scholarly journals Investigating the Effects of Spacing on Working Memory Training Outcome: A Randomized, Controlled, Multisite Trial in Older Adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 1181-1192
Author(s):  
Susanne M Jaeggi ◽  
Martin Buschkuehl ◽  
Chelsea M Parlett-Pelleriti ◽  
Seung Min Moon ◽  
Michelle Evans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Domain ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Before And After

Abstract Objective The majority of the population will experience some cognitive decline with age. Therefore, the development of effective interventions to mitigate age-related decline is critical for older adults’ cognitive functioning and their quality of life. Methods In our randomized controlled multisite trial, we target participants’ working memory (WM) skills, and in addition, we focus on the intervention’s optimal scheduling in order to test whether and how the distribution of training sessions might affect task learning, and ultimately, transfer. Healthy older adults completed an intervention targeting either WM or general knowledge twice per day, once per day, or once every-other-day. Before and after the intervention and 3 months after training completion, participants were tested in a variety of cognitive domains, including those representing functioning in everyday life. Results In contrast to our hypotheses, spacing seems to affect learning only minimally. We did observe some transfer effects, especially within the targeted cognitive domain (WM and inhibition/interference), which remained stable at the 3-month follow-up. Discussion Our findings have practical implications by showing that the variation in training schedule, at least within the range used here, does not seem to be a crucial element for training benefits.

scholarly journals The Long-Term Efficacy of Working Memory Training in Healthy Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 22 Randomized Controlled Trials

2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (8) ◽  
pp. e174-e188
Author(s):  
Jianhua Hou ◽  
Taiyi Jiang ◽  
Jiangning Fu ◽  
Bin Su ◽  
Hao Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Randomized Controlled Studies

Abstract Objectives The long-lasting efficacy of working memory (WM) training has been a controversial and still ardently debated issue. In this meta-analysis, the authors explored the long-term effects of WM training in healthy older adults on WM subdomains and abilities outside the WM domain assessed in randomized controlled studies. Method A systematic literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, ProQuest, clinicaltrials.gov, and Google Scholar was conducted. Random-effects models were used to quantitatively synthesize the existing data. Results Twenty-two eligible studies were included in the meta-analysis. The mean participant age ranged from 63.77 to 80.1 years. The meta-synthesized long-term effects on updating were 0.45 (95% confidence interval = 0.253–0.648, <6 months: 0.395, 0.171–0.619, ≥6 months: 0.641, 0.223–1.058), on shifting, 0.447 (0.246–0.648, <6 months: 0.448, 0.146–0.75, ≥6 months: 0.446, 0.176–0.716); on inhibition, 0.387 (0.228–0.547, <6 months: 0.248, 0.013–0.484, ≥6 months: 0.504, 0.288–0.712); on maintenance, 0.486 (0.352–0.62, <6 months: 0.52, 0.279–0.761, ≥6 months: 0.471, 0.31–0.63). Discussion The results showed that WM training exerted robust long-term effects on enhancing the WM system and improving processing speed and reasoning in late adulthood. Future studies are needed to use different tasks of the same WM construct to evaluate the WM training benefits, to adopt more ecological tasks or tasks related to daily life, to improve the external validity of WM training, and to identify the optimal implementation strategy for WM training.

Is Computerized Working Memory Training Effective in Healthy Older Adults? Evidence from a Multi-Site, Randomized Controlled Trial

2018 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 931-949 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon S. Simon ◽  
Erich S. Tusch ◽  
Nicole C. Feng ◽  
Krister Håkansson ◽  
Abdul H. Mohammed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Working Memory Training ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Randomized Controlled

scholarly journals Strategy mediation in working memory training in younger and older adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (8) ◽  
pp. 1206-1226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia Forsberg ◽  
Daniel Fellman ◽  
Matti Laine ◽  
Wendy Johnson ◽  
Robert H Logie
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Training Session ◽  
Cognitive Capacity ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Training Strategy ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Post Test

