify if physical exercise combined with music improves cognitive function in normal elderly people more than exercise alone. We enrolled 119 subjects (age 65-84 years old). Forty subjects performed physical exercise (once a week for an hour with professional trainers) with musical accompaniment (ExM group), developed by YAMAHA Music Foundation; 40 subjects performed the same exercise without music (Ex group); 39 subjects were the control group (Cont group). Before and after the year-long intervention, each patient was assessed by neuropsychological batteries. MRIs were performed before and after intervention; the Voxel-based Specific Regional analysis system for Alzheimer's Disease (VSRAD) was used to assess medial temporal lobe atrophy. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was significant only in visuospatial function. The multiple comparison (ExM vs. Ex, ExM vs. Cont, Ex vs. Cont) was significant between the ExM and Cont group. Intra-group analyses before and after intervention revealed significant improvement in visuospatial function in the ExM group, and significant improvements in other batteries in all three groups. The VSRAD score significantly worsened in the ExM and Ex groups. Physical exercise combined with music produced more positive effects on cognitive function in elderly people than exercise alone. We attributed this improvement to the multifaceted nature of combining physical exercise with music, which can act simultaneously as both cognitive and physical training. UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR) UMIN000012148.