Mindfulness Training for Older Adults with Subjective Cognitive Decline: Results from a Pilot Randomized Controlled...

Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) in older adults is a condition with a complex phenomenology and diverse etiologies including (but not limited to) mood, personality, and health concerns, as well as biomarkers of preclinical Alzheimer's disease such as amyloid-β deposition and gray matter volume loss. Approximately 60% of affected persons are estimated to decline to Alzheimer's dementia. Regardless of etiology, persons with SCD may be optimal targets for early intervention.

To ascertain the feasibility and impact of mindfulness training (MT) as an early intervention in persons with SCD.

Using a single-blind, randomized controlled trial design, older adults with (n = 14) and without (n = 22) SCD were randomized to either MT or a control condition of psychoeducation (PE) on cognitive aging. EEG/ERP (specifically, the P3 component), structural MRI, and self-report measures of psychological functioning were obtained within 4 weeks prior to and within 2 weeks following intervention.

MT resulted in decreased reaction time intra-individual variability for all participants, with a selective increase in the P3 event-related component for those with SCD. Compared with PE, MT also resulted in an increase in percent volume brain change in structural MRI. Finally, all SCD participants reported a decrease in cognitive complaints and increase in memory self-efficacy following intervention.

Results suggest that MT is a feasible early intervention in persons with SCD. Longer-term follow-up with larger sample sizes will determine whether MT can slow the rate of decline in persons who may be at risk for Alzheimer's dementia.