Comparing the Effects of Cognitive Training and Physical Exercise on Cognition, Cerebral Autoregulation and Cerebral Vasoreactivity in Men and Women with Heart Failure

Participation Requirements

• Sex:

  ALL

• Eligible Ages:

  60 and up

Participation Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* Age ≥ 60 years old
* Stable chronic HF on maximally tolerated background treatment for at least 2 months (stable therapy with ACE-I, ARBs and MRA for at least 2 months), regardless of LVEF
* with no limitation of physical activity in ordinary physical activity (i.e. NYHA class I), moderate symptoms (i.e. NYHA class II) or marked limitation in activity (i.e. NYHA class III)
* Able to perform cognitive and physical training.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Acute cardiovascular event 1 month prior to randomization, including emergency visit or hospitalization for decompensated HF, acute myocardial infarction, stroke, and transient ischemic attack
* Planned cardiovascular intervention within 6 months (implantation of any cardiac device, cardiac revascularization, heart transplantation)
* Severe exercise intolerance
* Contraindications for exercise testing (e.g., uncorrected severe aortic or carotid stenosis, severe pulmonary hypertension, severe non-revascularizable coronary disease including left main coronary stenosis, significant myocardial ischemia or arrhythmia during low-intensity exercise, acute HF)
* Severe respiratory disease
* Non-cardiopulmonary limitation to exercise (e.g., arthritis, claudication or any peripheral neurological disease including other neurodegenerative diseases such as disabling Parkinson)
* Uncontrolled diabetes or untreated thyroid dysfunction
* Current or recent malignancy with life expectancy \< 1 year
* Chronic hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis
* Unable to read the informed consent form or unable to understand the oral explanations provided by the assessor.