Synergistic Benefits of Combined Aerobic and Cognitive Training on Fluid Intelligence and the Role of IGF-1 in Chronic Stroke

Abstract

Aerobic exercise combined with cognitive training improved fluid intelligence by almost 50% in patients >6 months poststroke. Participants with more robust improvements in cognition were able to upregulate higher levels of serum IGF-1 suggesting that this neurotrophin may be involved in behaviorally induced plasticity.