Therapeutic Effects of Exercise in Adults with Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment EXERT

Phase 3, multicenter, randomized single-blind study to examine the effects of aerobic exercise on cognition, functional status, whole and regional brain atrophy, whole and regional cerebral blood flow, and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease in 300 adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) -Two interventions will be implemented: supervised and structured moderate/high intensity aerobic training vs. stretching/balance/range of motion for 12 months, followed by a 6-month unsupervised extension -Moderate/high intensity aerobic exercise will involve training at 70-80% heart rate reserve for 30 min, with an additional 10 minutes for warm-up and 5 minutes for cool-down, 4 times per week, for 12 months while supervised twice per week by a study-certified YMCA Trainer; participants in the stretching/balance/range of motion group will adhere to the same timeline, but exercise at an intensity at or below 35% heart rate reserve