scholarly journals Effects of Computerized Updating and Inhibition Training in Older Adults: The ACTOP Three-Arm Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnaud Boujut ◽  
Lynn Valeyry Verty ◽  
Samantha Maltezos ◽  
Maxime Lussier ◽  
Samira Mellah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Active Control ◽  
Attentional Control ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Dose Effect ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Transfer Tasks ◽  
Inhibition Training

Background: Working memory (WM) capacity declines with advancing age, which impacts the ability to carry out complex cognitive activities in everyday life. Updating and inhibition processes have been identified as some of the most critical attentional control processes of WM and are linked to age-related WM decline. The general aim of the Attentional Control Training in Older People (ACTOP) study was to perform a side-by-side comparison of updating and inhibition training to examine their respective efficacy and transfer in cognitively healthy older adults.Method: The study was a three-arm, double-blind, randomized controlled trial registered with the US National Institutes of Health clinical trials registry. Ninety older adults were randomly assigned to 12 half-hour sessions of updating (N-back type exercises), inhibition (Stroop-like exercises) computerized training or active control (general knowledge quiz game). A group of thirty younger adults completed all proximal and WM transfer tasks without training to assess age-related deficits prior to training and whether training reduces these deficits.Results: Piecewise mixed models show quick improvement of performance during training for both updating and inhibition training. During updating training, the progression was more pronounced for the most difficult (3-back) than for the least (1-back) difficult level until the ninth session. Updating and inhibition training groups improved performance on all proximal and WM transfer measures but these improvements did not differ from the active control group. Younger adults outperformed older ones on all transfer tasks prior to training. However, this was no longer the case following training for two transfer tasks regardless of the training group.Conclusion: The overall results from this study suggest that attentional control training is effective in improving updating and inhibition performance on training tasks. The optimal dose to achieve efficacy is ~9 half-hour sessions and the dose effect was related to difficulty level for updating training. Despite an overall improvement of older adults on all transfer tasks, neither updating nor inhibition training provided additional improvements in comparison with the active control condition. This suggests that the efficacy of process-based training does not directly affect transfer tasks.Clinical Trial Registration:www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT03532113

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.

scholarly journals Assessing the Effect of Training on the Cognition and Brain of Older Adults: Protocol for a Three-Arm Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial (ACTOP) (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnaud Boujut ◽  
Samira Mellah ◽  
Maxime Lussier ◽  
Samantha Maltezos ◽  
Lynn Valeyry Verty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
First Results ◽  
Imaging Dose ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND To prevent age-related cognitive impairment, many intervention programs offer exercises targeting different central cognitive processes. However, the effects of different process-based training programs are rarely compared within equivalent experimental designs. OBJECTIVE Using a randomized double-blind controlled trial, this project aims to examine and compare the impact of 2 process-based interventions, inhibition and updating, on the cognition and brain of older adults. METHODS A total of 90 healthy older adults were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 training conditions: (1) inhibition (Stroop-like exercises), (2) updating (N-back-type exercises), and (3) control active (quiz game exercise). Training was provided in 12 half-hour sessions over 4 weeks. First, the performance gain observed will be measured on the trained tasks. We will then determine the extent of transfer of gain on (1) untrained tasks that rely on the same cognitive process, (2) complex working memory (WM) measurements hypothesized to involve 1 of the 2 trained processes, and (3) virtual reality tasks that were designed to mimic real-life situations that require WM. We will assess whether training increases cortical volume given that the volume of the cortex is determined by cortical area and thickness in regions known to be involved in WM or changes task-related brain activation patterns measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging. Dose effects will be examined by measuring outcomes at different time points during training. We will also determine whether individual characteristics moderate the effect of training on cognitive and cerebral outcomes. Finally, we will evaluate whether training reduces the age-related deficit on transfer and brain outcomes, by comparing study participants to a group of 30 younger adults. RESULTS The project was funded in January 2017; enrollment began in October 2017 and data collection was completed in April 2019. Data analysis has begun in June 2020 and the first results should be published by the end of 2020 or early 2021. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study will help understand the relative efficacy of 2 attentional control interventions on the cognition and the brain of older adults, as well as the moderating role of individual characteristics on training efficiency and transfer. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03532113; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03532113 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT DERR1-10.2196/20430

scholarly journals Assessing the Effect of Training on the Cognition and Brain of Older Adults: Protocol for a Three-Arm Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial (ACTOP)

10.2196/20430 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. e20430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnaud Boujut ◽  
Samira Mellah ◽  
Maxime Lussier ◽  
Samantha Maltezos ◽  
Lynn Valeyry Verty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
First Results ◽  
Imaging Dose ◽  
The Impact

Background To prevent age-related cognitive impairment, many intervention programs offer exercises targeting different central cognitive processes. However, the effects of different process-based training programs are rarely compared within equivalent experimental designs. Objective Using a randomized double-blind controlled trial, this project aims to examine and compare the impact of 2 process-based interventions, inhibition and updating, on the cognition and brain of older adults. Methods A total of 90 healthy older adults were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 training conditions: (1) inhibition (Stroop-like exercises), (2) updating (N-back-type exercises), and (3) control active (quiz game exercise). Training was provided in 12 half-hour sessions over 4 weeks. First, the performance gain observed will be measured on the trained tasks. We will then determine the extent of transfer of gain on (1) untrained tasks that rely on the same cognitive process, (2) complex working memory (WM) measurements hypothesized to involve 1 of the 2 trained processes, and (3) virtual reality tasks that were designed to mimic real-life situations that require WM. We will assess whether training increases cortical volume given that the volume of the cortex is determined by cortical area and thickness in regions known to be involved in WM or changes task-related brain activation patterns measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging. Dose effects will be examined by measuring outcomes at different time points during training. We will also determine whether individual characteristics moderate the effect of training on cognitive and cerebral outcomes. Finally, we will evaluate whether training reduces the age-related deficit on transfer and brain outcomes, by comparing study participants to a group of 30 younger adults. Results The project was funded in January 2017; enrollment began in October 2017 and data collection was completed in April 2019. Data analysis has begun in June 2020 and the first results should be published by the end of 2020 or early 2021. Conclusions The results of this study will help understand the relative efficacy of 2 attentional control interventions on the cognition and the brain of older adults, as well as the moderating role of individual characteristics on training efficiency and transfer. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03532113; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03532113 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/20430

