Efeitos de estímulos cognitivos e físicos na memória e função executiva de idosas

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the memory and executive function of elderly women participants of a physical activities program exposed to a cognitive stimulation associated with the practice of Taigeiko comparing with a group exposed to the Taigeiko alone. Methodology: A quasi-experimental study, conducted at the Federal University of Mato Grosso, from February to July / 2016, with 16 elderly women from a physical activity program. Included: female; 60-79 years; enrolled for the first time in the program; Preserved cognition (Mini Mental State Examination - MMSE); without depressive symptoms (Geriatric Depression Scale - GDS-15). Excluded: presence of neurological antecedents; use of psychotropic drugs; auditory/ visual/ motor limitations. Cognitive assessments: Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT); Rey Complex Figures; Trail Making Test; Stroop Test; Digit Span Test and Semantic Verbal Fluency Test category animals, previous (pre-test) and later (post-test) to intervention. Two groups were formed: experimental (EG), exposed to the practice of cognitive stimulation and Taigeiko; and control (CG), exposed to Taigeiko alone. Analyzes: performed in the SPSS 17.0 program by the t Tests for dependent and independent samples; Wilcoxon Sign Rank Test; U-Mann Whitney Test and Spearman Correlation Coefficient. The level of significance was p <0.05. Research approved by the Research Ethics Committee of UFMT, No. 1,372,054. Results: Presented in the form of three manuscripts. The first one determined the characteristics of the elderly participants of the physical activity program, with a mean age of 66.6 years, 94.4% female, 50.8% schooling> 11 years old, 86.3% had diseases and 85.5% Regularly. As for alcohol, 32.3% consumed regularly. In 37.1% and 10.4% of the elderly, were cognitive changes and depressive symptoms, respectively. The second manuscript correlated memory performance with health conditions of 24 elderly women and found: schooling and immediate memory (r = 0.49, p = 0.008); (R = 0.71, p <0.01), and late recall and recall memory (r = 0.71, p <0.001 and r = 0.43, p = 0.021). There was no correlation between health perception and neuropsychological testing. The third one verified whether the isolated Taigeiko practice improves memory performance and executive function and compared the performance of these functions between the two intervention groups. Considering the pre and posttest, the EG presented differences in the total learning of list A (RAVLT) (t = -3.77 p = 0.004) and in the time of the first Stroop Test card (z = -2.50 P = 0.012). The CG obtained a difference in late recall (RAVLT) (t = -4.74 p = 0.005) and in the number of errors in card 2 of the Stroop Test (z = -2.26 p = 0.024). There was no significant difference between the interventions applied. Conclusions: The findings are in agreement with the literature differing in relation to the most prevalent cognitive aspects, and of mental conditions that were inferior to other investigations. Correlations reinforce that the identification of memory alterations and their relationship with health conditions can help prevent cognitive decline. Taigeiko demonstrated potential for cognitive gains, and when comparing the types of interventions, the EG obtained a higher increase in the means of the tests compared to the CG, with no statistical significance.