Effects of mindfulness and exercise on cognition and emotion in adults with mild deficits in the chronic post-stroke phase: A randomized controlled trial

Background: Individuals with stroke often face cognitive and emotional challenges. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), physical exercise (PE), and computerized cognitive training (CCT) are promising approaches to incorporate into post-stroke rehabilitation. Objectives: To determine whether ad...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Bermudo-Gallaguet, Adrià, Ariza González, Mar, Agudelo, Daniela, Camins-Vila, Neus, Boldó, Maria, Ferrer Uris, Blai, Busquets Faciabén, Albert, Pera, Guillem, Cáceres, Cynthia, Gomis, Meritxell, Dacosta-Aguayo, Rosalia, Clemente, Immaculada, García Molina, Alberto, Durà Mata, Maria José, Torán Monserrat, Pere, Erickson, Kirk I., Mataró Serrat, Maria
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repositorio:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:2445/227245
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/227245
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Salut mental
Neuropsicologia
Exercici
Malalties cerebrovasculars
Teràpia cognitiva basada en l'atenció plena
Mental health
Neuropsychology
Exercise
Cerebrovascular disease
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy
Descripción
Sumario:Background: Individuals with stroke often face cognitive and emotional challenges. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), physical exercise (PE), and computerized cognitive training (CCT) are promising approaches to incorporate into post-stroke rehabilitation. Objectives: To determine whether adding MBSR or PE to CCT improves cognition and mental health more than CCT alone, and whether any benefits are mediated by gains in mindfulness or fitness. Methods: The MindFit Project was a single-blind, parallel, 3-arm randomized controlled trial enrolling participants with chronic stroke, assigned to MBSR+CCT, PE+CCT, or CCT-only (1:1:1). All 12-week, homebased interventions were delivered online, with 5 sessions per week. The primary outcomes included 3 cognitive and 2 mental health measures; mindfulness and physical fitness were also assessed. Analyses used per-protocol and intention-to-treat approaches. Results: A total of 141 individuals (mean [SD] age 57.7 [11.2] years; 40 % women) were randomly assigned to 3 groups (47 each). Participants were 28.54 (20.35) months post-stroke with a mean modified Rankin Scale score of 2.23 (1.04). Of these, 78 % (39 in MBSR+CCT, 34 in PE+CCT, and 37 in CCT-only) achieved an adherence rate of ≥80 % and were included in the per-protocol analysis. No significant between-group differences were found in primary outcomes (all P > 0.05). For secondary outcomes, the PE+CCT group showed significantly greater gains in leg strength than the others (F = 7.50, adjusted P = 0.009). These results were consistent with the intention-to-treat analysis. In the per-protocol sample, improvements in mindfulness significantly mediated emotional outcomes in the MBSR+CCT group (B = –1.08; 95 % bootstrapped CI, –2.77 to –0.01). Conclusions: In participants with predominantly mild chronic post-stroke deficits, adding MBSR or PE to CCT did not improve primary cognitive or emotional outcomes beyond CCT alone. However, PE+CCT increased fitness, and MBSR+CCT yielded mindfulness-mediated emotional gains. Future studies involving larger and more severe stroke samples are needed.