Grant: Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Many older adults experience changes in their thinking skills, such as having a hard time remembering new things. The good news is that scientists have discovered that exercise may actually help improve thinking skills - even in older adults! Research has shown that exercise can help your brain to grow new cells that can improve overall thinking skills. But, scientists still have more questions. What specific thinking skills improve with exercise? Could exercise also improve mood and quality of life? And can exercise actually help to delay or prevent thinking skills from getting worse? This study will test an exercise intervention in older adults living in a care home with "mild cognitive impairment", a term used to describe individuals who have some problems in their thinking skills that might get worse over time. People in the study will have their thinking skills, mood, and quality of life tested when they enroll in the study, after a 12-week exercise intervention, and 3-months after the exercise intervention has ended. The intervention will involve using a stationary virtual cycling device. It is really easy and fun for older people to use, as they can sit in a chair and use either foot or hand pedals to move their way through a virtual environment. Half of participants will use the virtual cycling device while the other half of participants will continue to do their normal activities. Everyone in the study will wear a watch-like device throughout the duration of the study to record daily physical activity and hours of sleep. This study will help us to determine the immediate and long-term effects of exercise on thinking skills, mood, and quality of life in older adults with some problems in their thinking skills. Importantly, this study is clinical, meaning the results can be used to inform treatment for older adults with thinking problems to help prevent, delay, and reduce the negative impacts of brain diseases on mood and quality of life in older adults.