Exercise: The Right ‘Dose’ for Improved Cognition

Hello. I’m Dr Charles Vega, and I am a clinical professor of family medicine at the University of California at Irvine. Welcome to Medscape Morning Report, our 1-minute news story for primary care.

Numerous studies have found a positive relationship between regular exercise and brain health. But just how much exercise is necessary to see cognitive gains in older adults?

A recent systematic review of 98 randomized controlled trials involving over 11,000 older adults with a mean age of 73 years provides an answer. The researchers determined that 52 hours—delivered in 1-hour sessions—over 6 months is the minimum amount needed to improve cognition in older adults.

In fact, total exercise time—whether it’s cardiovascular exercise, resistance training, mind-body exercises, or a combination—was the most important factor linked to improved processing speed and attention, executive function, and global cognition. These improvements were seen in healthy adults, those with mild cognitive impairment, and even those with dementia.

Dosing exercise like this—one hour, twice a week—could be a new pitch that will motivate patients, especially those worried about dementia, to get up and move.

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