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Background: Subjective memory complaints (SMC) in the absence of psychiatric or neurological disorders are common among older adults. Although increasing numbers of individuals are suffering from SMC, research into interventions alleviating SMC is sparse. The present systematic review was conducted in order to present a clearer picture of the quality, quantity and outcomes of SMC intervention research. Methods: PubMed and PsychInfo were searched with a comprehensive search string delivering 4,496 hits. Abstracts and – if applicable – full texts of these studies were screened by independent raters according to predefined criteria. Fourteen relevant studies were included in the review. The categories of intervention were: conventional memory training (MT; n = 8), expectancy change (EC: cognitive restructuring, psychoeducation, etc.; n = 5), combined interventions (n = 5), physical training (n = 1), and physical and mental training combined (n = 2). The outcomes were: subjective memory measures, objective memory, depressive symptoms and well-being. Results: EC, followed by combined interventions, was most efficient in influencing subjective memory. MT or physical and mental training combined were not efficient. On objective memory, MT was the only efficient intervention. No effects were found on depressive symptoms and well-being, with low numbers of studies in these comparisons. Conclusion: EC seems to be most efficient in influencing SMC, whereas in objective memory MT is the only effective intervention. Depressive symptoms or well-being do not seem to be influenced significantly by any of the interventions. To date, the number of high-quality publications on SMC interventions is relatively low. More randomized controlled trials including measures of depressive symptoms and well-being are needed.

Testing of verbal fluency is currently part of standard presurgical neuropsychological assessment for patients with focal epilepsy. However, to date no systematic review has been conducted on semantic (SVF) and phonemic verbal fluency (PVF) in this patient group. The present review compares verbal fluency between healthy control subjects and subgroups of adult presurgical patients with focal epilepsy according to lateralisation and localisation of the dysfunction. PubMed was searched with a comprehensive search string. Abstracts of all studies and full-texts of potentially relevant studies were screened. Study quality was assessed by independent raters according to predefined criteria. 39 studies were included. Meta-analyses were performed to compare SVF and PVF across groups of patients with temporal (TLE) and frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE) as well as healthy controls (HC). Both patients with left- and right sided TLE were impaired on SVF and PVF compared to HC. Patients with left-sided TLE were slightly more impaired than patients with right-sided TLE. Patients with FLE showed a larger impairment in PVF than patients with TLE, whereas on SVF there was no difference between FLE and TLE. For TLE comparisons the study pool seems to have been sufficient, whereas more studies are needed to verify results for FLE. Semantic verbal fluency might not differentiate between FLE and TLE. While verbal fluency impairment was anticipated, especially in left-sided TLE and FLE patients, the impairment in patients with right-sided TLE was larger than expected. Results are discussed with regard to neuropsychological theory and practice.

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