Aerobic walking may improve cognitive function in MS patients

Shagnick Bhattacharya walks us through how exercise may help patients with Multiple Sclerosis

ANEW study has found that remote aerobic walking can improve the cognitive processing speed of patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a lifelong neurological condition adversely affecting the brain and spinal cord, with an estimated 2.5 million people suffering from it worldwide. This study was conducted by the Kessler Foundation, an organisation dedicated to conducting rehabilitation research for people with neurological and orthopaedic conditions to improve their quality of life and function. The study involved 25 patients and took place over 16 weeks revealing that exercise is a feasible and highly promising method for improving cognitive function.

Cognitive processing speed (CPS) impairment is a condition wherein people

“need a lot of time to take in, make sense of, and respond to information”. According to the original study record, it is “prevalent, impactful, and poorly-managed” in MS. About two-thirds of all patients with MS present CPS impairment, which is associated with poor everyday-life outcomes including a reduced quality of life, increased unemployment, and decreased social functioning. And yet, there is no higher body-approved pharmacological treatment for the condition, presenting a critical public health and clinical crisis for the huge number of people who suffer from it.

The study included 25 fully ambulatory MS patients who were pre-screened for cognitive processing speed abnormalities, with 19 completing the study as directed. Participants were randomly assigned to 16 weeks of either remotely delivered and supported aerobic walking exercise training (intervention condition), or remotely delivered and supported stretching and range-of-motion activities (control condition). As a result of the study, significant improvements in cognitive processing speed were observed in the case of aerobic walking compared to the other case, as measured by the widely used Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) after the 16-week study period. Additionally, the remote delivery of the aerobic walking exercise training programme in this study has significant implications for the accessibility and convenience of care for people with MS as well. Many patients have obstacles to participating in in-person fitness pro- grammes, such as lack of transportation or financial restraints. As such, this study shows that remote fitness programmes can be just as successful as typical inperson therapies, providing a more inclusive alternative for people with MS. The researchers of this study are optimistic about its potential applications, and as demonstrated by the study, they are quite confident about aerobic exercise training representing a promising and powerful behavioural approach to manage CPS impairment which is both accessible and feasible as a form of treatment for people who suffer from the disability. Building up from the results of this study, therefore, the researchers are currently working on designing and implementing another study based on a larger sample of MS patients.