Cognitive and ambulatory benefits of the brain gym exercises in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: A quasi-experimental study
Children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) experience progressive motor decline that is compounded by cognitive impairments, prompting interest in movement-based neurocognitive interventions. In a pre–post quasi-experimental study, 84 ambulant boys with genetically confirmed DMD (mean age 10.1 ± 2.4 years) completed a 12-week program comprising eight Brain Gym protocols integrated with standard physiotherapy (76–82-min sessions, 5 days a week). Blinded assessors administered the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE; 0–30) and North Star Ambulatory Assessment (NSAA; 0–34) before and after the intervention. Paired t-tests were used to evaluate change, and effect sizes were expressed as Cohen’s d (α = 0.05). Cognition improved markedly, with MMSE rising from 13.64 ± 1.83 to 19.32 ± 1.81 (mean difference: 5.67, 95% confidence interval: 5.32–6.03; t (83) =−31.518; p<0.001; d = 3.439), whereas ambulation increased as NSAA scores rose from 6.298 ± 3.60 to 8.72 ± 3.30 (mean difference: 2.42, 95% confidence interval: 2.11–2.74; t (83) =−15.26; p<0.001; d = 1.66). No adverse events were reported. The substantial cognitive and significant motor effect sizes demonstrate that a brief, low-cost brain gym regimen can elicit rapid, clinically meaningful gains in both global cognition and ambulatory capacity in pediatric DMD, supporting its potential as a scalable adjunct to conventional rehabilitation. Randomized controlled trials with extended follow-up are warranted to confirm durability and broader applicability.
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