Dementia is a disorder that is characterized by a decline in cognition involving one or more cognitive domains (learning and memory, language, executive function, complex attention, perceptual-motor, social cognition). The most common form of dementia in older adults is Alzheimer disease (AD), accounting for 60 to 80 percent of cases.~Mental imagery (MI) is a technique which involves envisioning motor actions without actual execution. MI is considered an effective rehabilitative tool in athletes, Parkinson's disease, and post stroke because it engages the same or similar neural systems as the actual execution of motor actions to improve gait, gait-related, and cognitive functions having as a result improvements in gait speed, stride length, tandem stance, timed up and go, clock drawing and stroop interference.~The recruitment of the population will be carried out by Day Care Centers in Athens Alzheimer Association. A group of elderly patients with early stage of dementia, aged 65 to 95 years, will participate. Information sheet and consent form will be provided to all participants. A randomized intervention study is designed to assess the efficacy of MI as therapeutic strategy for subjects with early stage of dementia and the sample will be randomized to one of the three following study groups: 1. MI and exercise program (intervention group) 2. Only exercise program (control group) 3. Neither MI nor exercise program (2nd control group). Assessment will be obtained in three-time periods: prior to the program, middle of the program and after the program.
The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effectiveness of mental imagery (MI) in subjects with early stage of dementia. The hypothesis of the study is that MI will have a beneficial effect in motor, cognitive and emotional state in this clinical population.