Regular physical activity has proven to be a safe and effective means to enhance cognitive function in older adults ranging from cognitively healthy to mildly cognitively impaired. A large body of existing data suggests that exercise improves cardiovascular and cerebrovascular functioning and thus has the potential to enhance perivascular clearance of amyloid and reduce chronic brain tissue ischemia, among other beneficial effects. Therefore, our study is focused on physical activity promotion, a potent approach to modifying multiple neurobiological pathways implicated in Alzheimer's Disease. RAATE-MCI is a 52-week randomized controlled trial that will assign insufficiently active African American adults aged 60 and older to one of two groups: a physical activity intervention or a successful aging (active control) group. Outcome measures will be collected at baseline, 24-,and 52-weeks. 144 older African American adults will be recruited.~Intervention will consist of one of two groups: a 150 minutes of physical activity (PA) per week or successful aging (SA) group. All physical activity and successful aging group sessions will be conducted at Pennington Biomedical or at local community facilities that include branches of the YMCA and community centers.
The RAATE-MCI proposal is designed to determine the effects of physical activity on risk factors for Alzheimer's Disease in older African American adults. The study will compare a physical activity program to an active control group. RAATE-MCI is a 52-week randomized controlled trial. 144 African American adults aged 60 and older will be recruited.