Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT07807631

Effects of Park Golf on Working Memory and Prefrontal Cortex Activation in Older Adults

This study investigates whether a park golf program can improve working memory and prefrontal cortex activity in community-dwelling older adults. A total of 36 older adults (aged 65-85) were randomly assigned to either a park golf group or a health education group. The park golf group participated in a supervised park golf program (2 sessions per week for 4 weeks, 60 minutes per session), while the health education group attended lectures on healthy aging topics such as nutrition and fall prevention on the same schedule. Before and after the intervention, participants completed cognitive and physical assessments, including the Korean Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-K), the Timed Up and Go test, and a spatial working memory task (N-back) performed while brain activity in the prefrontal cortex was measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), a non-invasive, radiation-free imaging method. The findings may help establish evidence for community-based physical activity programs, such as park golf, as a strategy to support cognitive health in older adults.

Recruiting

Interested in participating?

Request Info

Key information

Conditions

Cognitive Function Working Memory

Age range

65 year–85 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Gwangju Health University, Buk-gu Campus, Smart Care Village

Gwangju, 61161, South Korea

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Mincheol Lee

CONTACT

[email protected]

+82-10-4122-2936

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Community-dwelling older adults aged 65 to 85 years, living independently (excluding those residing in nursing facilities or hospitalized)
  • Korean version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-K) score of 23 or higher (normal cognitive function range)
  • Able to walk independently and possess the basic functional capacity required to participate in park golf
  • No experience with park golf, or no regular participation in park golf within the past 6 months
  • Voluntary written informed consent to participate in the study

Exclusion criteria

  • History of severe neurological disease (e.g., Parkinson's disease, stroke, dementia) or psychiatric disease (e.g., major depressive disorder, schizophrenia)
  • Scalp disease, skull abnormality, or history of craniotomy that could affect fNIRS measurement
  • Currently taking medications affecting cognitive function (e.g., anticholinergics, antipsychotics)
  • Regular participation in high-intensity exercise programs 3 or more times per week
  • Physician-prescribed restriction on physical activity
  • Severe visual or auditory impairment that would make assessment difficult, even with correction
  • Left-handedness (excluded to control for hemispheric dominance in fNIRS measurement)

Treatment and study plan

Park Golf Program

Behavioral

A structured, supervised park golf program consisting of 8 sessions over 4 weeks (2 sessions/week, 60 minutes/session). Each session included a 10-minute warm-up, 40 minutes of park golf technique instruction and practice, and a 10-minute cool-down, conducted at an outdoor community park under the supervision of trained instructors.

Health Education Program

Behavioral

A structured health education program consisting of 8 sessions over 4 weeks (2 sessions per week, 60 minutes per session), covering topics such as senior health management, nutrition, fall prevention, and chronic disease management, conducted at a community facility.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Prefrontal Cortex Activation (Beta-value of HbO Concentration)

    Time frame: Change from baseline to 4 weeks (post-intervention)

    Change in oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) concentration in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), measured as a beta-value derived from general linear model (GLM) analysis during the spatial N-back task, using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).

Secondary outcomes

  1. Working Memory Performance (Spatial N-back Task)

    Time frame: Change from baseline to 4 weeks (post-intervention)

    Reaction time and accuracy on the 2-back condition of a spatial N-back task, assessing spatial working memory. Task administered using E-Prime 3.0 software with 1-back and 2-back conditions presented in alternating blocks.

  2. Dynamic Balance (Timed Up and Go Test)

    Time frame: Change from baseline to 4 weeks (post-intervention)

    Time (in seconds) taken to rise from a chair, walk 3 meters, turn around, and return to sitting, assessing dynamic balance and functional mobility.

  3. Cognitive-Motor Dual-Task Performance (TUG with Naming Animals)

    Time frame: Change from baseline to 4 weeks (post-intervention)

    Performance on the TUG test while simultaneously naming as many animals as possible, assessing integrated cognitive-motor function. Measures include dual-task time, dual-task cost, number of animals named, and animals named per 10 seconds.

  4. Global Cognitive Function (Korean Montreal Cognitive Assessment)

    Time frame: Change from baseline to 4 weeks (post-intervention)

    Overall cognitive function assessed using MoCA-K, covering visuospatial/executive function, naming, attention, language, abstraction, delayed recall, and orientation. Total score range 0-30.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Eun-Sang Lee, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+82 62-958-7525

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Gwangju Health University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Does Park Golf Affect Working Memory?: An fNIRS-Based Randomized Controlled Trial in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Sep 8, 2026
Registry last updated
Sep 8, 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.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.