The effect of exercise on behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia: towards a research agenda
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BACKGROUND: Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are common and are core symptoms of the condition. They cause considerable distress to the person with dementia and their carers and predict early institutionalization and death. Historically, these symptoms have been managed with anxiolytic and antipsychotic medication. Although potentially effective, such medication has been used too widely and is associated with serious adverse side-effects and increased mortality. Consequently, there is a need to evaluate non-pharmacological therapies for behavioral and psychological symptoms in this population. One such therapy is physical activity, which has widespread health benefits. The aim of this review is to summarize the current findings of the efficacy of physical activity on BPSD. METHOD: Published articles were identified using electronic and manual searches. Rather than systematically aggregating data, this review adopted a rapid critical interpretive approach to synthesize the literature. RESULTS: Exercise appears to be beneficial in reducing some BPSD, especially depressed mood, agitation, and wandering, and may also improve night-time sleep. Evidence of the efficacy of exercise on improving other symptoms such as anxiety, apathy, and repetitive behaviors is currently weak or lacking. CONCLUSION: The beneficial effect of exercise type, its duration, and frequency is unclear although some studies suggest that walking for at least 30 minutes, several times a week, may enhance outcome. The methodological shortcomings of current work in this area are substantial. The research and clinical implications of current findings are discussed.
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Exercise reduces behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia in patients with AD or dementia.
“Exercise has been documented to improve physical health and well-being (33), to reduce behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) (34–36), and to enhance performance in the activities of daily living (ADL) (37, 38) in patients with AD or dementia.”
From The Multidisciplinary Approach to Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. A Narrative Review of Non-Pharmacological Treatment (2018) · cites this paper as [35]
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Assessment and management of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia
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- Authors
- Thuné-Boyle, I. C. V., Iliffe, S., Cerga-Pashoja, A., Lowery, D., & Warner, J.
- Affiliations
- University College London (GB)
- Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- ORCID
- Iliffe, S.
- Venue
- International Psychogeriatrics
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2012-07
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 1046-1057
- ISSN
- 1041-6102 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2058497762
- Cited by
- 93
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2025: 3 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 11
- FWCI
- 0.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- International Psychogeriatrics (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Kent Academic Repository (University of Kent) (submittedVersion)
- LSHTM Research Online (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Alzheimer Society
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (RP-PG-0606-1005)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine › Intensive Care Unit Cognitive Disorders
- Keywords
- behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, physical activity, non-pharmacological treatment, agitation, wandering, depression, sleep, walking, apathy, anxiety, repetitive behavior
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Dementia, Depression, Exercise Therapy, Humans, Motor Activity, Psychomotor Agitation, Biomedical Research
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