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Updated: Jun 14, 2025
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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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Cognitive Training During Midlife: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Chen Zhu1, Shalini Arunogiri2, Qi Li1
1HER Centre Australia, Department of Psychiatry, School of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Neuropsychology Review
|September 5, 2024
Summary
Cognitive training (CT) significantly improves executive function, verbal memory, and working memory in middle-aged adults. This suggests CT can promote optimal cognitive health, especially for women during menopause.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Psychology
- Gerontology and Women's Health
Background:
- Midlife is a critical period for cognitive health interventions.
- Cognitive training (CT) effects in healthy middle-aged adults, particularly during menopause, remain under-investigated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically investigate the impact of CT on cognitive functions in healthy middle-aged adults.
- To specifically examine CT benefits for women undergoing the menopausal transition.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive literature search was conducted from inception to July 2023.
- Meta-analysis included eight studies (7765 participants), categorizing CT types and cognitive outcomes.
- Subgroup analyses explored transfer effects (near vs. far) and CT clusters.
Main Results:
- Meta-analysis revealed significant improvements in executive function (0.48, 95% CI 0.08-0.87).
- Significant gains were observed in verbal memory (0.22, 95% CI 0.11-0.33) and working memory (0.16, 95% CI 0.05-0.26).
- CT demonstrated benefits across multiple cognitive domains.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive training offers significant benefits for key cognitive domains in midlife adults.
- CT shows potential as a strategy to maintain and enhance cognitive function during midlife, including the menopausal transition.
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