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Updated: Jul 10, 2026
07:01
Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
Published on: September 20, 2020
Cognitive training for persons with mild cognitive impairment.
1Research Center, Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Québec, Canada. Sylvie.belleville@umontreal.ca
International Psychogeriatrics
|October 26, 2007
Summary
Cognitive training may help delay cognitive decline in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). More research is needed to confirm its effectiveness and identify optimal training methods.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Non-pharmacological cognitive training shows positive effects on healthy older adults' cognitive function.
- Studies suggest cognitive training may postpone cognitive and functional decline in older adults.
- Evidence supports cognitive training as a potential intervention for mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current evidence on the efficacy of cognitive training for individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
- To identify the need for well-controlled trials assessing cognitive training's impact on MCI.
- To highlight unresolved issues in cognitive training research for MCI.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses.
- Analysis of large-scale randomized trials on cognitive and functional decline.
- Examination of studies reporting cognitive training effects in MCI populations.
Main Results:
- Most studies on cognitive training in MCI report improved memory performance.
- Some studies show large to moderate effect sizes for cognitive training in MCI.
- A minority of studies report no significant effect of cognitive training on cognitive measures.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive training shows promise for improving cognitive function in individuals with MCI.
- Further high-quality, randomized controlled trials are necessary to establish efficacy.
- Key areas for future research include outcome measures, generalization, and intervention format.
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