scholarly journals Impact of Mindfulness Training on In-the-Moment Attentional Control and Emotion Dysregulation in Older Adults: Secondary Analysis of a Pilot, Placebo-Controlled Randomized Controlled Trial

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaadee Samimy ◽  
Heena Manglani ◽  
Stephanie Fountain-Zargoza ◽  
Rebecca Andridge ◽  
Ruchika Prakash
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Active Control ◽  
Emotion Dysregulation ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Mind Wandering ◽  
Mindfulness Training ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Training Effects ◽  
The Moment

Mindfulness-based interventions show increasing promise for improving attention and emotion regulation, processes that critically support healthy aging. Given their complex, multi-faceted nature, identifying specific aspects of attention and emotion regulation that are modifiable with training in older adults, particularly compared with active control groups, is an ongoing challenge. We performed pre-registered, secondary analyses of a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing effects of a four-week mindfulness-based attention training (MBAT) and a lifestyle education active control group (LifeEd) on attention and emotion dysregulation in older adults. Primary analyses found non-significant training effects on a global measure of attention, signal detection sensitivity. However, MBAT resulted in less mind-wandering post-training. Differential training effects were assessed for: 1) in-the-moment effects of mind-wandering on sustained attention, measured by performance decrements preceding self-reported mind-wandering; and 2) self-reported emotion dysregulation. Working memory performance at baseline was tested as a moderator of training effects. No significant between-group differences for change in in-the-moment effects of mind-wandering on attention or emotion dysregulation emerged. However, baseline working memory moderated effects of mindfulness training on emotion dysregulation. Thus, brief mindfulness training, relative to an active control group, did not mitigate in-the-moment effects of mind-wandering on attention or reduce emotion dysregulation in older adults. However, baseline working memory performance moderated training effects, such that older adults with higher working memory showed greater reductions in emotion dysregulation following mindfulness training. This has potential implications for identifying aging cohorts that may benefit most from this type of training.

Mindfulness Training and Attentional Control in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Whitmoyer ◽  
Stephanie Fountain-Zargoza ◽  
Rebecca Andridge ◽  
Keith Bredemeier ◽  
Allison Londerée ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Active Control ◽  
Attentional Control ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Mindfulness Training ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Active Control Group ◽  
Randomized Controlled

Mindfulness-based interventions have been found to improve facets of attentional control. However, comparison with active control groups has been scarce, and few studies have examined mindfulness as a means to ameliorate age-related cognitive deficits. This rigorously-designed, placebo-controlled randomized controlled trial, investigated the effects of mindfulness-based attention training (MBAT) on attentional control in older adults relative to an active control group. Seventy-four community-dwelling older adults were randomized to four weeks of MBAT or an active lifestyle eduction control group. Pre- and post-intervention, participants completed two computerized measures of attentional control with intermittent assessments of self-reported mind-wandering. Although we found some evidence for greater reductions in mind-wandering in the MBAT than the active control group, the MBAT group did not exhibit greater improvements in attentional performance. Exploratory analyses revealed working memory as a significant moderator of the observed effects, such that those in the MBAT group with higher working memory showed greater improvement in attentional control. Thus, we found preliminary evidence for attentional benefits following mindfulness training only in individuals with high working memory. Our results call for more rigorous implementation of RCT methodology in future investigations of mindfulness training’s benefits for cognitive functioning in older adults.

Promoting Volunteering Among Older Adults in Hong Kong: A Randomized Controlled Trial

2019 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 968-977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Da Jiang ◽  
Lisa M Warner ◽  
Alice Ming-Lin Chong ◽  
Tianyuan Li ◽  
Julia K Wolff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Active Control ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Action Planning ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Active Control Group ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Experimental Group

Abstract Background and Objectives Volunteering has consistently been associated with better mental, physical, and cognitive health in older adulthood. However, the volunteering rate of older adults in Hong Kong is much lower than in Western countries. Few studies have examined whether interventions can be effective in motivating older adults to volunteer in Hong Kong. To fill this gap, we conducted a randomized controlled trial to examine the impact of a theory-based social-cognitive intervention on volunteering. Research Design and Methods A total of 264 community-dwelling older adults in Hong Kong (Mage = 69.95 years, SDage = 6.90 years, 81.06% female) were randomly assigned to either an experimental group or an active control group. Participants in the experimental group received 4 weekly 1-hr face-to-face volunteering intervention sessions. Those in the active control group received parallel sessions targeting physical activity instead of volunteering. The time spent on volunteering per month was self-reported and measured at baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after the intervention. Self-efficacy, intention, action planning, and self-monitoring of volunteering were measured as mediators. Results Monthly volunteering minutes increased among participants in the experimental group when compared with the active control group at 6-week, 3-month, and 6-month follow-ups. Self-efficacy, intention, and action planning consistently mediated the effect of the intervention on volunteering minutes. Discussion and Implications The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the intervention on volunteering behavior in older adults in Hong Kong through well-established behavior change techniques.

