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This literature paper investigated the efficacy of 14 cognitive intervention programs administered to healthy elderly participants. PsycINFO and PubMed databases were searched using the following terms: cognitive training, cognitive stimulation, elderly, and aging. The majority of participants (13/14 studies) were recruited in community. Nine out of 14 studies targeted memory as the principal cognitive function to train or stimulate. Face-name associations, mental imagery, paired associations, and the method of loci were the main techniques taught to participants. Improvements were observed on at least one outcome measure in each study included in this paper. Recommendations to improve cognitive interventions in the healthy elderly are proposed, such as the utilization of more robust experimental designs, the inclusion of measures of generalization of training in daily life, the assessment of instrumental activities of daily living, quality of life, and self-esteem.

This study aimed to determine the efficacy of cognitive training in a 10-week randomised controlled study involving 22 individuals presenting with mild cognitive impairment of the amnestic type (MCI-A). Participants in the experimental group (n = 11) learned face-name associations using a paradigm combining errorless (EL) learning and spaced retrieval (SR) whereas participants in the control group (n = 11) were trained using an errorful (EF) learning paradigm. Psycho-educational sessions on memory were also provided to all participants. After neuropsychological screening and baseline evaluations, the cognitive training took place in 6 sessions over a 3-week period. The post-training and follow-up evaluations, at one and four weeks respectively, were performed by research assistants blind to the participant's study group. The results showed that regardless of the training condition, all participants improved their capacity to learn face-name associations. A significant amelioration was also observed in participant satisfaction regarding their memory functioning and in the frequency with which the participants used strategies to support memory functions in daily life. The absence of difference between groups on all variables might be partly explained by the high variability of scores within the experimental group. Other studies are needed in order to verify the efficacy of EL learning and SR over EF in MCI-A.

The psychometric properties of the clinician, informant, and self-rated versions of the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES-C/I/S) were examined using data on 121 outpatients seen in a behavioral neurology clinic for the assessment of dementia and associated neuropsychiatric disorders. Two factors, apathy and interest, were identified for the AES-C and the AES-I. The AES-S had only an apathy factor. The AES-C was found to have fairly good psychometric properties. However, from a diagnostic point of view, the AES-I provided the greatest sensitivity and the strongest positive and negative predictive values. Generally, the AES-S performed poorly compared with the AES-C and AES-I.

Dementia with Lewy bodies is a relatively common cause of dementia. Much has been learned about this disorder, yet much remains to be elucidated, especially in regard to early clinical diagnosis. To clarify the future research agenda in this area, the authors critically appraise the literature on cognitive and behavioral changes in DLB and provide a brief overview of the history of DLB, the main pathological changes, and the findings related to extrapyramidal symptoms and treatment issues. Twenty-one studies on cognition and 47 on behavioral changes in DLB are reviewed. Impairments of working memory and visuospatial functions, visual hallucinations, and depression (or symptoms of depression such as apathy and anxiety) have been identified as early indicators of DLB. However, longitudinal and cross-sectional data are lacking, particularly for different aspects of working memory, visual perception, and non-psychotic behavioral symptoms.

This preliminary examination of the CLSA Tracking cognitive measures lends support to their use in large studies of aging. The CLSA has the potential to provide the 'best' comparison data for adult Canadians generated to date and may also be applicable more broadly. Future studies examining relations among the psychological, biological, health, lifestyle, and social measures within the CLSA will make unique contributions to understanding aging.

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