Digital, mathematical and cognitive training: Evidence from a randomized trial

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Guillermo Bozzoli ◽  
Maria Luz Gonzalez-Gadea ◽  
Maria Julia Hermida ◽  
Lucía Navarro ◽  
Tomás Alberto Olego ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Trial ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Face Perception ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Math Skills ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
Visuospatial Reasoning

In this paper, we experimentally evaluate a cognitive training tool that aims to improve children’s mathematical ability through technology in rural primary schools in Argentina. We conducted a large cluster-randomized trial: schools in the treatment group used an app to train mathematical skills, while schools in the control group received a literacy book. We tested the math skills of 1,304 children in the 2nd through 6th grades from 80 rural schools and applied three cognitive tests: digit-span (working memory), face-perception (attention to objects), and block design (visuospatial reasoning), directly before and after the 10-week intervention period. In schools that received the treatment, we found no improvement in the digit-span or face-perception tests, but significant and positive effects in visuospatial reasoning and mathematical abilities. The improvement among students from treatment schools was 54 percentage points higher in math skills and 42 percentage points higher in visuospatial abilities than the gains by students in control schools. This study suggests this intervention is a feasible and effective way of enhancing the mathematical and cognitive abilities of children in rural areas.

Effects of Cognitive Training on Cognitive Performance of Healthy Older Adults

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana Teles Santos Golino ◽  
Carmen Flores Mendoza ◽  
Hudson Fernandes Golino
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Digit Symbol ◽  
Transfer Effects ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Picture Completion

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to determine the immediate effects of cognitive training on healthy older adults and verify the transfer effects of targeted and non-targeted abilities. The design consisted of a semi-randomized clinical controlled trial. The final sample was composed of 80 volunteers recruited from a Brazilian community (mean age = 69.69; SD = 7.44), which were separated into an intervention group (N = 47; mean age = 69.66, SD = 7.51) and a control group (N = 33; mean age = 69.73, SD = 7.45). Intervention was characterized by adaptive cognitive training with 12 individual training sessions of 60 to 90 minutes (once a week). Eight instruments were used to assess effects of cognitive training. Five were used to assess trained abilities (near effects), including: Memorization Tests (List and History), Picture Completion, Digit Span, Digit Symbol-Coding, and Symbol Search (the last four from WAIS-III). Two instruments assessed untrained abilities (far effects): Arithmetic and Matrix Reasoning (WAIS-III). The non-parametric repeated measures ANOVA test revealed a significant interaction between group by time interaction for Picture Completion [F(74) = 14.88, p = .0002, d = 0.90, CLES = 73.69%], Digit Symbol-Coding [F(74) = 5.66, p = .019, d = 0.55, CLES = 65.21%] and Digit Span [F(74) = 5.38, p = .02, d = 0.54, CLES = 64.85%], suggesting an interventional impact on these performance tasks. The results supported near transfer effects, but did not demonstrate a far transfer effects.

scholarly journals EFFECTS OF ADAPTIVE COMPUTER-BASED COGNITIVE TRAINING ON COMMUNITY-DWELLING ELDERS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S244-S244
Author(s):  
Guifang Guo ◽  
Huijuan Gongzhi
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Memory Function ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
And Control ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract This quasi-experimental designed study analyzed the effects of adaptive computer-based cognitive training among community-dwelling older adults. A 6-week (5 times/week) program was implemented with an intervention group (Difficulty Adaptive Training) and control group (Difficulty Fixed Training). General cognitive, memory, executive and attention functions were evaluated before (T1), completion (T2), and one month after intervention (T3). Sixty-one participants completed data collection. (1) General cognitive function: improved in both groups at T2, and T3, intervention group had better effect; (2) Memory function: improved in both groups in immediate, short and long-delayed recalls at T2 and T3, and recognition at T2. (3) Executive function: improved in both groups. Time of simple information processing was shortened at T2 and T3 in intervention group, at T3 in control group; TMT response inhibition was shortened at T2 and T3 in both groups. (4) Attention function: digit span forward was improved at T2 in intervention group.

scholarly journals Effects of High Intensity Interval Training on Executive Function in Children Aged 8–12 Years