scholarly journals Mindfulness Training Improves Cognition and Strengthens Intrinsic Connectivity Between the Hippocampus and Posteromedial Cortex in Healthy Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gunes Sevinc ◽  
Johann Rusche ◽  
Bonnie Wong ◽  
Tanya Datta ◽  
Robert Kaufman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Default Mode Network ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Training Group ◽  
Mindfulness Training ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Default Mode ◽  
Intrinsic Connectivity

Maintaining optimal cognitive functioning throughout the lifespan is a public health priority. Evaluation of cognitive outcomes following interventions to promote and preserve brain structure and function in older adults, and associated neural mechanisms, are therefore of critical importance. In this randomized controlled trial, we examined the behavioral and neural outcomes following mindfulness training (n = 72), compared to a cognitive fitness program (n = 74) in healthy, cognitively normal, older adults (65–80 years old). To assess cognitive functioning, we used the Preclinical Alzheimer Cognitive Composite (PACC), which combines measures of episodic memory, executive function, and global cognition. We hypothesized that mindfulness training would enhance cognition, increase intrinsic functional connectivity measured with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) between the hippocampus and posteromedial cortex, as well as promote increased gray matter volume within those regions. Following the 8-week intervention, the mindfulness training group showed improved performance on the PACC, while the control group did not. Furthermore, following mindfulness training, greater improvement on the PACC was associated with a larger increase in intrinsic connectivity within the default mode network, particularly between the right hippocampus and posteromedial cortex and between the left hippocampus and lateral parietal cortex. The cognitive fitness training group did not show such effects. These findings demonstrate that mindfulness training improves cognitive performance in cognitively intact older individuals and strengthens connectivity within the default mode network, which is particularly vulnerable to aging affects.Clinical Trial Registration: [https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02628548], identifier [NCT02628548].

Working Memory Training in ADHD: Controlling for Engagement, Motivation, and Expectancy of Improvement (Pilot Study)

2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. 956-968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karizma Mawjee ◽  
Steven Woltering ◽  
Nathan Lai ◽  
Howell Gotlieb ◽  
Reena Kronitz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Active Control ◽  
Study Protocol ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Working Memory Training ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Active Control Group ◽  
Significant Difference

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a shortened-length session of CogMed Working Memory Training (CWMT) would be a suitable active control group and evaluate study protocol to aid in design refinements for a larger randomized controlled trial (RCT). Method: Thirty-eight post-secondary students diagnosed with ADHD were randomized into 25 sessions of standard (45 min/session) or shortened (15 min/session) CWMT, or into a waitlist control group. Results: There was no significant difference in completion rate or training index score between the standard- and shortened-length groups indicating that both groups showed improvement and put forth good effort during training. Conclusion: Preliminary findings suggest that shorter training sessions may induce similar levels of engagement, motivation, and expectancy of improvement in participants. We conclude that a larger scale RCT that utilizes shortened-length training as an active control group is warranted, but that a few modifications to the study protocol will be required.

scholarly journals Remotely delivered environmental enrichment intervention for traumatic brain injury: Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. e039767
Author(s):  
Zorry Belchev ◽  
Mary Ellene Boulos ◽  
Julia Rybkina ◽  
Kadeen Johns ◽  
Eliyas Jeffay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Active Control ◽  
Environmental Enrichment ◽  
Spatial Navigation ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Hippocampal Atrophy ◽  
Active Control Group ◽  
Navigation Group

IntroductionIndividuals with moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (m-sTBI) experience progressive brain and behavioural declines in the chronic stages of injury. Longitudinal studies found that a majority of patients with m-sTBI exhibit significant hippocampal atrophy from 5 to 12 months post-injury, associated with decreased cognitive environmental enrichment (EE). Encouragingly, engaging in EE has been shown to lead to neural improvements, suggesting it is a promising avenue for offsetting hippocampal neurodegeneration in m-sTBI. Allocentric spatial navigation (ie, flexible, bird’s eye view approach), is a good candidate for EE in m-sTBI because it is associated with hippocampal activation and reduced ageing-related volume loss. Efficacy of EE requires intensive daily training, prohibitive within most current health delivery systems. The present protocol is a novel, remotely delivered and self-administered intervention designed to harness principles from EE and allocentric spatial navigation to offset hippocampal atrophy and potentially improve hippocampal functions such as navigation and memory for patients with m-sTBI.Methods and analysisEighty-four participants with chronic m-sTBI are being recruited from an urban rehabilitation hospital and randomised into a 16-week intervention (5 hours/week; total: 80 hours) of either targeted spatial navigation or an active control group. The spatial navigation group engages in structured exploration of different cities using Google Street View that includes daily navigation challenges. The active control group watches and answers subjective questions about educational videos. Following a brief orientation, participants remotely self-administer the intervention on their home computer. In addition to feasibility and compliance measures, clinical and experimental cognitive measures as well as MRI scan data are collected pre-intervention and post-intervention to determine behavioural and neural efficacy.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval has been obtained from ethics boards at the University Health Network and University of Toronto. Findings will be presented at academic conferences and submitted to peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration numberVersion 3, ClinicalTrials.gov Registry (NCT04331392).

