Effectiveness of a Personalized Brain-Computer Interface System for Cognitive Training in Healthy Elderly: A...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Gerontology
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Cognitive training can enhance cognitive function in older adults.
• Previous research has not explored personalized training targeting individual brain activity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of a personalized neurofeedback cognitive training program in older adults.
• This is the first large-scale trial assessing personalized neurofeedback for cognitive enhancement.

Main Methods:

• A randomized-controlled trial involving adults aged 60-80 with specific cognitive scores (CDR 0-0.5, MMSE ≥24) and no neuropsychiatric diagnoses.
• Participants were assigned to an intervention group using the BRAINMEM system (attention, working memory, delayed recall) or a waitlist-control group.
• The intervention included 24 sessions over eight weeks, followed by three monthly booster sessions, with the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) as the primary outcome measure.

Main Results:

• No significant overall cognitive performance differences were found between groups post-intervention.
• A significant sex moderation effect was observed (p = 0.014).
• Older males in the intervention group showed significant improvement compared to the waitlist group (p = 0.046), while females showed similar improvements in both groups from baseline.

Conclusions:

• Personalized neurofeedback cognitive training appears feasible and potentially effective for older males.
• The observed sex moderation effect underscores the need to consider sex as a factor in designing and implementing cognitive training programs.
• Further research is warranted to explore these sex-specific differences in cognitive training outcomes.