“Mind” versus “Body” in Mild Cognitive Impairment Rehabilitation: Does a Multicomponent Physical Exercise Program Have a Dichotomous Effect on Cognitive Functions and Physical Performance?
Affiliations: [a] Department of Surgery and Medical-Surgical Specialties, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| [b] Clinical Neurophysiology Research Unit, Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, Troina, Italy
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: Prof. Giuseppe Lanza, Clinical Neurophysiology Research Unit, Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, 94018, Troina, Italy. Tel.: +39 0935 936930; E-mail: glanza@oasi.en.it.
Abstract: In the relevant study by Boulares and colleagues, the importance of a multicomponent physical activity program in improving balance skills and leading to falling risk and fear reduction in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is highlighted, despite the lack of cognitive effects. Given this apparent discrepancy between “body” and “mind” in MCI rehabilitation, the present commentary faces and discusses these findings within the existing literature and poses the question whether there were actually no cognitive results or if the program design and evaluation tool used were not sensitive enough to detect them, at least at this stage.
