The effect of adherence on cognition in a multidomain lifestyle intervention (FINGER)

Introduction Lifestyle interventions may prevent cognitive decline, but the sufficient dose of intervention activities and lifestyle changes is unknown. We investigated how intervention adherence affects cognition in the FINGER trial (pre-specified subgroup analyses). Methods FINGER is a multicenter randomized controlled trial examining the efficacy of multidomain lifestyle intervention (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01041989). A total of 1260 participants aged 60 to 77 with increased dementia risk were randomized to a lifestyle intervention and control groups. Percentage of completed intervention sessions, and change in multidomain lifestyle score (self-reported diet; physical, cognitive, and social activity; vascular risk) were examined in relation to change in Neuropsychological Test Battery (NTB) scores. Results Active participation was associated with better trajectories in NTB total and all cognitive subdomains. Improvement in lifestyle was associated with improvement in NTB total and executive function. Discussion Multidomain lifestyle changes are beneficial for cognitive functioning, but future interventions should be intensive enough, and supporting adherence is essential.