WELCOME
Welcome to the Alzheimer's Disease Exercise Program Trial (ADEPT) Website. If you or someone you know is having mild memory problems, you may be a candidate for this research study. We hope you find this information helpful.
GOAL
The Alzheimer's Disease Exercise Program Trial (ADEPT) is a 3 month pilot study to test whether a supervised exercise program can improve fitness, cognitive function, and mood in subjects in the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Individuals enrolled in the study will be closely supervised by trained exercise personnel while they participate in a three-month exercise program.
STUDY OVERVIEW
Effective strategies for promoting healthy brain aging and preventing Alzheimer’s disease are increasingly important given the unprecedented growth of the elderly population and the resulting increase in the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease. Evidence suggests that exercise and improved fitness in cognitively normal individuals is associated with a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Little is known, however, about fitness in individuals with early Alzheimer’s disease and whether fitness influences Alzheimer’s disease progression.
Physicians routinely recommend exercise and physically active lifestyles, however we do not have good objective evidence that exercise and physical activity can actually have an effect on Alzheimer’s disease progression. To find an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease while subjects are still in the earliest stages is of utmost importance when patients are still relatively unimpaired.
To investigate the effect of exercise on Alzheimer’s disease, individuals age 60 and older with mild memory changes attributed to Alzheimer’s disease are encouraged to participate in the Alzheimer’s Disease Exercise Program Trial at the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) Alzheimer and Memory Program. Subjects will participate in a series of 3 visits prior to beginning the exercise program and then again at the end of the study. These visits will include a clinical evaluation and physical examination, laboratory testing, and fitness testing.
The exercise program will consist of 3 exercise visits per week for 3 months at the Kirmayer Fitness Center on the KUMC campus. The exercise sessions will consist of a progressive treadmill exercise program with the goal duration of 30 total minutes of exercise. All exercise visits are supervised by trained exercise personnel, and participants will be compensated for their time.
INVESTIGATORS
Heather S. Anderson, M.D. – Principal Investigator
Jeffrey M. Burns, M.D. – Co-Investigator
CONTACT INFORMATION
KU Alzheimer and Memory Program
University of Kansas Medical Center
Landon Center on Aging
3599 Rainbow Blvd., MS 2012
Kansas City, KS 66160
Ph: (913)588-0555
Fax:(913)588-6965
©
The University of Kansas Medical Center