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Updated: Jun 11, 2026
07:01
Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
Published on: September 20, 2020
Effects of memory training on cortical thickness in the elderly
Andreas Engvig1, Anders M Fjell, Lars T Westlye
1Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. andreas.engvig@gmail.com
Neuroimage
|June 29, 2010
Summary
Intensive memory training improved source memory and increased cortical thickness in older adults. This suggests that cognitive training can induce structural brain plasticity in the aging brain.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Brain plasticity is well-documented in younger individuals.
- The impact of cognitive training on macrostructural brain changes in older adults remains less understood.
- Mental stimulation may offer a cognitive reserve against brain aging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the short-term effects of memory training on cognition and brain structure in middle-aged and elderly individuals.
- To determine if intensive cognitive training can induce structural brain changes in older adults.
- To explore the relationship between structural brain changes and memory performance improvements.
Main Methods:
- An 8-week memory training program using the Method of Loci (MoL) was administered to one group.
- A control group received no intervention.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to measure cortical thickness changes pre- and post-intervention, alongside memory testing.
Main Results:
- Memory training significantly improved source memory performance.
- Participants in the memory training group exhibited regional increases in cortical thickness compared to controls.
- Improvements in cortical thickness in specific brain regions correlated with enhanced source memory recall.
Conclusions:
- Systematic mental exercise can induce short-term structural brain changes in the aging human brain.
- These findings demonstrate structural brain plasticity in elderly individuals.
- Further longitudinal studies are necessary to confirm long-term structural alterations from cognitive training.
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