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (21) ◽  
pp. 4127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuaki Tottori ◽  
Noriteru Morita ◽  
Kenji Ueta ◽  
Satoshi Fujita
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Physical Fitness ◽  
High Intensity ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Interval Training ◽  
Control Group ◽  
High Intensity Interval Training ◽  
Tower Of Hanoi ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
High Intensity Interval

This study investigated the effects of a high intensity interval training (HIIT) program on both physical fitness and executive functions in children. Fifty-six children aged 8–12 years participated in this study, and were divided into a HIIT group and a control group. The HIIT group performed three sessions of the 8- to 10-min HIIT program per week for 4 weeks. Before and after the intervention, 20-m shuttle runs, sit-ups, and standing long jumps were assessed as test of physical fitness. In addition, the executive function was assessed using the digit span forward (DSF) test, digit span backward (DSB) test, and Tower of Hanoi test. Only the HIIT group experienced significant improvement when completing the 20-m shuttle run (p = 0.042) and sit-ups (p < 0.001). Regarding executive function, the number of correct answers in DSB test significantly increased only in the HIIT group (p = 0.003). However, the standing long jump, DSF, and the Tower of Hanoi test performance did not change after intervention. The findings of the present study suggest that HIIT has positive effects on a core executive function such as working memory in addition to components of the physical fitness such as cardiorespiratory endurance and muscular endurance.

scholarly journals Feasibility of a Cognitive Training Game in Parkinson’s Disease: The Randomized Parkin’Play Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 426-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sjors C.F. van de Weijer ◽  
Annelien A. Duits ◽  
Bastiaan R. Bloem ◽  
Nienke M. de Vries ◽  
Roy P.C. Kessels ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Waiting List ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Global Cognition

Cognitive training (CT) shows modest positive effects on cognitive function in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Gamification may enhance adherence to traditional CT, but this has not been studied yet. Here, we investigated the feasibility of a gamified CT. We performed a randomized controlled trial including PD patients with mild cognitive impairment. Participants were randomly allocated to a 12-week home-based gamified CT intervention or waiting-list control group. Assessments were performed at baseline and at weeks 12 and 24. Forty-one patients were included (21 intervention and 20 waiting-list controls). Sixty-three percent of the intervention group trained >50% of the recommended sessions, while 81% voluntarily continued training after 12 weeks. After 24 weeks, 87.5% graded the game to be satisfactory. Global cognition scores improved after 24 weeks. Home-based gamified CT shows acceptable feasibility in patients with PD, and we observed preliminary indications for efficacy. Larger trials are needed to establish this efficacy.

scholarly journals Cognitive Training in Parkinson’s Disease Induces Local, Not Global, Changes in White Matter Microstructure

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Vriend ◽  
Tim D. van Balkom ◽  
Henk W. Berendse ◽  
Ysbrand D. van der Werf ◽  
Odile A. van den Heuvel
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Fractional Anisotropy ◽  
Active Control ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Network Topology ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Whole Brain ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
White Matter Microstructure ◽  
Structural Network

AbstractPrevious studies showed that cognitive training can improve cognitive performance in various neurodegenerative diseases but little is known about the effects of cognitive training on the brain. Here, we investigated the effects of our cognitive training paradigm, COGTIPS, on regional white matter microstructure and structural network topology. We previously showed that COGTIPS has small, positive effects on processing speed. A subsample of 79 PD patients (N = 40 cognitive training group, N = 39 active control group) underwent multi-shell diffusion-weighted imaging pre- and post-intervention. Our pre-registered analysis plan (osf.io/cht6g) entailed investigating white matter microstructural integrity (e.g., fractional anisotropy) in five tracts of interest, including the anterior thalamic radiation (ATR), whole-brain tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS), and the topology of the structural network. Relative to the active control condition, cognitive training had no effect on topology of the structural network or whole-brain TBSS. Cognitive training did lead to a reduction in fractional anisotropy in the ATR (B [SE]: − 0.32 [0.12], P = 0.01). This reduction was associated with faster responses on the Tower of London task (r = 0.42, P = 0.007), but this just fell short of our statistical threshold (P < 0.006). Post hoc “fixel-based” analyses showed that this was not due to changes in fiber density and cross section. This suggests that the observed effect in the ATR is due to training-induced alterations in neighboring fibers running through the same voxels, such as intra-striatal and thalamo-striatal fibers. These results indicate that 8 weeks of cognitive training does not alter network topology, but has subtle local effects on structural connectivity.

