Meekum Sutaya, Yuenyongchaiwat Kornanong, Luangpon Nongnuch, Keawutan Piyapa, Kooncumchoo Patcharee
Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Thammasat University, Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand.
Thammasat University Research Unit for Physical Therapy in Respiratory and Cardiovascular Systems, Thammasat University, Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand.
Life (Basel). 2025 Mar 7;15(3):420. doi: 10.3390/life15030420.
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a slight cognitive decline with the ability to perform normal activities in daily life and an increased risk of dementia. Land-based exercise enhances cognitive abilities, but combining cognitive and physical interventions offers greater benefits in MCI. Water-based exercise is a low-impact activity that minimizes joint strain and reduces injury risk. This study investigated the effects of water-based exercise with or without cognitive training on cognition in older adults with MCI. Thirty-seven participants aged 65 years or older with MCI were randomly assigned to two groups: water-based exercise (W; n = 18) and water-based exercise combined with cognitive training (W-COG; n = 19). Both groups performed 60 min water-based aerobic sessions 3 days per week for 12 weeks. Cognitive assessments were conducted at baseline and after 12 weeks. Post-intervention, 77.77% of the W group and 89% of the W-COG group had improved their cognitive ability. Both groups showed significant improvements in their global cognition ( < 0.001, < 0.001) and visuospatial ability ( < 0.01 for W, < 0.05 for W-COG), respectively. In addition, cognitive flexibility and shifting abilities improved only in the W-COG group ( < 0.05). These findings suggest that water-based exercise combined with cognitive training enhances cognitive functions more effectively than exercise alone in older adults with MCI.
轻度认知障碍（MCI）是一种轻度认知衰退，患者在日常生活中仍具备进行正常活动的能力，但患痴呆症的风险增加。陆上运动可提高认知能力，然而，对于MCI患者而言，将认知干预与体育干预相结合能带来更大益处。水上运动是一种低冲击力的活动，可将关节劳损降至最低，并降低受伤风险。本研究调查了有无认知训练的水上运动对患有MCI的老年人认知能力的影响。37名年龄在65岁及以上的MCI参与者被随机分为两组：水上运动组（W组；n = 18）和水上运动结合认知训练组（W - COG组；n = 19）。两组均每周进行3天、每次60分钟的水上有氧运动，持续12周。在基线和12周后进行认知评估。干预后，W组77.77%的参与者和W - COG组89%的参与者认知能力得到改善。两组在整体认知（均P < 0.001）和视觉空间能力（W组P < 0.01，W - COG组P < 0.05）方面均有显著改善。此外，仅W - COG组的认知灵活性和转换能力有所提高（P < 0.05）。这些研究结果表明，对于患有MCI的老年人，水上运动结合认知训练比单纯运动更有效地增强认知功能。
