Protocol for a 3-arm trial of combined aerobic and cognitive training (Activ4Brain) in older adults
This abstract describes a protocol for a 3-arm controlled trial in adults aged about 66 years, comparing group sessions combining aerobic exercise with computerized cognitive games (Activ4Brain), aerobic exercise alone, and a passive control; cognition is the main outcome, and results are not yet reported. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
The protocol plans a 3-arm controlled trial with 1:1:1 allocation to Activ4Brain (24 sessions, twice a week), aerobic exercise alone, or a passive control group. [1]
Seventy-three older adults (40 women, 33 men; average age 66 years, SD 6) were enrolled, and cognition change is the main outcome. [1]
Data collection ran from January 2024 to April 2025; analyses are ongoing and results are estimated for 2026 and 2027. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- Protocol for a 3-arm controlled trial with parallel design
- Population / context
- Older adults enrolled in the trial (73 participants; average age 66 years, SD 6).
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Original publication
- September 17, 2026
Activ4Brain protocol: three arms in adults around 66
The abstract presents a study protocol, not finished results. It plans a 3-arm controlled trial with parallel design and 1:1:1 allocation: an experimental group doing the Activ4Brain program (24 sessions, twice a week), an active control group doing aerobic exercise sessions, and a passive control group. The program consists of group aerobic exercise classes that include computerized games designed to train cognition during exercise, with task difficulty adapted as performance improves. The setup allows simultaneous body movements to maintain aerobic activation. Participants are older adults, tested at baseline and after the intervention.
Supporting source [1]
Enrolled sample of 73 and planned outcome measures
Data collection started in January 2024 and finished in April 2025. Seventy-three individuals (40 women and 33 men) were enrolled and assigned to the 3 groups; the average age was 66 years (SD 6). The main study outcome is change in cognition. Additional outcomes include changes in brain and autonomic function, levels of inflammation and neuroprotective markers, cardiovascular and physical functional fitness, and body composition. The abstract reports no outcome results; data analyses are ongoing, with publication estimated for 2026 and 2027.
Supporting source [1]
Abstract-only scope: no efficacy results yet
The stated aim is to test whether integrating cognitive training with aerobic exercise in group sessions boosts training effects on cognition while improving physical function, and to explore underlying neurobiological mechanisms. Because this is a protocol abstract, it cannot show whether the program works; no comparisons between the three groups are reported. The full text was not reviewed. The abstract frames the work as producing knowledge for strategies against age-related decline, which is a future aim rather than a demonstrated benefit.
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
This is an abstract of a study protocol; the full text was not reviewed. No outcome results are reported, so no effect of Activ4Brain on cognition or physical function can be judged.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
Besikci H, Akalp K, Rama L, Gomes BB, Ferreira JPL, Mouga S, Bernardino I, Castelo-Branco M, Sousa E Silva AR, Teixeira AM, Ribeiro MJ. · europepmc.org · September 17, 2026