scholarly journals ERP and Behavioral Effects of Physical and Cognitive Training on Working Memory in Aging: A Randomized Controlled Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick D. Gajewski ◽  
Michael Falkenstein
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Social Control ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Randomized Controlled Study ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Contact Control ◽  
Back Task

Working memory (WM) performance decreases with age. A promising method to improve WM is physical or cognitive training. The present randomized controlled study is aimed at evaluating the effects of different training methods on WM. A sample of 141 healthy older adults (mean age 70 years) was assigned to one of four groups: physical training, cognitive training, a social control group, and a no-contact control group. The participants trained for four months. Before and after the training, n-back task during an EEG recording was applied. The results show that cognitive training enhanced the target detection rate in the 2-back task. This was corroborated by an increased number of repeated digits in the backward digit-span test but not in other memory tests. The improvement of WM was supported by an increased P3a prior to a correct target and an increased P3b both in nontarget and target trials. No ERP effects in the physical and no-contact control groups were found, while a reduction of P3a and P3b was found in the social control group. Thus, cognitive training enhances frontal and parietal processing related to the maintenance of a stored stimulus for subsequent matching with an upcoming stimulus and increases allocation of cognitive resources. These results indicate that multidomain cognitive training may increase WM capacity and neuronal activity in older age.

scholarly journals Improving service delivery of water, sanitation, and hygiene in primary schools: a cluster-randomized trial in western Kenya

2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 507-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly T. Alexander ◽  
Robert Dreibelbis ◽  
Matthew C. Freeman ◽  
Betty Ojeny ◽  
Richard Rheingans
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Randomized Trial ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Cluster Randomized Trial ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
Community Monitoring ◽  
Additional Funding ◽  
Cluster Randomized ◽  
Treated Drinking Water

Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs in schools have been shown to improve health and reduce absence. In resource-poor settings, barriers such as inadequate budgets, lack of oversight, and competing priorities limit effective and sustained WASH service delivery in schools. We employed a cluster-randomized trial to examine if schools could improve WASH conditions within existing administrative structures. Seventy schools were divided into a control group and three intervention groups. All intervention schools received a budget for purchasing WASH-related items. One group received no further intervention. A second group received additional funding for hiring a WASH attendant and making repairs to WASH infrastructure, and a third group was given guides for student and community monitoring of conditions. Intervention schools made significant improvements in provision of soap and handwashing water, treated drinking water, and clean latrines compared with controls. Teachers reported benefits of monitoring, repairs, and a WASH attendant, but quantitative data of WASH conditions did not determine whether expanded interventions out-performed our budget-only intervention. Providing schools with budgets for WASH operational costs improved access to necessary supplies, but did not ensure consistent service delivery to students. Further work is needed to clarify how schools can provide WASH services daily.

scholarly journals Development of a cognitive training program for the elderly

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 769-785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana Teles Santos Golino ◽  
Carmen Elvira Flores-Mendoza
Keyword(s):  
Training Program ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
Picture Completion ◽  
Coding Arithmetic ◽  
Matrix Reasoning ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Introduction: Plasticity in intellectual functioning has been the target of significant research investment. Among non-pharmacological interventions, cognitive training appears as a promising option for delaying the effects of aging on cognition. Objective: The present study describes the procedures of a cognitive training program for healthy Brazilian elderly persons (without diagnosis of dementia). Method: Cognitive tasks for the training of attention, processing speed, episodic memory and working memory were carried out. The program training was performed over 12 individual sessions, and included an Instruction Book, a Stimulus Book and Protocol Record. To assess the effects of training, five subtests of the WAIS-III test were used: Picture completion, Coding, Arithmetic, Matrix Reasoning and Digit Span. The cognitive training program was tested with 15 individuals, divided into an experimental group (EG), which received training, and a control group (CG). The EG was formed of seven participants, aged between 70 and 82 years (M=73.57, SD=4.11) and with an average schooling of 5.8 years (SD=1.02). The CG was formed by 8 participants, aged 69-77 years (M=74.00, SD=4.58), and who had an average schooling of 2.88 years (SD=2.58). Results: Repeated measures ANOVA revealed a training effect for three subtests: Coding: [F(1)=5.40, p=0.03, η2G=0.09], Arithmetic [F(1)=9.03, p=0.01, η2G=0.004] and Picture completion [F(1)=8.01, p=0.01, η2G=0.19]. There were no gain effects for Matrix Reasoning [F(1)=1.43, p=0.25] and Digit Span [F(1)=10.04, p<0.001]. Conclusion: The results of this pilot study show the importance of testing the impact of cognitive training through a randomized clinical trial to verify its effects on the mental performance of older adults. The importance of greater disclosure in literature of the construction procedures involved in cognitive training tasks, as well as the formulation of intervention strategies, is highlighted.

