Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Presently 15% of Canadians are over the age of 65, and this number is expected to extend to almost a quarter of the population within the next 17 years. Aging is often associated with chronic conditions that accelerate cognitive decline such as cardiovascular diseases. In 2006, cardiovascular diseases accounted for 30% of deaths in Canada, half of which were caused by coronary heart disease (CHD). CHD is a debilitating condition associated with chronic stress and cognitive impairment. The cognitive decline accompanying CHD can impair older adults' ability to do everyday tasks like driving or walking while paying attention to traffic. A better understanding of cognitive deficits in CHD would facilitate the development of rehabilitation strategies that could improve the well-being and autonomy of affected older adults. Moreover, developing successful prevention strategies for affected individuals will reduce the burden on the Canadian Health System, and benefit individuals at risk of dying from CHD. Recent findings have shown that a three-month physical training program can improve cognitive performance in healthy adults. However, the mechanism underlying this improvement is not well known. Additionally, it is not yet clear if a physical training program has the same effect on individuals with CHD. This study's goal is to investigate whether aerobic training can change cognitive performance and/or stress levels in individuals with CHD. To do this, 45 participants diagnosed with CHD, and 45 age-matched healthy subjects will take part in a three-month aerobic training program. Before and after the training, saliva samples will be taken to measure cortisol levels, reflecting levels of daily stress. Pre- and post-training assessments will also include general measures of cognitive and physical functioning. It is expected that the aerobic training program will improve cognitive performance in the CHD group, and this improvement will be partially mediated by reduced stress