Independent Walking for Brain Health

Physical activity interventions conducted in supervised settings (laboratories and group
settings) with older adults have consistently shown improved cardiovascular and
cerebrovascular health and improved cognitive function. What is lacking is the development of
interventions that take place in real world environments and that take advantage of new
technologies to help objectively track real time physical activity behaviors. Real world
physical activity interventions have the potential to reach a larger segment of the
population and to enhance maintenance after the intervention period ends. This study will
develop a novel physical activity intervention using mobile health technologies to promote
physical activity levels likely to affect cerebral blood flow and cognition in real world
environments in cognitively normal older adults. A randomized controlled trial will be
conducted with 30 participants being assigned to the mobile health physical activity
condition (walking in free-living environments tracked via mobile health technologies) and
another 30 to an education control condition (at home reading about healthy aging materials)
for 3 months.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Men and women between the ages of 65-80

- Ability to obtain a signed physician's clearance for participation in this study

- English-speaking as needed to complete cognitive testing and follow study procedures

- Physically inactive (less than 60 minutes of structured. moderate intensity physical
activity in the past 6 months)

- Cognitively normal (based on comprehensive neuropsychological assessment)

- No contraindications for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

- Must be ambulatory and able to walk independently

Exclusion Criteria:

- History of head injury involving loss of consciousness within the past 6 months and/or
history of severe traumatic brain injury

- Major neurological disorders (dementia, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, etc)

- Chronic major psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, major recurrent affective
disorder)

- History of major vascular events (myocardial infarction, stroke, etc),

- History of diabetes

- History of falls in the last year resulting in hospitalization

- Unstable or poorly controlled medical problems e.g. heart failure, diabetes (poorly
controlled or on insulin), uncontrolled hypertension, pulmonary disease with hypoxia
or hypercapnia, significant liver problems or renal failure, treatment of cancer in
the past 2 years (other than non-melanoma skin cancer), HIV positive

- Objective evidence of cognitive impairment based on neuropsychological assessment