•Useful Field of View training improves neural outcomes, speed of processing, and attention.•Useful Field of View training improves older adults’ everyday function.•Improvements from Useful Field of ...View training endure across ten years.
Systematic review and meta-analyses were conducted of Useful Field of View (UFOV) training, which was evaluated by Institute of Medicine criteria. Forty-four studies of UFOV training from 17 randomized trials conducted among adults were identified in systematic review. Results addressing the Institute of Medicine criteria indicated that: (a) UFOV training enhanced neural outcomes, speed of processing, and attention. (b) UFOV training effects were equivalent when compared to active- or no-contact control conditions. (c) UFOV training showed far transfer to everyday function. (d) Improvements on the trained skills endured across ten years. (e) Half of the clinical trials identified were conducted by researchers without financial interests in UFOV training. Results indicated that UFOV training effects were larger for adaptive- than non-adaptive training techniques, and in community-based as compared to clinical samples. UFOV training did not transfer to other neuropsychological outcomes, but positively enhanced well-being, health, and quality of life longitudinally. Criticisms of cognitive training are addressed. UFOV training should be implemented among older adults to improve real-world functional outcomes and well-being.
·Depressive symptoms, BDNF Val66Met, and APOE-ε4 were not significant moderators.·Global cognition, gender, age, and HF severity were not significant moderators.·Studies are needed to elucidate ...biological mechanisms of cognitive dysfunction in HF and test novel interventions to improve memory in patients.
Depressive symptoms, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met, and apolipoprotein (APOE)-ε4 may moderate response to computerized cognitive training (CCT) interventions among patients with heart failure (HF).
The purpose of this study was to examine moderators of intervention response to CCT over 8 months among patients with HF enrolled in a 3-arm randomized controlled trial. Outcomes were memory, serum BDNF, working memory, instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), and health-related quality of life (HRQL).
256 patients with HF were randomized to CCT, computerized crossword puzzles active control, and usual care control groups for 8 weeks. Data were collected at enrollment, baseline, 10 weeks, and 4 and 8 months. Mixed effects models were computed to evaluate moderators.
As previously reported, there were no statistically significant group by time effects in outcomes among the 3 groups over 8 months. Tests of moderation indicated that depressive symptoms and presence of BDNF Val66Met and APOE-ε4 were not statistically significant moderators of intervention response in outcomes of delayed recall memory, serum BDNF, working memory, IADLs, and HRQL. In post hoc analysis evaluating baseline global cognitive function, gender, age, and HF severity as moderators, no significant effects were found. HF severity was imbalanced among groups (P = .049) which may have influenced results.
Studies are needed to elucidate biological mechanisms of cognitive dysfunction in HF and test novel interventions to improve memory, serum BDNF, working memory, IADLs and HRQL. Patients may need to be stratified or randomized by HF severity within intervention trials.
Abstract Background It is important to establish whether frailty among older individuals is reversible with nutritional, physical, or cognitive interventions, singly or in combination. We compared ...the effects of 6-month-duration interventions with nutritional supplementation, physical training, cognitive training, and combination treatment vs control in reducing frailty among community-dwelling prefrail and frail older persons. Methods We conducted a parallel group, randomized controlled trial in community-living prefrail and frail old adults in Singapore. The participants' mean age was 70.0 years, and 61.4% (n = 151) were female. Five different 6-month interventions included nutritional supplementation (n = 49), cognitive training (n = 50), physical training (n = 48), combination treatment (n = 49), and usual care control (n = 50). Frailty score, body mass index, knee extension strength, gait speed, energy/vitality, and physical activity levels and secondary outcomes (activities of daily living dependency, hospitalization, and falls) were assessed at 0 months, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months. Results Frailty score and status over 12 months were reduced in all groups, including control (15%), but were significantly higher (35.6% to 47.8%) in the nutritional (odds ratio OR 2.98), cognition (OR 2.89), and physical (OR 4.05) and combination (OR 5.00) intervention groups. Beneficial effects were observed at 3 months and 6 months, and persisted at 12 months. Improvements in physical frailty domains (associated with interventions) were most evident for knee strength (physical, cognitive, and combination treatment), physical activity (nutritional intervention), gait speed (physical intervention), and energy (combination intervention). There were no major differences with respect to the small numbers of secondary outcomes. Conclusions Physical, nutritional, and cognitive interventional approaches were effective in reversing frailty among community-living older persons.
Do "Brain-Training" Programs Work? Simons, Daniel J.; Boot, Walter R.; Charness, Neil ...
Psychological science in the public interest,
10/2016, Volume:
17, Issue:
3
Journal Article
In 2014, two groups of scientists published open letters on the efficacy of brain-training interventions, or "brain games," for improving cognition. The first letter, a consensus statement from an ...international group of more than 70 scientists, claimed that brain games do not provide a scientifically grounded way to improve cognitive functioning or to stave off cognitive decline. Several months later, an international group of 133 scientists and practitioners countered that the literature is replete with demonstrations of the benefits of brain training for a wide variety of cognitive and everyday activities. How could two teams of scientists examine the same literature and come to conflicting "consensus" views about the effectiveness of brain training? In part, the disagreement might result from different standards used when evaluating the evidence. To date, the field has lacked a comprehensive review of the brain-training literature, one that examines both the quantity and the quality of the evidence according to a well-defined set of best practices. This article provides such a review, focusing exclusively on the use of cognitive tasks or games as a means to enhance performance on other tasks. We specify and justify a set of best practices for such brain-training interventions and then use those standards to evaluate all of the published peer-reviewed intervention studies cited on the websites of leading brain-training companies listed on Cognitive Training Data (www.cognitivetrainingdata.org), the site hosting the open letter from brain-training proponents. These citations presumably represent the evidence that best supports the claims of effectiveness. Based on this examination, we find extensive evidence that brain-training interventions improve performance on the trained tasks, less evidence that such interventions improve performance on closely related tasks, and little evidence that training enhances performance on distantly related tasks or that training improves everyday cognitive performance. We also find that many of the published intervention studies had major shortcomings in design or analysis that preclude definitive conclusions about the efficacy of training, and that none of the cited studies conformed to all of the best practices we identify as essential to drawing clear conclusions about the benefits of brain training for everyday activities. We conclude with detailed recommendations for scientists, funding agencies, and policymakers that, if adopted, would lead to better evidence regarding the efficacy of brain-training interventions.
