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This study examines the non-pharmacological therapy of mental imagery and relaxation in patients with mild cognitive impairment. Anxiety levels significantly affect memory and psychological health, particularly in MCI patients. The research aimed to reduce stress and enhance cognitive, functional, and emotional aspects in MCI patients through relaxation techniques like breathing exercises, progressive muscular relaxation, autogenic relaxation, and mental imagery. Neuropsychological assessments were conducted before, after 6 months of therapy, and four months later. The results showed significant improvements in executive function, memory, language, attention, general cognitive function, and emotional performance in the experimental group post-therapy. Continued improvements were observed in verbal memory, language, visual perception, depression, daily function, attention, and psychomotor speed in subsequent assessments. The therapy effectively treated depression symptoms and enhanced cognitive and functional performance in MCI patients.
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NON PHARMACOLOGICAL THERAPY OF MENTAL IMAGERY AND RELAXATION IN PATIENTS WITH MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT Poptsi Ε.,1,3, Κounti F.,1,3,Τsolaki, Μ. 1,2 1 Greek Association of Alzheimer Disease , Thessaloniki, Greece 2 School of Medicine, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece 3 Greek Association of Alzheimer Disease, Kalamaria, Greece
ANXIETY AND DEMENTIA • Increased levels of anxiety affects negatively memory and psychological health (Lupien et al., 2006. Newcomer et al., 2004. Sapolsky et al., 1986) • Anxiety is a common emotional disorder mainly in Mild Cognitive Impairment patients, in mild Alzheimer’s disease patients and in vascular dementia (Twelftree & Oazi, 2006. Ballard et al., 2000) • Anxiety reduction improve attention and memory performance (Calvin et al., 2006)
AIMS-PARTICIPANTS-METHOD AIMS: • Stress reduction • Cognitive/Functional/Emotional improvement in patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment PARTICIPANTS: • 15 MCI women patients, classified in experimental and control groups • Matched in age (p=0.891), education (p=0.248), emotional performance (p=0.408) and cognitive functions (p=0.077) 3 RELAXATION TECHNIQUES: • Breathing exercises • Progressive muscular relaxation • Autogenic relaxation and • Mental imagery as a cognitive rehabilitative technique NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT: • Before • After 6 months therapy • Four months later
RESULTS Comparison of performance between experimental / control group Before the therapy • No statistically significant differences 6 months later Experimental group had better scores in: • Executive function (p≤0.047), memory (p≤0.040), language (p=0.036), attention (p≤0.039), general cognitive function (p≤0.037) and emotional performance (p=0.005) 4 months afterthe end of the therapy • No statistically significant differences Comparison of performance between 1st , 2nd & 3rd assessment of the experimental group with MCI 6 months later improvement in: • Verbal memory (p= 0.016), language (p≤0.034), visual perception (p=0.031), visual memory (p=0.034), general cognitive performance (p≤0.046), depression (p≤0.031), daily function (p= 0.005) 4 months after the end of the therapy: • Further improvement in verbal memory (p=0.013), language (p≤0.016), attention (p=0.011) and psychomotor speed (p=0.017 CONCLUSSION:Depression symptoms were treated and cognitive and functional performance were improved
