Effects of aerobic exercise on cognitive function in elderly patients with bipolar disorder
10.11886/scjsws20250819001
- VernacularTitle:有氧运动对老年双相情感障碍患者认知功能的影响
- Author:
Xiangjun ZHAO
1
;
Yongli ZHANG
1
;
Xiaoning HUO
1
;
Xiping SHEN
2
;
Xiaoli YANG
3
;
Xirong QIAO
1
;
Xingtong SHU
1
Author Information
1. The Third People's Hospital of Lanzhou， Lanzhou 730050， China
2. School of Public Health， Lanzhou University， Lanzhou 730030， China
3. School of Psychology， Northwest Normal University， Lanzhou 730070， China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Elderly patients;
Bipolar disorder;
Aerobic exercise;
Cognitive function
- From:
Sichuan Mental Health
2026;39(3):206-211
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
BackgroundBipolar disorder is a severe mental disorder characterized by alternating episodes of mania and depression. It has a high recurrence rate and a high rate of disability. Elderly patients often suffer from more severe cognitive impairment due to neurodegenerative changes. The clinical intervention for bipolar disorder mainly relies on drug treatment， but drugs have limited effects on improving cognitive function， and some drugs may even aggravate cognitive impairment. Aerobic exercise， as a non-drug intervention method， has shown positive effects in improving cognitive function in patients with mental disorders. However， there are still insufficient studies on elderly patients with bipolar disorder. ObjectiveTo explore the impact of aerobic exercise on the cognitive function of elderly patients with bipolar disorder， so as to provide references for the formulation of strategies to improve the cognitive function of this population. MethodsA randomized controlled trial was conducted. A total of 60 elderly patients who were hospitalized at the Third People's Hospital of Lanzhou from January 2024 to March 2025 and met the diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder as defined in the International Classification of Diseases，tenth edition （ICD-10） were selected. They were divided into the study group and the control group， with 30 cases in each group， based on the random number table method. Both groups were given quetiapine fumarate tablets and magnesium valproate sustained-release tablets. The study group additionally received aerobic exercise （including slow walking， doing exercises， and running）， three times a week， for 30 minutes each time. At the baseline and at the end of the 3rd， 6th， 9th， and 12th week of the intervention， the Hamilton Depression Scale -24 item （HAMD-24）， the Young Manic Rating Scale （YMRS）， the Montreal Cognitive Assessment （MoCA）， and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Revised in China （WMS-RC） were used for assessment. ResultsThe time effect of the HAMD-24 score was statistically significant （Wald χ2=124.564， P<0.01）. The time effect of the YMRS score was also statistically significant （Wald χ2=145.608， P<0.01）， and the interaction effect between time and group was statistically significant （Wald χ2=14.968， P<0.05）. At the 3rd， 9th， and 12th week of the intervention， the YMRS score of the study group was lower than that of the control group in the same period， and the differences were statistically significant （P<0.05）. The time effect and group effect of the MoCA score were both statistically significant （F=99.347， 16.623， P<0.01）. The time effect， group effect， and interaction effect between time and group of the WMS-RC memory quotient were all statistically significant （F=64.678， 10.197， 12.472， P<0.01）. At the 6th， 9th， and 12th weeks of the intervention， the MoCA score and WMS-RC memory quotient of the study group were higher than those of the control group， and the differences were statistically significant （P<0.05）. ConclusionAerobic exercise may help improve the manic symptoms and cognitive functions （especially memory ability） of elderly patients with bipolar disorder. ［Funded by Science and Technology Project of Gansu Province （number， 24JRRA775）； Science and Technology Project of Lanzhou City（number， 2022-5-155）］