scholarly journals Cognitive training in Parkinson’s disease induces local, not global, changes in white matter microstructure

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Vriend ◽  
Tim D. van Balkom ◽  
Henk W. Berendse ◽  
Ysbrand D. van der Werf ◽  
Odile A. van den Heuvel
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Active Control ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Network Topology ◽  
Structural Connectivity ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Fiber Density ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
White Matter Microstructure

ABSTRACTPrevious studies have shown that cognitive training can improve cognitive performance in various neurodegenerative diseases but relatively little is known about the effects of cognitive training on the brain. Here we investigated the effects of our cognitive training paradigm, COGTIPS, on regional white matter microstructure and topology of the structural network. We previously showed that COGTIPS has small, positive effects on processing speed. A subsample of 79 PD patients (N=40 cognitive training group, N=39 active control group) underwent multi-shell diffusion weighted imaging pre- and post-intervention. Our pre-registered analysis plan (osf.io/cht6g) entailed calculating white matter microstructural integrity in five tracts of interest, including the anterior thalamic radiation (ATR) and calculating the topology of the structural connectome. Training-induced changes were analyzed with linear mixed-models. Relative to the active control condition, cognitive training had no effect on network topology. Cognitive training did lead to a reduction in fractional anisotropy in the ATR (B[SE]: -0.32 [0.12], p=0.01). This reduction was associated with faster responses on the ToL task (r = 0.42, P = 0.007), but this just fell short of our statistical threshold (P<0.006). Post-hoc analyses showed that this was not due to changes in fiber density and cross-section, suggesting that that the observed effect in the ATR are due to training-induced alterations in neighboring fibers running through the same voxels, such as intra-striatal and thalamo-striatal fibers. These results indicate that eight weeks of cognitive training do not alter network topology, but can have subtle local effects on structural connectivity.

A Randomized Trial to Encourage Healthy Eating Through Workplace Delivery of Fresh Food

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-276
Author(s):  
Rachel Feuerstein-Simon ◽  
Roxanne Dupuis ◽  
Ryan Schumacher ◽  
Carolyn C. Cannuscio
Keyword(s):  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Randomized Trial ◽  
Vegetable Consumption ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable Consumption ◽  
Community Supported Agriculture ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
End Point ◽  
Fresh Food

Purpose: This study aimed to increase the consumption of home-cooked meals among employees at a large urban worksite through a fully subsidized Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Design: Randomized trial. Setting: Worksite in a large northeast city. Participants: Employees were recruited through flyers, e-mail listservs, and outreach from departmental administrators (n = 60). Intervention: Intervention participants received 8 biweekly fresh food deliveries through a CSA program. They also received cooking education and support. Control participants received usual employee benefits. Measures: Consumption of meals prepared at home was the primary end point. Increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables was the secondary end point, and food insecurity was an exploratory end point. Analysis: Poisson regression was used to assess mean differences in weekly consumption of home-cooked meals. To assess differences in fruit and vegetable consumption and food insecurity, binary logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios. Results: Compared to the control group, intervention participants consumed 29% more home-cooked meals per week ( P < .01). Fruit and vegetable consumption also increased among intervention participants. The odds of at least twice-daily fruit consumption were 3.8 times higher among intervention participants than among controls, and the odds of at least twice-daily vegetable consumption were 6.2 times higher among intervention participants than among controls. Compared to control participants, intervention participants experienced a statistically significant 89% reduction in the odds of reporting food insecurity at follow-up, when controlling for baseline food insecurity. Participants reported perceived intervention benefits, including the opportunity to experiment with new, healthful foods without financial risk, as well as the social value of sharing recipes, food, and related conversation with colleagues. Conclusion: The study demonstrated the feasibility and potential positive effects of a subsidized workplace CSA program, augmented with cooking education and support.

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