Paul & Gail Dennison in which a series of movements are performed in order to improve the brain-body connection, resulting in enhanced processing, learning, coordination, and organization. They are part of Brain Gym®, a program developed by Dr. Under these circumstances, the present study aims at identifying the potential benefits of performing BG exercises on the cognitive function, functional independence, physical fitness, and quality of life of institutionalized older people with cognitive impairment, as well as at finding out whether the effects are more significant than those produced by a traditional exercise program. PACE exercises are easy to learn, quick to perform and yet, are highly effective. Moreover, to the authors' knowledge no study of this kind has been published so far. In spite of this, scientific evidence regarding the effects of BG on people with cognitive impairment is scarce and none of the studies compared the potential benefits of BG versus traditional exercise programs for this population. Brain Gym® can be considered as an interesting field of research due to the need of identifying novel therapies which might be more pleasant for older adults who tend not to be prone to participating in conventional exercise programs and might have a positive effect on their cognitive function. One of the best known therapies which combines mental and physical training is Brain Gym® (BG), a movement-based program originally designed to improve learning capabilities through the performance of mind-body exercises. In this regard, it has been argued that while physical exercise improves the metabolic activity of the brain, the performance of cognitively demanding tasks increases the amount of dendritic branches and the level of synaptic plasticity, implying that the combination of both therapies may result in synergistic effects that positively influence various cognitive domains in different ways. Why Should I Register and Submit Results?Ĭognitive training and physical exercise have been regarded as useful strategies in order to improve the cognitive function in older people with cognitive impairment.