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Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment

Published on: September 20, 2020

Cognitive training changes hippocampal function in mild cognitive impairment: a pilot study.

Allyson C Rosen¹, Lisa Sugiura, Joel H Kramer

¹Department of Psychiatry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. rosena@psych.stanford.edu

Journal of Alzheimer'S Disease : JAD

|October 6, 2011

Summary

Cognitive training improved verbal memory and hippocampal activation in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This suggests the hippocampus retains neuroplasticity for beneficial cognitive training outcomes.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Psychology
Medical Imaging

Background:

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is associated with memory deficits.
The neural mechanisms underlying response to cognitive interventions in MCI are not fully understood.
Neuroplasticity in the aging brain, particularly in MCI, is a key area of research.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the neural substrates of response to cognitive training in individuals with MCI.
To determine if cognitive training can enhance verbal memory and alter brain activity in the hippocampus.
To assess the neuroplasticity of the hippocampus in MCI.

Main Methods:

A randomized pilot experiment was conducted.
Participants with MCI were assigned to either a cognitive training group or an active control group.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activity during an auditory-verbal task before and after a two-month intervention.

Main Results:

The cognitive training group showed significant improvements in verbal memory scores.
Left hippocampal activation significantly increased in the experimental group (5/6 participants).
The control group showed reductions in verbal memory and hippocampal activation (6/6 participants).

Conclusions:

The hippocampus in individuals with MCI appears to retain sufficient neuroplasticity to benefit from cognitive training.
Cognitive training may be a viable strategy to enhance cognitive function and neural plasticity in MCI.
These findings support the potential of targeted interventions for cognitive decline.