Cortical Thickness Changes After Computerized Working Memory Training in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neuroimaging
• Genetics

Background:

• Adaptive computerized working memory (WM) training shows benefits in healthy individuals, but its effects on brain morphology in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are not well understood.
• Previous research indicates potential for WM training to influence cerebral cortical thickness, yet data in MCI populations remain limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in longitudinal cortical thickness changes between adaptive and non-adaptive WM training in patients with MCI.
• To explore the influence of LMX1A and APOE-ε4 genotypes on cortical thickness trajectories following WM training in MCI patients.

Main Methods:

• A double-blind randomized study involving 81 individuals with MCI underwent 25 WM training sessions over 5 weeks.
• Longitudinal structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to analyze cortical thickness at baseline, 4, and 16 weeks post-training.
• Linear Mixed Effects (LME) models analyzed training effects and genotype impacts (LMX1A, APOE-ε4) on cortical thickness, controlling for false discovery rate.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in cortical thickness trajectories were observed between adaptive and non-adaptive WM training groups in MCI patients.
• Overall, no significant structural cortical changes were detected post-training across all participants, irrespective of training type.
• LMX1A-AA genotype carriers exhibited increased cortical thickness trajectories compared to LMX1A-GG/GA carriers; APOE-ε4 status did not influence training outcomes.

Conclusions:

• WM training, whether adaptive or non-adaptive, did not lead to improved cortical thickness in this heterogeneous MCI cohort.
• The absence of significant atrophy suggests a stable cortical thickness during the follow-up period.
• The observed neuroplasticity in LMX1A-AA carriers warrants further investigation in future clinical trials.