A randomised controlled trial of aerobic exercise after transient ischaemic attack or minor stroke to prevent cognitive decline: the MoveIT study protocol

Abstract

IntroductionPatients with transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or stroke are at risk for cognitive impairment and dementia. Currently, there is no known effective strategy to prevent this cognitive decline. Increasing evidence exists that physical exercise is beneficial for cognitive function. However, in patients with TIA or stroke who are at risk of cognitive impairment and dementia, only a few trials have been conducted. In this study, we aim to investigate whether a physical exercise programme (MoveIT) can prevent cognitive decline in patients in the acute phase after a TIA or minor ischaemic stroke.Methods and analysisA single-blinded randomised controlled trial will be conducted to investigate the effect of an aerobic exercise programme on cognition compared with usual care. 120 adult patients with a TIA or minor ischaemic stroke less than 1 month ago will be randomly allocated to an exercise programme consisting of a 12-week aerobic exercise programme and regular follow-up visits to a specialised physiotherapist during the period of 1 year or to usual care. Outcome measures will be assessed at the baseline, and at the 1-year and 2-year follow-up. The primary outcome is cognitive functioning measured with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test and with additional neuropsychological tests. Secondary outcomes include maximal exercise capacity, self-reported physical activity and measures of secondary prevention.Ethics and disseminationThe study received ethical approval from the VU University Amsterdam Ethics committee (2011/383). The results of this study will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at international conferences. We will also disseminate the main results to our participants in a letter.Trial registration numberThe Nederlands Trial Register NTR3884.

Post-stroke dementia – a comprehensive review

“…A recently published paper by Moore et al [111] showed that exercise therapy three times per week for 19 weeks improved cognitive function, increased regional blood flow in the medial temporal lobe, and prevented structural loss in the same region. An ongoing RCT, Move IT, aims to investigate whether a physical exercise program can prevent cognitive decline in the acute phase after transient ischemic attack or minor ischemic stroke [112]. …”

The Impact of Falls on Motor and Cognitive Recovery after Discharge from In-Patient Stroke Rehabilitation

“…Post-hoc power analysis was conducted for all non-significant results using meaningful differences in means from the literature 26,[54][55][56] and standard deviations from the current study (i.e. low statistical power ranged from 12% (MoCA) to 63% (CMSA leg score)).…”

Transient ischemic attacks: their importance in the progression of cerebrovascular diseases and topical issues of medical rehabilitation

“…Wooley et al показали, что раннее применение физических упражнений приводит к улучшению показателей гемодинамики в больших артериях, что может снизить риск последующих или повторных сердечно-сосудистых или цереброваскулярных событий [51]. Также Boss H.M. et al провели исследование пациентов с началом физической реабилитации в остром периоде после ТИА и предположили, что раннее применение физических упражнений может быть способом повышения эффективности профилактики инсульта [52].…”