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Updated: Jul 20, 2025
07:01
Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
Published on: September 20, 2020
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Online physical exercise program with music improves working memory
Ken-Ichi Tabei1, Jun-Ichi Ogawa2, Chiaki Kamikawa3
1Graduate School of Industrial Technology, Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology, Tokyo Metropolitan Public University Corporation, Tokyo, Japan.
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
|July 31, 2023
Summary
An online physical exercise program with music significantly improved working memory in older adults. This intervention offers a viable alternative for dementia prevention when face-to-face treatments are limited.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Face-to-face non-pharmacological treatments for dementia prevention are challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Online interventions are emerging as crucial alternatives for cognitive health maintenance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of an online physical exercise program with music on cognitive function in healthy older adults.
- To assess the impact of this digital intervention on working memory and other cognitive domains.
Main Methods:
- 114 healthy older adults participated, with 75 in the intervention group and 39 in the control group.
- The intervention group engaged in a 20-session online physical exercise with music program via a conferencing system.
- Cognitive function was assessed using neuropsychological tests and an online subtle cognitive decline examination, including the N-back task.
Main Results:
- The physical exercise with music group demonstrated significant improvement in the N-back task compared to the control group (p = 0.008).
- This suggests enhanced working memory performance following the online intervention.
Conclusions:
- The online physical exercise with music program effectively improved working memory, a function primarily associated with the frontal lobe.
- This digital approach provides a promising avenue for cognitive enhancement and dementia prevention in older adults.
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