Training working memory updating in Parkinson's disease: A randomised controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Frontostriatal dysfunction in Parkinson's disease (PD) is linked to working memory (WM) deficits and depression.
• Computerized cognitive rehabilitation offers a potential solution, but specific training protocols and accessible delivery methods are needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility and efficacy of home-based computerized cognitive training focused on WM updating in individuals with PD.
• To evaluate the impact of this training on trained and untrained WM tasks, other cognitive domains, and depression symptoms.

Main Methods:

• Fifty-two cognitively preserved PD patients were randomized into a 5-week WM training group or an active control group.
• The WM training group engaged in three weekly 30-minute sessions of adaptive computerized tasks targeting WM updating and maintenance.
• Cognitive performance and depression were assessed pre- and post-intervention.

Main Results:

• Home-based training was found to be feasible for PD patients.
• The WM training group demonstrated significant improvements on updating tasks and showed transfer effects to structurally similar untrained WM tasks.
• Depression scores decreased in the training group compared to the control group.

Conclusions:

• Patients with mild-to-moderate PD can successfully self-administer home-based computerized WM training.
• This training approach shows promise for improving WM and reducing depression in PD, with transfer effects similar to those seen in healthy older adults.