Long-term maintenance of gains from memory training in older adults: two 3 1/2-year follow-up studies

This study investigated long-term effects from memory training in healthy older adults, using samples from two previous studies showing maintenance of gains 6 months after training. In both studies, a multifactorial memory training program (encoding operations, attentional functions, and relaxation) was compared with other training programs. The results from both studies showed that all groups performed at the same level in the 3 1/2-year follow-up as in the 6-month follow-up. Most important, the groups receiving training in encoding operations performed at higher levels at the 3 1/2-year assessment compared with pretest. These data indicate that memory training may result in long-term effects for older adults in tasks that are congruent with the training activity.