Relationship of exercise frequency, intensity, and fitness to improved cognition and biomarkers in Gerofit participants

Gerofit is a Veteran Health Administration health promotion program which has demonstrated significant gains in physical function, general well-being and other health outcomes. However, overall cognitive benefits of the program have not yet been assessed. The goal of this study is to determine the relationship between physical function improvements from participation in the Gerofit exercise program and cognition in older Veterans. Specifically, this study will be testing 1) whether participation in the long-standing, widely available VA Gerofit program improves cognitive measures of memory and executive functioning after three months and one year in older Veterans compared to controls; and 2) the predictive power of peripheral blood and/or skeletal muscle biomarkers for the physical and cognitive effects after three months and one year of Gerofit participation in older Veterans compared to controls. By accomplishing these goals, the results can provide more information about the role of exercise in cognitive improvements in older adults, specifically within the VA Gerofit exercise program, and the use of predictive biomarkers to determine which Veterans will obtain the most benefit cognitively and physically.

Clin-STAR Database