Comparison of the Effectiveness of Treadmill-Based Walking and Dual-Task Walking Training in Alzheimer's Disease

Summary

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative condition that affects both cognitive and motor functions, making daily life activities more challenging. Motor functions, especially walking and balance, begin to deteriorate early in the disease and progress in parallel with cognitive decline. Dual-task performance, which refers to the ability to perform both motor and cognitive tasks simultaneously, significantly decreases in individuals with Alzheimer's disease. Current studies suggest that dual-task exercises can improve both cognitive and motor functions. In this context, treadmill-based dual-task training emerges as a promising approach to mitigate the effects of Alzheimer's disease. The study hypothesizes that treadmill-based dual-task training will have more positive effects on motor and cognitive parameters compared to treadmill exercise alone in individuals with Alzheimer's disease. The main research question of this study is whether treadmill-based dual-task exercise training, designed with progressively more challenging cognitive and motor tasks and tailored to the individual, results in significant improvements in motor and cognitive parameters, as well as daily living activities and dual-task performance, compared to a group that only undergoes treadmill exercise.

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease according to the NINCDS-ADRDA criteria by a neurologist,
2. In the early or middle stages of the disease according to the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR),
3. Receiving medical treatment for Alzheimer's disease (e.g., cholinesterase inhibitors or memantine) for at least the past month,
4. Able to walk at least 400 meters in the 6-Minute Walk Test, indicating functional mobility,
5. Able to read and understand instructions given in Turkish.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Having Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, or other types of dementia
2. Participating in a structured exercise program within the 6 months prior to starting the study
3. Having pulmonary, neurological, musculoskeletal, or rheumatological diseases that hinder walking
4. Having an unstable medical condition (e.g., uncontrolled diabetes or hypertension, deep vein thrombosis, etc.)
5. Having visual or auditory impairments that make communication difficult
6. Having behavioral problems that make participation in exercise difficult

Conditions3

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