Background: Exercise is effective in improving cognition in people living with stroke. In older adult populations, sex appears to moderate this effect but no studies have examined this relationship in individuals with stroke. 
Aims: To determine whether there were differences in exercise-associated changes in cognitive function between males and females living with stroke. 
Methods: This was a secondary analysis of data from a randomized trial of community exercise for people living with stroke. Participants were allocated into a 6-month aerobic exercise (AER) (14 males, 11 females) or non-aerobic exercise (non-AER) program (15 males, 10 females). Working memory (Forward and Backward Digit Span Test), selective attention and conflict resolution (Stroop Test), and set shifting/cognitive flexibility (Trail Making B Test) were assessed before and after the programs.  
Results: There was a greater improvement in Stroop test performance among females with AER [median(IQR), Pre:104.1 (38.6) s, Post: 98.3 (23.9) s] compared to non-AER [Pre: 137.3 (102.1) s, Post: 147.5 (98.5) s] (p=0.03), which was not observed in males (p=0.62). There were no other differences over time between sexes with any of the other outcomes.
Conclusion: Females living with stroke may demonstrate a greater response to exercise on selective attention and conflict resolution compared to males with stroke. These findings suggest that there may be sex-specific effects of exercise on cognitive function in individuals with stroke.

SEX DIFFERENCES IN EXERCISE ASSOCIATED CHANGES ON COGNITION POST-STROKE