A Pilot Study of Dance Intervention for Enhancing Executive Function and Physical Performance in Cognitively Impaired Older Adults

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to evaluate the effects of a music-based dance program on executive function and physical performance in middle-aged and older adults with cognitive impairment. It focuses on mild cognitive impairment, a condition that affects memory, judgment, and motor skills, often reducing independence and quality of life. Dance, combining music, rhythmic movement, and cognitive-motor coordination, offers dual-task training that may improve both cognitive and motor functions simultaneously through social interaction and partner guidance. Participants are assigned to either the music-based dance intervention group or a control group. The intervention group takes part in a nine-week, twice-weekly group dance program with 40-minute sessions featuring rhythmic movement, fixed choreography, and mutual physical guidance to stimulate memory, attention, balance, and lower limb mobility. The control group follows a nine-week, twice-weekly lower limb exercise program delivered by non-musical instructional videos focusing on strength and balance training. Participants are assessed at three points: before the intervention, mid-intervention at week 5, and one week after completion at week 10. Evaluations include cognitive tests like the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Stroop Color and Word Test, as well as physical performance tests such as the Four-Square Step Test, Timed Up and Go - Cognitive, and Functional Reach Test. Feedback is also collected after the program. Data analysis examines changes within and between groups to understand the intervention's feasibility and preliminary effects.

Dance Intervention to Improve Executive Function and Physical Performance in Older Adults With Cognitive Impairment