Efeitos do exercício físico sobre a atividade cortical, através do eletroencefalograma, em indivíduos com comprometimento cognitivo leve: uma revisão sistemática

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is considered neurodegenerative, progressive and irreversible disease, and cannot be face as a part of the natural aging process. Before the AD signs and symptoms, there is a transition process between healthy aging and AD, called mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Among non-pharmacological interventions, physical exercise has been shown to be an important contributor to individuals with MCI, once seems to control the deleterious effects of AD. Thus, the aim of the present study was to review the effects of physical exercise on cortical activity by means of a biomarker, the electroencephalogram (EEG), in individuals with MCI. The methodological design of the present study consisted of a search and analysis of articles in the databases: Pubmed, Web of Science, PsycINFO and Scielo, revised according to the recommendations of the PRISMA. The keywords used were: “Physical exercise”; “Physical activity”; “Exercise”; “Training”; “Electroencephalogram”; “Electroencephalography”; “EEG”; “Mild cognitive impairment”; “Cognitive dysfunction”; “MCI”. In the first analyze, 313 articles were identified. However, after the selection stages of the papers, at the end, 5 studies were included in the review. All of them showed convergence results regarding to beneficial effects of physical exercise, acute or chronically performed, on cortical activity, verified through the EEG, in addition to cognitive performance. Among the exercise protocols adopted, there were variation related to type – aerobic, resistance, multimodal and combined exercise; intensity; frequency and total duration, although all of them promoted some alteration in cortical activity. Therefore, in conclusion, physical exercise, acute or chronic, may play a fundamental role in neural plasticity in individuals with MCI, contributing to mental health and AD prevention.