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What’s the best way to prevent or delay Alzheimer’s disease? It might be by exercising several days a week.

If that sounds daunting, consider enrolling in a study at the University of Maryland, which pays you to work out in your home for four hours a week.

The Exercise for Brain Health — Fight Against Alzheimer’s Disease study (E4BH-FAD) began in early 2019, but had to cancel its live exercise classes last spring.

“We were going full steam until…everything stopped” in March and researchers “shifted to a Zoom-based platform,” said Dr. J. Carson Smith, principal investigator of the study and professor in the Department of Kinesiology, School of Public Health, at the University of Maryland in College Park.

On the other hand, because of that shift from in-person classes to Zoom, now anyone age 60 to 89 who lives in the Baltimore-Washington area can participate in the study.

“We’re not really limited by geography. As long as the person has an internet connection, a device they can connect to Zoom, and a place in their house to exercise, they can participate,” Smith said.

Nicknamed E4BH-FAD, the study provides free, hour-long exercise classes for six months. Participants start with classes two days a week and gradually increase to four days a week. Before they begin, they attend an orientation program that covers Zoom basics as well as several simple exercises.

The study will investigate whether exercise can improve brain function and blood flow to the brain. According to the E4BH website, “The protective effects of exercise on brain function have been shown to be extremely robust in the hippocampus, the very brain structure targeted early on in Alzheimer’s disease.”

Three visits to a safe campus

People must make three in-person visits to the University of Maryland campus in College Park for various tests, including bloodwork and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Each visit takes two to three hours. Parking is reimbursed, and compensation is available.

“Our campus is a very safe place to be. We have all the safety protocols in place for us and our participants,” said Smith, noting that his team is frequently screened for COVID-19.

In addition to blood tests, stress tests and MRI scans, Smith’s team conducts cognitive tests. At the moment, they are testing online, limiting face-to-face contact.

As for the classes, an instructor teaches the classes live on Zoom, overseeing everyone’s movements and demonstrating each exercise.

“[The exercises] are based on participants’ abilities, so they’re personalized and customized,” Smith said.

So far, everyone seems to enjoy the classes, he said. “They enjoy it so much — and they build a community in the classes — that they don’t want to stop.”

And the benefits of regular exercise are already clear, at least regarding participants’ mental health.

Smith’s team has surveyed many older adults during this time of isolation. “We find that those who are exercising are doing better,” he said.

To enroll, visit e4bh.com and click on “participate,” email exercisebrainhealth@gmail.com or call (301) 405-2574.