Associations between physical activity, sedentary behaviour and cognitive domain performance of people living with mild cognitive impairment in the community

IntroductionPhysical activity is known to positively influence cognitive performance. For adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the relationship between physical activity levels and cognitive performance is unknown. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine if cognitive performance [as measured by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)] of people living in the community with MCI is associated with their physical activity levels or sedentary behaviour.MethodsActivPAL (TM) accelerometers were used to objectively measure physical activity and sedentary behaviour for seven full days. Cognitive performance was measured using the MoCA.Consumer and Community InvolvementNo involvement other than as research participantsResultsEighty-two participants from the Balance on the Brain randomised controlled trial were included. Most participants were retired (88%), with 33 (40%) reporting a fall in the last year. The median MoCA score was 24 (IQR 22-26). Participants achieved a mean of 6296 (+/- 2420) steps per day and were sedentary for 10.6 (+/- 2) hours per day. The only physical activity outcomes that had a fair, positive correlation were moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity measures of total stepping time and total number of steps (with a cadence of >= 100 steps/min) with the orientation MoCA domain score (r(82) = 0.36, p <= 0.001 and r(82) = 0.37, p <= 0.001, respectively). Higher total sedentary time had a weak, positive correlation with better visuospatial/executive performance (r(82) = 0.23, p = 0.041). The orientation outcomes remained significant when analysed in an adjusted logistic regression model.ConclusionThis study found that performance in the MoCA orientation domain had a fair-positive correlation with moderate-intensity physical activity (i.e., stepping time and step count with a cadence of >= 100 steps/min) as measured by a thigh-worn accelerometer for community-dwelling older adults with MCI. When considering the relationship between cognitive domains and sedentary behaviour, consideration may be needed regarding whether cognitive enhancing activities (such as crosswords and other brain games) are being performed, which may confound this relationship. Further investigation is required to confirm these results. Physical activity is good for people of all ages. Regular moderate to vigorous physical activity is known to help memory and thinking skills. Moderate physical activity includes brisk walking, lawn mowing and water aerobics. Vigorous physical activity includes running, fast-paced swimming, cycling and brisk walking up hills and steps. For adults with mild cognitive impairment (i.e., a person who is starting to have trouble with their memory, but the difficulty is not yet advanced enough to be diagnosed as dementia), we did not know how their level of engagement with physical activity may be related to their memory and thinking skills. A strength of this study is that we had a large population of 82 people living in the community with mild cognitive impairment to review. We found that people who completed more moderate to vigorous physical activity had better skills in remembering the current day, date and place (orientation).