Moderate-to-high intensity group exercise improves cognitive function of stroke survivors

Poster Session F - Tuesday, April 16, 2024, 8:00 – 10:00 am EDT, Sheraton Hall ABC

Dr Se Hee Jung¹; ¹Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, ²Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine

Background: Post-stroke exercise need to be encouraged to facilitate optimal recovery and to improve both physical and mental health. However, stroke survivors are easily predisposed to sedentary lifestyle due to physical impairment and functional compromise. Moreover, many clinicians as well as patients tend to be discouraged by exercise-related risk of injury of falls or comorbidities. Methods: This study is a randomized controlled trial. Subjects were randomly assigned to either intervention or control group. Subjects in intervention group completed 16 sessions of 90-minute moderate-to-high intensity group-based exercise for 8 weeks. Subjects in control group completed 45-minute low intensity home-based exercise, 4 times a week, for 8 weeks. Korean version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-K) were measured at baseline and postintervention in each group. Results: Total 32 stroke survivors were enrolled in the study and 18 were randomized to group-based moderate-to-high exercise and 14 were randomized to home-based low intensity exercise. Intervention group showed high compliance as well as high attendance rate. Adverse event was only 2 uneventful falls in 1 subject. After 8 weeks of moderate-to-high intensity group exercise, MoCA-K score were significantly improved in the intervention group after 8-week of moderate-to-high intensity exercise. Conclusions: Moderate-to-high intensity group-based exercise is feasible and safe and improves cognitive function of chronic stroke survivors.

Topic Area: OTHER