Background/Objectives
There is no consensus on the efficacy of cognitive training in persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) because of the paucity of well‐designed randomized controlled trials. ...The objective was to assess the effect of memory training on the cognitive functioning of persons with MCI and its durability and to evaluate whether this effect generalizes to daily life and whether positive effects could be obtained from psychosocial intervention.
Design
Single‐blind randomized controlled trial.
Setting
Research centers of the Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal and Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Québec.
Participants
Older adults meeting criteria for amnestic MCI (N = 145).
Intervention
Participants were randomized to cognitive training, a psychosocial intervention, or a no‐contact control condition. Interventions were provided in small groups in eight 2‐hour sessions.
Measurement
Outcome measures were immediate and delayed composite performance memory scores, psychological health (depression, anxiety, well‐being), and generalization effects of the intervention (strategy use in everyday life, difficulties in complex activities of daily living, memory complaints). Testing was administered before training and immediately, 3 months, and 6 months after training.
Results
Participants in the cognitive training condition improved on the delayed composite memory score and on strategy use in everyday life. Improvement was maintained at the 3‐ and 6‐month follow‐up assessments. Participants in the psychosocial and no‐contact conditions did not show any significant improvement.
Conclusion
Cognitive training improves the memory of persons with amnestic MCI. The effect persists over a 6‐month period, and learned strategies are used in everyday life. Cognitive training is a valid way to promote cognition in MCI.
See related editorial by Richard N. Jones.
Background: Early detection and intervention can lead to successful future educational experiences for at-risk children and reduce the negative consequences of learning disorders. This study was ...conducted to develop a timely intervention package for first-grade students with specific learning disorders and examine its effects on their cognitive performance.Methods: The method employed in this study was quasi-experimental, utilizing a post-test and pre-test design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of first-grade Bojnord students referred to specific learning disorder centers. Thirty-two first-grade students referred to specific learning disorder centers were selected using an available sampling method and then randomly divided into experimental and control groups. During the pre-test stage, both groups underwent the fourth version of the Wechsler IQ Scale, the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, and researcher-made spelling, reading, and arithmetic abilities tests. Afterward, students in the experimental group received cognitive interventions over 16 sessions. After the intervention, post-tests were conducted for the control and experimental groups. Data obtained from the study were analyzed using analysis of covariance.Results: The results indicated that the experimental group obtained higher scores than the control group in the post-test reading, spelling, and mathematics evaluations. However, the experimental group had lower executive function scores than the control group.Conclusion: The results suggest that the designed cognitive package effectively reduces executive function problems and improves reading, spelling, and math performances.
Origami, drawing and colouring are artistic activities that can be beneficial for cognitive abilities or emotional well-being. However, there is a lack of studies that would investigate and compare ...these activities and their effects within the spatial abilities' domain. The aim of this study was to investigate if and how participating in three artistic activities-colouring, drawing or origami-can enhance spatial abilities. A total of 73 young adults participated in one of the three activities organized as a 7-session training, distributed every third day. Measures of spatial abilities (Spatial Reconstruction Task SRT), Mental Rotation Task MRT), Santa Barbara Solids Task SBST), and Corsi Block Tapping Task Corsi) were administered before (pretest) and after (posttest) the training, as well as at the 6-month follow-up). The Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) was administered at the posttest. The results showed no significant interaction between the training group and the measurement time point for the spatial ability tasks. Nevertheless, effect sizes at posttest favor origami and drawing in enhancing more complex spatial abilities (MRT for origami and drawing; SBST for origami; Corsi for drawing), and colouring in strengthening spatial perception (SRT). Some effects have remained for a longer period of time. Origami led to a greater pressure and tension, and colouring to higher interest and enjoyment. These results suggest that artistic activities can potentially contribute to the strengthening of spatial abilities, but it is advised to presented them in a way that reduces frustration and increase participant's enjoyment.
Abstract An estimated 47 million people worldwide are living with dementia in 2015, and this number is projected to triple by 2050. In the absence of a disease-modifying treatment or cure, reducing ...the risk of developing dementia takes on added importance. In 2014, the World Dementia Council (WDC) requested the Alzheimer's Association evaluate and report on the state of the evidence on modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia. This report is a summary of the Association's evaluation, which was presented at the October 2014 WDC meeting. The Association believes there is sufficient evidence to support the link between several modifiable risk factors and a reduced risk for cognitive decline, and sufficient evidence to suggest that some modifiable risk factors may be associated with reduced risk of dementia. Specifically, the Association believes there is sufficiently strong evidence, from a population-based perspective, to conclude that regular physical activity and management of cardiovascular risk factors (diabetes, obesity, smoking, and hypertension) reduce the risk of cognitive decline and may reduce the risk of dementia. The Association also believes there is sufficiently strong evidence to conclude that a healthy diet and lifelong learning/cognitive training may also reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
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