Trial reportBMC geriatrics2026
Combined physical and cognitive training enhances telomere length in mild cognitive impairment patients.
Trial report in BMC geriatrics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundEnvironmental enrichment training may delay cognitive decline in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) by reducing telomere shortening, a cellular marker of aging. We investigated whether combined physical/cognitive training affects leukocyte telomere length (LTL) in the randomized trial “Train the Brain”.
methodsLTL was assessed in 94 MCI (75.1 ± 5.1 years) subjects and 37 non-MCI subjects (73.2 ± 4.6 years). MCI patients were assigned to receive either 7 months of training or standard care. After 7 months, both groups were reassessed for changes in LTL and the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive (ADAS-Cog). Telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) mRNA and telomeric repeat-containing RNA (TERRA) were also tested in 24 patients.
resultsMCI patients had shorter LTL than controls (p = 0.02), and short LTL was associated with a higher risk of MCI (ORadjusted = 2.6; 95%CI, 1.1–6.0; p = 0.03). Training improved ADAS-cog scores (T0 = 15.1 ± 4.8 to T7 = 13.4 ± 5.0, p = 0.01) and increased LTL (T0 = 0.97 ± 0.21 to T7 = 1.04 ± 0.23, p = 0.04). hTERT mRNA levels were negligible in MCI patients at T0 and T7, indicating inactive telomerase. TERRA expression increased in untrained MCI (p = 0.02), which may reflect impaired telomere homeostasis.
conclusionsMCI patients have shorter telomeres, and combined training lengthens them, suggesting modifiable telomere homeostasis through non-pharmacological intervention. Telomere shortening may underlie increased telomeric transcription in untrained individuals, highlighting telomeric non-coding RNAs as potential therapeutic targets in age-related disease.
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