studies

BrainPower: The Promotion of Physical Activity for the Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease in Adults with Down Syndrome (BrainPower)

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Introduction

BrainPower examined if group exercise sessions, delivered remotely, increased the amount of physical activity adults with Down syndrome get each week and explored if increased physical activity improved cognitive function.

Principal Investigators

Ptomey, Lauren, PhD Donnelly, Joseph, EdD

About

This was a 12-mo. early-stage randomized clinical trial in adults (18+ years) with Down syndrome without dementia, designed to determine the feasibility and potential efficacy of remotely delivered group exercise sessions to increase daily physical activity, relative to a usual care control. Participants were randomized to attend 40 min remotely delivered group exercise sessions at a low frequency (1 session/wk.,RL), high frequency (3 sessions/wk., RH), or a usual care control. Content for both the RL and RH arms was identical with the exception of group session frequency (1 vs. 3/wk.). The overall goals of this trial were to assess the feasibility and potential effectiveness of the RL, RH, and UC interventions on increasing physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness, and to gather initial estimates of the impact of increased physical activity on cognition and brain structure in adults with DS.