scholarly journals Augmenting cognitive training in older adults (The ACT Study): Design and Methods of a Phase III tDCS and cognitive training trial

2018 ◽  
Vol 65 ◽  
pp. 19-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam J. Woods ◽  
Ronald Cohen ◽  
Michael Marsiske ◽  
Gene E. Alexander ◽  
Sara J. Czaja ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Study Design ◽  
Training Trial ◽  
Phase Iii ◽  
Design And Methods

THE POSSIBILITY OF LINKING SPONTANEOUS AND INDUCED NEUROCOGNITIVE PLASTICITY: CAN COGNITIVE TRAINING INFLUENCE COMPENSATORY BRAIN ACTIVITY IN OLDER ADULTS? THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL PREMISES

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 507-523
Author(s):  
Ludmiła Zając-Lamparska
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Study Design ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Reference Group ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Theory Of Aging

One of the most important determinants of successful aging is cognitive ability. Although cognitive decline is a well-documented phenomenon characteristic of aging, it is acknowledged that aging can also be related to cognitive neuroplasticity that allows one to compensate the decline and adapt to it. Cognitive neuroplasticity may be spontaneous or induced by external influences. An example of the former is compensatory brain activity in older adults, and the latter – improvement in cognitive functioning under the influence of cognitive training. Both the compensatory brain activity of older adults and the effectiveness of cognitive training in this age group have already been extensively studied. However, it has not yet been examined whether they can be linked. The article indicates theoretical and empirical premises for the possibility of influencing compensatory brain activity in older adults by cognitive training. In the most comprehensive way the phenomenon of compensatory brain activity in older adults is addressed by the STAC model – the Scaffolding Theory of Aging and Cognition, which also provides the theoretical grounds for the possible impact of cognitive training on compensatory brain activity. There are also empirical arguments in favour of such an impact, but they are quite limited in nature. The reason for this is the lack of research directly addressing the problem of the consistency of brain activity changes resulting from cognitive training with the assumptions of compensatory brain activity models, such as STAC. The theoretical grounds for the linkage of compensatory brain activity in older adults with the influence of cognitive training are clear. However, the analysis of the studies discussed in the article suggests that failing to embed the study design within the theoretical framework of compensatory brain activity in older adults may lead to the exclusion of factors important in drawing conclusions about this phenomenon. The following elements of the study design were identified as necessary to include: participation of young adults in the study as a reference group, usage of tasks in different difficulty levels during the measurement of brain activity and consideration of the relation between brain activity and cognitive performance, and comparison of brain activity in relation to cognitive performance before and after training in both, older and young adults.

scholarly journals The Effectiveness of e-Health Solutions for Aging With Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Dequanter ◽  
Marie-Pierre Gagnon ◽  
Mame-Awa Ndiaye ◽  
Ellen Gorus ◽  
Maaike Fobelets ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Psychosocial Functioning ◽  
Independent Living ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Fast Pace ◽  
Study Characteristics ◽  
Design And Methods

Abstract Background and Objectives e-Health solutions are an innovative approach to support aging with cognitive impairment. Because technology is developing at a fast pace, the aim of this review was to present an overview of the research regarding the effectiveness of these solutions. Moreover, the availability of these solutions was examined. Research Design and Methods Systematic searches were conducted in 7 databases. Full texts of potentially relevant references were assessed by 2 reviewers, and discrepancies were solved through discussion. Data on study characteristics, technology type, application domain, availability, outcomes, and effects were extracted. A categorization exercise and narrative synthesis were conducted. Results In total, 72 studies describing 70 e-Health solutions were identified. The majority of solutions comprised cognitive training for older adults, followed by educational and supportive web platforms for caregivers. Outcomes included mainly measures of cognition, psychosocial functioning, caregiving processes, caregiver–care receiver relationship, and activities of daily living. Positive effects of cognitive training technologies were observed on cognitive functioning of older adults, as well as those of supportive web platforms on behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia and caregiver self-efficacy. The effects of these solutions on depression in both target groups were inconclusive. The methodological quality of the studies was moderate to good. However, some important limitations were observed. Discussion and Implications The review identified cognitive training solutions and supportive web platforms as the most effective on a limited number of outcomes. Although other solutions seem promising, further research has to overcome methodological issues. Furthermore, solutions for leisure and reminiscence and outcomes specifically related to independent living deserve more attention.

scholarly journals Metabolic costs of daily activity in older adults (Chores XL) study: Design and methods

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duane B. Corbett ◽  
Amal A. Wanigatunga ◽  
Vincenzo Valiani ◽  
Eileen M. Handberg ◽  
Thomas W. Buford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Study Design ◽  
Daily Activity ◽  
Metabolic Costs ◽  
Design And Methods

Task-Switching Training and Transfer

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 106-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zsófia Anna Gaál ◽  
István Czigler
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Task Switching ◽  
Difficulty Level ◽  
Training Procedure ◽  
Far Transfer ◽  
Near Transfer ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
Transfer Tasks

