Summary: A York University study reports that 30 minutes of once-weekly cognitive-motor training can slow dementia progression and, for some participants in the earliest stages, restore cognitive performance to healthy levels.
Source: York University
Cognitive-Motor Training: A Simple Weekly Exercise That May Slow or Reverse Early Dementia
Researchers at York University’s Faculty of Health report that a brief, structured program of visually guided hand movements—delivered as a game on a tablet for 30 minutes once per week—can slow the progression of cognitive decline and, in some cases, reverse early symptoms of dementia. The intervention combines cognitive challenge and motor activity, targeting the interaction between thinking and movement rather than focusing on cognitive training or aerobic exercise alone.
Study Overview
The proof-of-principle intervention involved 37 older adults recruited from senior centres, divided into four groups according to baseline cognitive function. Over 16 weeks, participants attended weekly 30-minute sessions playing a videogame that required goal-directed hand movements on a touchscreen tablet. Cognitive and visuomotor testing was performed roughly two weeks before the program began and again two weeks after it concluded, allowing researchers to measure changes in general cognition and visuomotor skills.
Unlike many previous approaches that isolate either cognitive tasks or physical activity, this study explicitly combined both domains. The videogame required participants to think while they moved—deciding on goals and making controlled, rule-driven hand movements—thereby engaging motor planning, visual perception and executive processes simultaneously.
Key Findings
The study observed measurable changes in visuomotor behavior across all participant groups: individuals tended to complete tasks faster but with reduced accuracy, indicating an adjustment in speed–accuracy trade-offs. More importantly, the groups with subaverage cognition and those with mild-to-moderate cognitive deficits showed significant improvement on measures of overall cognition after the 16-week program.
For participants in the severe cognitive deficits group, the expected decline over the five-month study period did not occur; instead, their cognitive performance remained stable. This stabilization contrasts with the typical progressive decline seen in advanced cases and suggests the training may help preserve function even when dementia is more advanced.
Interpretation and Mechanisms
Lead researcher Lauren Sergio, a professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Science and Centre for Vision Research, suggests these results reflect the aging brain’s retained neuroplasticity. Even in early neurodegeneration, repetitive cognitive-motor integration appears capable of strengthening neural networks involved in both frontal executive regions and motor control areas. The likely mechanism is improved communication between frontal-lobe systems responsible for planning and decision-making and the motor regions that implement goal-directed movements. Repeated practice of combined thinking-and-moving tasks may promote formation of new synaptic connections and system-level changes that support cognitive function.
Researchers emphasize that the greatest benefits were observed in those with only mild deficits, which underscores the importance of early intervention. However, the stabilization in more severely affected participants also points to potential value across different stages of cognitive impairment.
Practical Advantages and Future Directions
The training approach has practical strengths: it is brief, simple to administer, and adaptable for remote delivery, making it feasible for community or home-based programs. Because the intervention uses a tablet and a guided game format, it can be scaled and standardized, facilitating broader implementation and future research. The authors call for larger, controlled trials to confirm these initial findings, determine optimal dosing and explore long-term effects.
About the Research and Source
The study titled “Thinking-While-Moving Exercises May Improve Cognition in Elderly with Mild Cognitive Deficits: A Proof-of-Principle Study” examined noninvasive interventions aimed at supporting healthy cognitive aging by combining cognitive and motor tasks. The 16-week program used a weekly 30-minute tablet-based game that required goal-directed hand movements and measured changes in visuomotor skills and general cognition before and after the intervention.
Results indicate that cognitive-motor exercises can produce improved test scores, particularly in elderly individuals with mild cognitive deficits, while also altering visuomotor behavior. These early findings support further investigation into combined cognitive-motor training as a low-cost, scalable strategy to preserve and potentially restore cognitive function in aging populations.
Abstract
Thinking-While-Moving Exercises May Improve Cognition in Elderly with Mild Cognitive Deficits: A Proof-of-Principle Study
Background: Noninvasive interventions to support cognitive aging are a healthcare priority. Traditional methods typically focus on cognitive training or aerobic exercise. This study investigates the effects of exercises that combine cognitive and motor functions on visuomotor skills and general cognition in elderly participants with varying degrees of cognitive deficits.
Subjects and Methods: Thirty-seven older adults, categorized into four cognitive groups, completed a 16-week cognitive-motor training program consisting of weekly 30-minute videogame sessions requiring goal-directed hand movements on a tablet. Participants completed cognitive and visuomotor test batteries before and after the training period.
Results: Across groups, participants completed visuomotor tasks faster but less accurately, reflecting altered speed–accuracy trade-offs. Significant improvements in overall cognition were observed in the subaverage cognition group and the mild-to-moderate cognitive deficits group.
Conclusion: Cognitive-motor exercises induce improvements in cognitive test scores—most notably in those with mild deficits—and produce changes in visuomotor behavior, suggesting this combined approach is a promising avenue for maintaining or improving cognitive function in older adults.