scholarly journals Effects of multi-domain cognitive training on working memory retrieval in older adults: behavioral and ERP evidence from a Chinese community study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiangfei Hong ◽  
You Chen ◽  
Jijun Wang ◽  
Yuan Shen ◽  
Qingwei Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Training Program ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Training Group ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Baseline Session

AbstractWorking memory (WM) is a fundamental cognitive function that typically declines with age. Previous studies have shown that targeted WM training has the potential to improve WM performance in older adults. In the present study, we investigated whether a multi-domain cognitive training program that was not designed to specifically target WM could improve the behavioral performance and affect the neural activity during WM retrieval in healthy older adults. We assigned healthy older participants (70–78 years old) from a local community into a training group who completed a 3-month multi-domain cognitive training and a control group who only attended health education lectures during the same period. Behavioral and electroencephalography (EEG) data were recorded from participants while performing an untrained delayed match or non-match to category task and a control task at a pre-training baseline session and a post-training follow-up session. Behaviorally, we found that participants in the training group showed a trend toward greater WM performance gains than participants in the control group. Event-related potential (ERP) results suggest that the task-related modulation of P3 during WM retrieval was significantly enhanced at the follow-up session compared with the baseline session, and importantly, this enhancement of P3 modulation was only significant in the training group. Furthermore, no training-related effects were observed for the P2 or N2 component during WM retrieval. These results suggest that the multi-domain cognitive training program that was not designed to specifically target WM is a promising approach to improve WM performance in older adults, and that training-related gains in performance are likely mediated by an enhanced modulation of P3 which might reflect the process of WM updating.

scholarly journals Toe Clearance Rehabilitative Slippers for Older Adults With Fall Risk: A Randomized Controlled Trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215145932110291
Author(s):  
Atsuko Satoh ◽  
Yukoh Kudoh ◽  
Sangun Lee ◽  
Masumi Saitoh ◽  
Miwa Miura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Fall Risk ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Berg Balance Scale ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Mobility Assessment ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Day Services ◽  
And Control

Introduction: To evaluate fall-prevention rehabilitative slippers for use by self-caring, independent older adults. Materials and Methods: This assessor-blinded, randomized, and controlled 1-year study included 59 self-caring, independent participants (49 women) who attended day services. The mean age of participants was 84.0 ± 5.3 years. Participants were randomly selected from 8 nursing homes. We tested slippers top-weighted with a lead bead (200, 300, or 400 g). Intervention group participants walked while wearing the slippers for 10-20 min, 1-3 days/week at the day service center. Fall risk was measured using the Berg Balance Scale and the Tinetti Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA) before and at 3-month intervals after the intervention/control phase. Results: After 12 months, the intervention group demonstrated significant improvement. Berg Balance and POMA compared to the control group ( p < .05 p < .01, respectively). Mobility scores improved significantly for both measurements in the intervention group before and after ( p < .01), but the control group had significantly lower scores. Discussion: Overall, falls decreased in the intervention group from 10 to 7, and control group falls increased from 9 to 16 ( p = .02). No adverse events related to the intervention were reported. Conclusions: Rehabilitation training slippers may reduce falls in older adults.

scholarly journals Brain Training and Sulforaphane Intake Interventions Separately Improve Cognitive Performance in Healthy Older Adults, Whereas a Combination of These Interventions Does Not Have More Beneficial Effects: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 352
Author(s):  
Rui Nouchi ◽  
Qingqiang Hu ◽  
Toshiki Saito ◽  
Natasha Yuriko dos Santos Kawata ◽  
Haruka Nouchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Active Control ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Brain Training ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Double Blinded

Background: Earlier studies have demonstrated that a single-domain intervention, such as a brain-training (BT) game alone and a sulforaphane (SFN) intake, positively affects cognition. This study examined whether a combined BT and SFN intake intervention has beneficial effects on cognitive function in older adults. Methods: In a 12-week double-blinded randomized control trial, 144 older adults were randomly assigned to one of four groups: BT with SFN (BT-S), BT with placebo (BT-P), active control game (AT) with SFN (AT-S), and active control game with placebo (AT-P). We used Brain Age in BT and Tetris in AT. Participants were asked to play BT or AT for 15 min a day for 12 weeks while taking a supplement (SFN or placebo). We measured several cognitive functions before and after the intervention period. Results: The BT (BT-S and BT-P) groups showed more improvement in processing speed than the active control groups (AT-S and AT-P). The SFN intake (BT-S and AT-S) groups recorded significant improvements in processing speed and working memory performance unlike the placebo intake groups (BT-P and AT-P). However, we did not find any evidence of the combined intervention’s beneficial effects on cognition. Discussion: We discussed a mechanism to improve cognitive functions in the BT and SFN alone interventions.

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