RHEA, a Nonpharmacological Cognitive Training Intervention in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment A Pilot Study

Objective: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of RHEA, a cognitive training through kinetic exercises, on patients with mild cognitive impairment. Subjects and Method: Participants, completing study, were 58 mild cognitive impairment patients with MMSE = 27.69, assigned to 2 groups of 29 each (experimental, 20-weekly RHEA sessions, and no-therapy control), matched for age, gender, education, cholinesterase inhibitors, cognitive abilities. Neuropsychological assessments were performed at baseline and after 5 months. Results: Between groups difference to the benefit of the experimental group were demonstrated in attention (P = .002), language (P = .015), visual-spatial abilities (P = .013), MMSE (P = .047), and daily function (P = .009). Experimental participants improved cognitive and functional performances while control participants remained stable.