clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00298558.

No abstract

Cognitive training improves mental abilities in older adults, but the trainability of persons with memory impairment is unclear. We conducted a subgroup analysis of subjects in the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) trial to examine this issue. ACTIVE enrolled 2802 non-demented, community-dwelling adults aged 65 years and older and randomly assigned them to one of four groups: Memory training, reasoning training, speed-of-processing training, or no-contact control. For this study, participants were defined as memory-impaired if baseline Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) sum recall score was 1.5 SD or more below predicted AVLT sum recall score from a regression-derived formula using age, education, ethnicity, and vocabulary from all subjects at baseline. Assessments were taken at baseline (BL), post-test, first annual (A1), and second annual (A2) follow-up. One hundred and ninety-three subjects were defined as memory-impaired and 2580 were memory-normal. Training gain as a function memory status (impaired vs. normal) was compared in a mixed effects model. Results indicated that memoryimpaired participants failed to benefit from Memory training but did show normal training gains after reasoning and speed training. Memory function appears to mediate response to structured cognitive interventions in older adults.

Elderly (60 to 82 years) and young (18 to 25 years) subjects were tested on a visual task in which noise items were present but did not require processing to test the hypotheses that elderly persons have more difficulty ignoring irrelevent stimuli and suppressing response competition than do younger persons. Tachistoscopically presented displays contained a precued central target letter either alone or flanked by noise items that required (1) a response the same as, or (2) opposite to that required by the target letter, or (3) did not require a response in this task. No evidence was found to support differentially greater response slowing by the elderly due to the presence of irrelevant stimuli. Elderly persons showed significantly less effects of response competition, suggesting that the two groups processed the task information differently. The results suggest that age differences in effects of perceptual noise and response competition are not general phenomena, but depend upon the demand characteristics of the specific task.

The goal of the present study was to determine whether personality traits are related to return to heavy drinking or drug use following treatment for substance abuse. Personality characteristics of one hundred and eight patients residing on an inpatient substance abuse treatment program were assessed. Personality traits were examined using the 5-factor model of personality as measured by the NEO-Personality Inventory. These patients were then followed for 1 year after discharge from the treatment program. These substance abuse patients scored higher than the NEO-Personality Inventory normative sample on the personality domains of Neuroticism and Conscientiousness. A survival analysis showed that Neuroticism and Conscientiousness from the NEO-Personality Inventory were significant predictors of relapse. Odds ratios showed that the risk of relapsing was greatest for those patients who were both low in conscientiousness and high in neuroticism. The relevance of these two broad personality dimensions to the development and maintenance of addiction is discussed. Treatment implications for patients who possess these personality risk factors are outlined.