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Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
Published on: September 20, 2020
Training-induced cerebral changes in the elderly.
Christina Degen1, Johannes Schröder1
1Section of Geriatric Psychiatry, and Institute of Gerontology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience
|April 23, 2013
Summary
Cognitive training in older adults enhances brain plasticity, leading to structural increases and more efficient neural processing. However, this economization effect may be absent or reversed in patient groups, highlighting cognitive reserve.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Aging populations necessitate strategies for cognitive function maintenance.
- Neuropsychological and behavioral measures frequently demonstrate training effectiveness in older adults.
- Modern neuroimaging offers novel insights into brain changes associated with practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review studies using fMRI and PET to assess practice-induced brain changes in older adults.
- To explore structural and functional brain alterations following cognitive, cardiovascular, and sensorimotor training.
- To discuss the implications for cognitive reserve and compensatory mechanisms in aging.
Main Methods:
- Review of selected studies employing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET).
- Analysis of neuroimaging data to identify structural and functional brain changes.
- Examination of behavioral and neuropsychological performance measures.
Main Results:
- Practice-induced structural changes include volumetric increases in the brain.
- Functional changes involve neural network reorganization, altered activity levels (decreases and increases).
- Evidence suggests the aging brain retains significant plasticity, with practice potentially leading to more efficient processing (economization).
Conclusions:
- The aging brain exhibits substantial plasticity, with training promoting structural and functional adaptations.
- Economization of neural resources during task performance is observed in healthy older adults but may differ in patient groups.
- The concepts of cognitive reserve and compensatory mechanisms are crucial for understanding individual differences in response to training in aging and disease.
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