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NCT Number: NCT05531396

Agility Training on Physical Performance, Cognitive Function and Brain Activities in Elderly

Agility comprised of cognitive and physical functions, which influences whole-body movement with change of speed and direction. Agility training is widely used in athletes, and recent studies have begun to apply it into the elderly. Agility training is multidimensional and highly functional, which makes it possible to provide more efficient training in limited time. In elderly, the decrement of cognitive function, muscle strength in the upper and lower limbs, the percentage of body fat, body flexibility and endurance caused by aging will make it difficult for the elderly to perform movements. Therefore, it is essential to explore whether agility training can achieve the improvement of the physical function and cognitive function in elderly, and to find the relationship between the two functions and brain activity. Method: This study will recruit 60 participants, and randomly allocate to control group and agility training. The training groups will have 8 weeks of training, 2 times a week, 45 minutes of training each time. Assessment will be performed before and after intervention in 1-week, and with 1-month follow-up. Assessment including agility ability, physical function, cognitive function, brain activity, and functional assessment scales.

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Key information

Conditions

Elderly Healthy

Age range

65 year–100 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

National Taiwan University

Taipei, Taiwan

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • older than 65 years old
  • score of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) ≥ 24
  • able to walk independently for more than 30 meters without assistive aids
  • able to follow orders

Exclusion criteria

  • poorly controlled or unstable systematic disease
  • has a history of central nervous system disease
  • currently taking antidepressants, anti-anxiety, or other psychiatric drugs that may affect blood flow in the brain
  • has other medical conditions for which exercise is contraindicated; (5) subjects with achromatopsia.

Treatment and study plan

Agility training

Other

Participants will receive 60 minutes of exercise, twice a week, for a total of 8 weeks, and training will be conducted by a well-trained physical therapist. The intervention will comprise a 5-minute warm-up, 45 minutes of main exercise, and a 10-minute cool-down period, for a total of 60 minutes each session. During the warm-up and cool-down, participants will do static and dynamic whole-body stretching exercises.

Health education

Other

Participants in the control group will receive health educational guidelines. Guideline contents include home-based exercise program, nutrition recommendations, and fall prevention education. The home-based exercise program will emphasize how to safely and properly perform stretching and whole-body exercises.

Primary outcomes

  1. Agility Challenge for the Elderly (ACE)

    Time frame: Baseline, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    An agility course developed for a 9m x 18m volleyball court and includes three segments that each aim to test a specific aspect of agility, including stop-and-go, change of direction, and spatial orientation.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Fall history and fear of falls

    Time frame: Baseline, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    Fall history will be recorded by the number of fall episodes in the past 6 months and whether it caused injury.

  2. Quality of life (QOL)

    Time frame: Baseline, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    Quality of life (QOL) will be evaluated by Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36).

  3. Brain activation

    Time frame: Baseline, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    A multichannel wearable fNIRS imaging system (NIRSport2, NIRx Medical Technologies LLC, Glen Head, NY, USA) will be used to detect the hemodynamics of brain areas associated with the agility test, cognitive tasks, and single and dual task walking test.

Other outcomes

  1. Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)

    Time frame: Baseline, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    MoCA contains 16 items and 11 categories to assess multiple cognitive domains, is a screening instrument for MCI, and its validity has been established in various clinical groups and countries.

  2. Working memory

    Time frame: Baseline, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    The backward digit span test (DGS) will be used to measure working memory.

  3. Mental set shifting

    Time frame: Baseline, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) will be used to measure participants' ability to shift their cognitive ability in response to the demands of environment.

  4. Selective attention and inhibition

    Time frame: Baseline, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    The Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT) will be used to measure selective attention.

  5. Motor Function

    Time frame: Baseline, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

    Walking performance, normal walking, cognitive dual-task walking, muscle strength of bilateral lower limbs, five times sit to stand test, timed up and go, quiet static standing task, and the 360° turning task, flexibility, 6-minute walk test (6WMT)

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

National Taiwan University Hospital

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Effects of Agility Training and Its Relations on Physical Performance, Cognitive Function and Brain Activities in Elderly

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Sep 8, 2022
Registry last updated
Aug 28, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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