Effect of a short-term water-based exercise program on cognitive skills in a Mexican older adult population

Ermilo Canton-Martinez^1*Iván Rentería¹Rubén Avilés-Reyes¹JAVIER ARTURO HALL-LOPEZ¹Patricia Concepción García Suárez²José Moncada-Jiménez³Alberto Jiménez Maldonado^1*David Johnson⁴

• ¹Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Ensenada, Ensenada, Mexico
• ²Department of Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences, School of Education, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States
• ³Research Center in Human Movement Sciences, University of Costa Rica, San José, San Jose, Costa Rica
• ⁴Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, California, United States

Introduction: Aging leads cognitive decline, affecting memory, attention, and executive functions. Physical exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, enhances cognitive function and health in older adults. Similarly, aquatic-based exercise improves cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, and cognitive performance in acute-and long-term programs. The present study evaluated the effect of 4week aquatic based exercise program on the cognitive function of older adults. Methods: Sixteen older Mexican adults were assigned into an aquatic-based exercise (n=9; 67.9 ± 6.9 years) or landbased exercise (n=7; 66.8 ± 6.9 years) training groups. Verbal and visual memory were assessed via Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) and Rey Osterrieth Complex Figure test (ROCF). Executive functions for inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and verbal fluency were measured with the five-digit test (FDT) and the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT) respectively.Results: Encoding and recall performance improved significantly following both interventions as recalled on RAVLT scores (p<0.05). Favorable changes in visual memory were also observed for both groups with higher delayed recall scores once completed the exercise programs (p<0.05). On the other hand, no significant changes in executive functions by either exercise intervention were observed. Discussion: Aerobic exercise performed for 4 weeks may improve memory domains, regardless of the type of exercise practiced, while executive functions do not appear to be affected.