Laboratory of Applied Kinesiology, Faculty of Physical Education, State University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.
Department of Physical Education, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristóvão, Brazil.
Front Public Health. 2023 Jun 21;11:1159343. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1159343. eCollection 2023.
Agility training (AT) is used to improve neuromuscular performance and dynamic balance, which are crucial for the physical function of older adults. Activities of daily living, which decrease with age, involve tasks that simultaneously require motor, and cognitive abilities and can be considered dual tasks.
This study investigates a training program's physical and cognitive effects using an agility ladder on healthy older adults. This program consisted of 30-min sessions twice per week and lasted for 14 weeks. The physical training included four different sequences with progressive difficulty levels, while the cognitive training (CT) included different verbal fluency (VF) tasks for each physical task. Sixteen participants (mean age of 66.9 ± 5.0 years) were allocated to two groups: AT alone (AT) and dual-task training (AT combined with CT [AT + CT]). Assessments were performed before and after 14 weeks of interventions using physical functional tests (e.g., Illinois agility test, five times sit-to-stand test, timed up and go [TUG], and one-leg stand) and cognitive tests (cognitive TUG, verbal fluency, attention, and scenery picture memory test).
After this period, both groups had significant differences in physical performance, muscle power, agility, static and dynamic balance, and short-term memory, whereas only the AT + CT group improved phonological verbal fluency, executive function (TUG combined with a cognitive task), attention (trail-making test-B), and short-term memory (scenery picture memory test).
Indicating that only the group that received direct cognitive training had better enhanced cognitive function.
www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: RBR-7t7gnjk.
敏捷训练（AT）用于提高神经肌肉性能和动态平衡，这对老年人的身体功能至关重要。随着年龄的增长，日常生活活动减少，这些活动涉及到同时需要运动和认知能力的任务，可以被认为是双重任务。
本研究使用敏捷梯对健康老年人进行了一项训练计划的身体和认知效果研究。该方案包括每周两次、每次 30 分钟的 14 周疗程。身体训练包括四个不同的序列，难度逐渐增加，而认知训练（CT）则包括每个身体任务的不同词汇流畅性（VF）任务。16 名参与者（平均年龄 66.9±5.0 岁）被分配到两个组：单独进行 AT（AT）和双重任务训练（AT 与 CT 相结合[AT+CT]）。在 14 周的干预前后，使用身体功能测试（如伊利诺伊敏捷测试、五次坐站测试、计时起立行走测试、单腿站立）和认知测试（认知计时起立行走测试、词汇流畅性、注意力和风景图片记忆测试）进行评估。
经过这段时间，两组在身体表现、肌肉力量、敏捷性、静态和动态平衡以及短期记忆方面都有显著差异，而只有 AT+CT 组提高了语音词汇流畅性、执行功能（TUG 与认知任务相结合）、注意力（连线测试-B）和短期记忆（风景图片记忆测试）。
表明只有接受直接认知训练的组在认知功能方面有更好的增强。
