Effect of aerobic exercise combined with meditation on cognitive frailty: study protocol for a parallel group randomised controlled trial
Introduction Cognitive frailty (CF) is a clinical syndrome characterised by the concurrent occurrence of physical frailty and cognitive impairment, excluding Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Recent studies have shown that combining aerobic exercise (AE) and meditation (ME) effectivel...
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BMJ Publishing Group
2025-06-01
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| author | Wenju Wang Lei Yang Feng Chen Weilin Liu Tao Jiang Sijia Xia Jingfang Zhu Minguang Yang Qing Xiang |
| author_facet | Wenju Wang Lei Yang Feng Chen Weilin Liu Tao Jiang Sijia Xia Jingfang Zhu Minguang Yang Qing Xiang |
| author_sort | Wenju Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction Cognitive frailty (CF) is a clinical syndrome characterised by the concurrent occurrence of physical frailty and cognitive impairment, excluding Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Recent studies have shown that combining aerobic exercise (AE) and meditation (ME) effectively enhances both physical and cognitive functions in individuals with CF. The study aims to determine whether the combined application of AE and ME can elicit significantly greater improvements in physical and cognitive functions among individuals with CF compared with the independent practice of either AE or ME alone.Methods and analysis The research design employs a four-arm, assessor-blind randomised controlled trial. A total of 140 qualified subjects will be randomly allocated among four groups: AE, ME, AE combined with ME and a health education control group, ensuring equivalent distribution across groups. The intervention phase of the study will last for 12 weeks. The primary outcomes will include the Edmonton Frailty Scale, while secondary outcomes will encompass evaluations of cognitive functions (including global cognitive function, memory, attention, executive function and visuospatial abilities), physical performance (measured by gait speed and lower extremity strength), subjective experiences (such as fatigue, quality of life, mindfulness, mood and sleep quality), as well as structural and functional MRI assessments and serum biomarkers. Outcomes will be evaluated at baseline and following the 12-week intervention.Ethics and dissemination The Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Rehabilitation Hospital of the Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine granted ethical approval for the study (2023KY-012–02). The findings will be disseminated through publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at academic conferences.Trial registration number ChiCTR2300073563. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a6b306d00c7549b8b4f1eb65940d3c71 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
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| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-a6b306d00c7549b8b4f1eb65940d3c712025-08-20T03:32:12ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552025-06-0115610.1136/bmjopen-2024-094645Effect of aerobic exercise combined with meditation on cognitive frailty: study protocol for a parallel group randomised controlled trialWenju Wang0Lei Yang1Feng Chen2Weilin Liu3Tao Jiang4Sijia Xia5Jingfang Zhu6Minguang Yang7Qing Xiang8College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian, ChinaThe Institute of Rehabilitation Industry, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian, ChinaCollege of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian, ChinaThe Institute of Rehabilitation Industry, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian, ChinaCollege of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian, ChinaCollege of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian, ChinaThe Institute of Rehabilitation Industry, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian, ChinaThe Institute of Rehabilitation Industry, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian, ChinaProvincial and ministerial Co-founded Collaborative Innovation Center of Rehabilitation Technology, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian, ChinaIntroduction Cognitive frailty (CF) is a clinical syndrome characterised by the concurrent occurrence of physical frailty and cognitive impairment, excluding Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Recent studies have shown that combining aerobic exercise (AE) and meditation (ME) effectively enhances both physical and cognitive functions in individuals with CF. The study aims to determine whether the combined application of AE and ME can elicit significantly greater improvements in physical and cognitive functions among individuals with CF compared with the independent practice of either AE or ME alone.Methods and analysis The research design employs a four-arm, assessor-blind randomised controlled trial. A total of 140 qualified subjects will be randomly allocated among four groups: AE, ME, AE combined with ME and a health education control group, ensuring equivalent distribution across groups. The intervention phase of the study will last for 12 weeks. The primary outcomes will include the Edmonton Frailty Scale, while secondary outcomes will encompass evaluations of cognitive functions (including global cognitive function, memory, attention, executive function and visuospatial abilities), physical performance (measured by gait speed and lower extremity strength), subjective experiences (such as fatigue, quality of life, mindfulness, mood and sleep quality), as well as structural and functional MRI assessments and serum biomarkers. Outcomes will be evaluated at baseline and following the 12-week intervention.Ethics and dissemination The Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Rehabilitation Hospital of the Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine granted ethical approval for the study (2023KY-012–02). The findings will be disseminated through publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at academic conferences.Trial registration number ChiCTR2300073563.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/6/e094645.full |
| spellingShingle | Wenju Wang Lei Yang Feng Chen Weilin Liu Tao Jiang Sijia Xia Jingfang Zhu Minguang Yang Qing Xiang Effect of aerobic exercise combined with meditation on cognitive frailty: study protocol for a parallel group randomised controlled trial BMJ Open |
| title | Effect of aerobic exercise combined with meditation on cognitive frailty: study protocol for a parallel group randomised controlled trial |
| title_full | Effect of aerobic exercise combined with meditation on cognitive frailty: study protocol for a parallel group randomised controlled trial |
| title_fullStr | Effect of aerobic exercise combined with meditation on cognitive frailty: study protocol for a parallel group randomised controlled trial |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of aerobic exercise combined with meditation on cognitive frailty: study protocol for a parallel group randomised controlled trial |
| title_short | Effect of aerobic exercise combined with meditation on cognitive frailty: study protocol for a parallel group randomised controlled trial |
| title_sort | effect of aerobic exercise combined with meditation on cognitive frailty study protocol for a parallel group randomised controlled trial |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/6/e094645.full |
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