Abstract. We used task-switching (TS) paradigms to study how cognitive training can compensate age-related cognitive decline. Thirty-nine young (age span: 18–25 years) and 40 older (age span: 60–75 years) women were assigned to training and control groups. The training group received 8 one-hour long cognitive training sessions in which the difficulty level of TS was individually adjusted. The other half of the sample did not receive any intervention. The reference task was an informatively cued TS paradigm with nogo stimuli. Performance was measured on reference, near-transfer, and far-transfer tasks by behavioral indicators and event-related potentials (ERPs) before training, 1 month after pretraining, and in case of older adults, 1 year later. The results showed that young adults had better pretraining performance. The reference task was too difficult for older adults to form appropriate representations as indicated by the behavioral data and the lack of P3b components. But after training older adults reached the level of performance of young participants, and accordingly, P3b emerged after both the cue and the target. Training gain was observed also in near-transfer tasks, and partly in far-transfer tasks; working memory and executive functions did not improve, but we found improvement in alerting and orienting networks, and in the execution of variants of TS paradigms. Behavioral and ERP changes remained preserved even after 1 year. These findings suggest that with an appropriate training procedure older adults can reach the level of performance seen in young adults and these changes persist for a long period. The training also affects the unpracticed tasks, but the transfer depends on the extent of task similarities.

scholarly journals Further improvement in glycemic control after switching from exenatide two times per day to exenatide once-weekly autoinjected suspension in patients with type 2 diabetes: 52-week results from the DURATION-NEO-1 study

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e000773
Author(s):  
Carol H Wysham ◽  
Julio Rosenstock ◽  
Marion L Vetter ◽  
Hui Wang ◽  
Elise Hardy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Phase Iii ◽  
Open Label ◽  
Open Label Study ◽  
Registration Number ◽  
Efficacy Measures ◽  
Design And Methods ◽  
To Receive

IntroductionInvestigate the effects of switching from two times per day exenatide to once-weekly exenatide administered by autoinjector (exenatide once-weekly suspension by autoinjector (QWS-AI)) or treatment with exenatide QWS-AI for 1 year.Research design and methodsIn this phase III open-label study, adults with type 2 diabetes were randomized to receive exenatide QWS-AI (2 mg) or exenatide two times per day (5 mcg for 4 weeks, followed by 10 mcg) for 28 weeks. During a subsequent non-randomized 24-week extension, patients who received exenatide two times per day were switched to exenatide QWS-AI and those randomized to exenatide QWS-AI continued this treatment. Efficacy measures included changes from baseline in glycated hemoglobin (A1C), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and body weight.ResultsIn total, 315 patients (mean baseline A1C of 8.5%) completed the initial 28 weeks of randomized treatment with exenatide QWS-AI (n=197) or exenatide two times per day (n=118) and were included in the 24-week extension (mean A1C of 7.0% and 7.3%, respectively, at week 28). From weeks 28–52, patients who switched from exenatide two times per day to exenatide QWS-AI had additional A1C reductions of approximately 0.5% (mean A1C change from baseline of –1.4% at week 52) and further reductions from baseline in FPG. Patients who continued exenatide QWS-AI treatment for 52 weeks showed clinically relevant A1C reductions (mean A1C change from baseline of –1.3% at week 52). Body-weight reductions achieved through week 28 were sustained at week 52 in both groups. There were no unexpected safety concerns or changes in the safety profile among patients who switched from exenatide two times per day to exenatide QWS-AI or those who continued exenatide QWS-AI treatment for 52 weeks.ConclusionsSwitching from exenatide two times per day to exenatide QWS-AI resulted in further A1C reductions and maintenance of earlier decreases in body weight, while continued therapy with exenatide QWS-AI for 52 weeks maintained A1C and body-weight reductions, without additional safety or tolerability concerns.Trial registration numberNCT01652716.

scholarly journals Spontaneous Eye Blinks Predict Executive Functioning in Seniors

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessika I. V. Buitenweg ◽  
Jaap M. J. Murre ◽  
K. Richard Ridderinkhof
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Functional Decline ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Blink Rate ◽  
Memory Updating ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Working Memory Updating

AbstractAs the world’s population is aging rapidly, cognitive training is an extensively used approach to attempt improvement of age-related cognitive functioning. With increasing numbers of older adults required to remain in the workforce, it is important to be able to reliably predict future functional decline, as well as the individual advantages of cognitive training. Given the correlation between age-related decline and striatal dopaminergic function, we investigated whether eye blink rate (EBR), a non-invasive, indirect indicator of dopaminergic activity, could predict executive functioning (response inhibition, switching and working memory updating) as well as trainability of executive functioning in older adults. EBR was collected before and after a cognitive flexibility training, cognitive training without flexibility, or a mock training. EBR predicted working memory updating performance on two measures of updating, as well as trainability of working memory updating, whereas performance and trainability in inhibition and switching tasks could not be predicted by EBR. Our findings tentatively indicate that EBR permits prediction of working memory performance in older adults. To fully interpret the relationship with executive functioning, we suggest future research should assess both EBR and dopamine receptor availability among seniors.

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