Working memory (WM) training with the N-Back task has been argued to improve cognitive capacity and general cognitive abilities (the Capacity Hypothesis of training), although several studies have shown little or no evidence for such improvements beyond tasks that are very similar to the trained task. Laine et al. demonstrated that instructing young adult participants to use a specific visualisation strategy for N-back training resulted in clear, generalised benefits from only 30 min of training (Strategy Mediation Hypothesis of training). Here, we report a systematic replication and extension of the Laine et al. study, by administering 60 younger and 60 older participants a set of WM tasks before and after a 30-min N-back training session. Half the participants were instructed to use a visualisation strategy, the others received no instruction. The pre-post test battery encompassed a criterion task (digit N-back), two untrained tasks N-back tasks (letters and colours), and three structurally different WM tasks. The instructed visualisation strategy significantly boosted at least some measures of N-back performance in participants of both age groups, although the strategy generally appeared more difficult to implement and less beneficial for older adults. However, the strategy did not improve performance on structurally different WM tasks. We also found significant associations between N-back performance and the type and level of detail of self-generated strategies in the uninstructed participants, as well as age group differences in reported strategy types. WM performance appeared to partly reflect the application of strategies, and Strategy Mediation should be considered to understand the mechanisms of WM training. Claims of efficient training should demonstrate useful improvement beyond task-specific strategies.

scholarly journals Reviewing working memory training gains in healthy older adults: A meta-analytic review of transfer for cognitive outcomes

2019 ◽  
Vol 103 ◽  
pp. 163-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana C. Teixeira-Santos ◽  
Célia S. Moreira ◽  
Rosana Magalhães ◽  
Carina Magalhães ◽  
Diana R. Pereira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Outcomes ◽  
Working Memory Training ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Analytic Review

scholarly journals Language dominance and inhibition abilities in bilingual older adults

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
MIRA GORAL ◽  
LUCA CAMPANELLI ◽  
AVRON SPIRO
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Simon Task ◽  
Trail Making Test ◽  
Single Test ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Bilingual Advantage ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Trail Making

This study aimed to examine the so-called bilingual advantage in older adults’ performance in three cognitive domains and to identify whether language use and bilingual type (dominant vs. balanced) predicted performance. The participants were 106 Spanish–English bilinguals ranging in age from 50 years to 84 years. Three cognitive domains were examined (each by a single test): inhibition (the Simon task), alternating attention (the Trail Making test), and working memory (Month Ordering). The data revealed that age was negatively correlated to performance in each domain. Bilingual type – balanced vs. dominant – predicted performance and interacted with age only on the inhibition measure (the Simon task). Balanced bilinguals showed age-related inhibition decline (i.e., greater Simon effect with increasing age); in contrast, dominant bilinguals showed little or no age-related change. The findings suggest that bilingualism may offer cognitive advantage in older age only for a subset of bilinguals.

Gains in language comprehension relating to working memory training in healthy older adults

2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 539-546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Carretti ◽  
Erika Borella ◽  
Michela Zavagnin ◽  
Rossana de Beni
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Language Comprehension ◽  
Working Memory Training ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Healthy Older Adults

A-3 Cingulo-Opercular and Frontoparietal Control Network Connectivity and Executive Functioning in Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 1024-1024
Author(s):  
Hanna K Hausman ◽  
Cheshire Hardcastle ◽  
Alejandro Albizu ◽  
Jessica N Kraft ◽  
Nicole D Evangelista ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Network Connectivity ◽  
Cognitive Domain ◽  
Set Shifting ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Memory Inhibition

Abstract Objective Executive functioning is a cognitive domain that typically declines with normal aging. Age-related disrupted connectivity in cingulo-opercular (CON) and frontoparietal control (FPCN) resting-state networks is associated with worse performance across various executive functioning tasks. This study examines the relationships between CON and FPCN connectivity and executive functioning performance in older adults across three subdomains: working memory, inhibition, and set-shifting. Methods 274 healthy older adults (age M = 71.7, SD = 5.1; 87% Caucasian) from a clinical trial at the University of Florida and University of Arizona completed tasks of working memory (Digit Span Backwards [DSB]; Letter Number Sequencing [LNS]), inhibition (Stroop), and set-shifting (Trail Making Test Part B [TMT-B]). Participants underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. CONN Toolbox (18b) was used for extracting average within-network connectivity of CON and FPCN. Multiple linear regressions were conducted with average network connectivity predicting performance, controlling for age, sex, education, and scanner. Results Greater average CON connectivity was associated with better performance on DSB (β = 0.26, p < 0.001), LNS (β = 0.23, p < 0.001), Stroop (β = 0.24, p < 0.001), and TMT-B (β = −0.26, p < 0.001). Greater average FPCN connectivity was associated with better performance on DSB (β = 0.22, p < 0.001) and LNS (β = 0.18, p = 0.002). Conclusions CON connectivity was significantly associated with working memory, inhibition, and set-shifting. FPCN connectivity was significantly associated with working memory. Future research should conduct regional connectivity analyses within these networks to identify intervention targets to improve executive functioning in older adults.

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