Comparison of dance and aerobic exercise on cognition and neuropsychiatric symptoms in sedentary older adults with cognitive impairment

Background To compare the effects of dance and aerobic exercise on cognition and neuropsychiatric symptoms in older people with cognitive impairment. Methods Twenty-three older adults (mean age = 78 +/- 7 years; males: n = 7, females: n = 16) attending a day care center and diagnosed with cognitive impairment were randomly assigned to a 16-week dance intervention or an aerobic exercise intervention (60 min/week). Cognitive function [Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)], neuropsychiatric symptoms [Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15), Neuro-Psychiatric Inventory-R (NPI-R)], and physical function [Timed Up and Go (TUG), Activity Daily Living (ADL)] were assessed at baseline and at the end of the intervention. After Borg scale assessment, these two physical activities were performed at similar intensity (60-70% HRR). Results MMSE score increased significantly after the intervention in the dance group (+ 3.3/+ 14%, p = 0.03), especially memory performance (+1/+220%, p = 0.03), but not in the aerobic exercise group. GDS-15 and NPI-R decreased significantly after the intervention in both groups (p < 0.001). However, no significant effect was found for TUG and ADL. Conclusion Dance is a cost-effective multimodal intervention that could improve cognition. A low-frequency ecological dance intervention (once per week; 60 min) could improve cognition, especially verbal memory. These results should be further investigated for the practice of dance in facilities for older adults.