Age-Related Differences in Motivational Integration and Cognitive Control

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Marianne Yee ◽  
Sarah L Adams ◽  
Asad Beck ◽  
Todd Samuel Braver
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Monetary Reward ◽  
Potential Candidate ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Cognitive Task Performance

Motivational incentives play an influential role in value-based decision-making and cognitive control. A compelling hypothesis in the literature suggests that the brain integrates the motivational value of diverse incentives (e.g., motivational integration) into a common currency value signal that influences decision-making and behavior. To investigate whether motivational integration processes change during healthy aging, we tested older (N=44) and younger (N=54) adults in an innovative incentive integration task paradigm that establishes dissociable and additive effects of liquid (e.g., juice, neutral, saltwater) and monetary incentives on cognitive task performance. The results reveal that motivational incentives improve cognitive task performance in both older and younger adults, providing novel evidence demonstrating that age-related cognitive control deficits can be ameliorated with sufficient incentive motivation. Additional analyses revealed clear age-related differences in motivational integration. Younger adult task performance was modulated by both monetary and liquid incentives, whereas monetary reward effects were more gradual in older adults and more strongly impacted by trial-by-trial performance feedback. A surprising discovery was that older adults shifted attention from liquid valence toward monetary reward throughout task performance, but younger adults shifted attention from monetary reward toward integrating both monetary reward and liquid valence by the end of the task, suggesting differential strategic utilization of incentives. Together these data suggest that older adults may have impairments in incentive integration, and employ different motivational strategies to improve cognitive task performance. The findings suggest potential candidate neural mechanisms that may serve as the locus of age-related change, providing targets for future cognitive neuroscience investigations.

Internet Navigation Skills for Financial Management: Associations with Age, Neurocognitive Performance, and Functional Capacity

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samina Rahman ◽  
Victoria Kordovski ◽  
Savanna Tierney ◽  
Steven Paul Woods
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Functional Capacity ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
Internet Banking ◽  
Online Banking ◽  
Neurocognitive Performance ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Neurocognitive Functions ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Use Factors

Objective: Online banking is becoming increasingly common among older adults, whomay experience difficulties effectively navigating this instrumental technology. Thisstudy examined age effects on a performance-based Internet banking task and itsassociation with neurocognitive ability and functional capacity in older and youngeradults. Method: Thirty-five older adults and 50 younger adults completed anexperimenter-controlled online banking measure in which they independentlyperformed a series of naturalistic financial tasks (e.g., account transfers, bill paying).Participants also completed a standardized battery of neuropsychological tests andmeasures of functional capacity. Results: Older adults were markedly slower and lessaccurate in completing the Internet-based banking task, which was not confounded byother demographic, mood, or computer use factors. Higher scores on measures ofneurocognition and financial functional capacity were both strongly associated withhigher Internet-based banking task accuracy scores and quicker completion times inthe older, but not the younger adults. Conclusions: Findings suggest that older adultsexperience difficultly quickly and accurately navigating online banking platforms, whichmay be partly related to age-related declines in neurocognitive functions and basicfinancial capacity. Future studies might examine whether neurocognitive approaches toremediation and compensation can be used to improve online banking capacity inolder adults.

scholarly journals Effects of 12 Weeks Cosmos caudatus Supplement among Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized, Double-Blind and Placebo-Controlled Trial

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 434
Author(s):  
Yee Xing You ◽  
Suzana Shahar ◽  
Nor Fadilah Rajab ◽  
Hasnah Haron ◽  
Hanis Mastura Yahya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Mood Disturbance ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Blood Biochemical ◽  
Cosmos Caudatus ◽  
Total Mood Disturbance ◽  
Biochemical Profiles

Cosmos caudatus (CC) contains high flavonoids and might be beneficial in neuroprotection. It has the potential to prevent neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effects of 12 weeks of Cosmos caudatus supplement on cognitive function, mood status, blood biochemical profiles and biomarkers among older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) through a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The subjects were randomized into CC supplement (n = 24) and placebo group (n = 24). Each of them consumed one capsule of CC supplement (250 mg of CC/capsule) or placebo (500 mg maltodextrin/capsule) twice daily for 12 weeks. Cognitive function and mood status were assessed at baseline, 6th week, and 12th week using validated neuropsychological tests. Blood biochemical profiles and biomarkers were measured at baseline and 12th week. Two-way mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) analysis showed significant improvements in mini mental state examination (MMSE) (partial η2 = 0.150, p = 0.049), tension (partial η2 = 0.191, p = 0.018), total mood disturbance (partial η2 = 0.171, p = 0.028) and malondialdehyde (MDA) (partial η2 = 0.097, p = 0.047) following CC supplementation. In conclusion, 12 weeks CC supplementation potentially improved global cognition, tension, total mood disturbance, and oxidative stress among older adults with MCI. Larger sample size and longer period of intervention with incorporation of metabolomic approach should be conducted to further investigate the underlying mechanism of CC supplementation in neuroprotection.

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.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document