Objetivou-se com este estudo testar a eficácia de treino cognitivo de seis sessões, baseado na apresentação e prática de estratégias de memória (categorização) e na realização de atividades que recrutam as funções executivas, oferecido a idosos. Objetivou-se, também, identificar e comparar as estratégias mnemônicas utilizadas pelos participantes antes e após treino, segundo faixas de escolaridade. Participaram do estudo 31 idosos, divididos em Grupo 1 (com até 8 anos de escolaridade) e Grupo 2 (com 9 anos ou mais). Foram aplicadas questões sociodemográficas, escalas cognitivas e uma lista de estratégias possíveis para identificação das estratégias usadas. Os resultados indicaram a influência da escolaridade no uso de estratégias de memória no pré-teste. No pós-teste, apontaram para aumento na velocidade de processamento e na utilização de estratégias. Concluiu-se que o uso de estratégias, a autoeficácia para a memória e o ganho após o treino cognitivo podem ser influenciados pela escolaridade.

Executive functions (EF) refer to the cognitive skills necessary to formulate a goal, plan, execute plans effectively, and to perform self-monitoring and self-correction. Several aspects of EF change during the normal aging process.ObjectivesTo train skills associated with executive functions in the elderly and to detect possible impact on objective EF tests and self-reports of functional status.MethodsA cross-sectional study involving an intervention and pre and post testing was carried out. Study participants included 26 seniors assigned to an experimental group (EG) and given six sessions of cognitive intervention, and 17 seniors assigned to a control group (CG) who completed pre and post testing only. All participants were enrolled in an Open University for the Third Age. The following tests were used to measure outcome: the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), the Story subtest of the Rivermead Behavioral Memory Test (RBMT) (versions A and B), semantic verbal fluency fruit category, and verbal fluency with phonological constraints (FAS), WAIS-III Digit Span, Clock Drawing Test (CDT), Trail Making Part A and the Pfeffer Functional Assessment Questionnaire (PFAQ). Delta scores were calculated (post-test score minus pretest score) to assess the impact of the intervention.ResultsIn the post test, the CG showed significant improvement on the RBMT Story recall and Digit Span but a decline in verbal fluency. The EG remained stable in terms of pre and post test scores.ConclusionsThe intervention did not enhance performance on the EF tests. It is noteworthy that the EG received only a small number of sessions which may not have been sufficient to generate improvement. Alternatively, the lack of group differences observed could be associated to participation in other workshops offered at the university.

Although the prevalence of depressive disorders among the elderly is lower than among the younger population, the presence of significant symptoms of depression is common in this group. Studies report that participation in social, educational and leisure activities is related to fewer depressive symptoms in this population.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of depression among elderly participants of an Open University for the Third Age, in terms of the time studying.MethodsThe study had a cross-sectional design and the participation of 95.2% (n=184) of total enrollers in the first half of 2010 on the activities of the Third Age Open University’s School of Arts, Sciences and Humanities of the University of São Paulo. All participants answered a socio-demographic questionnaire and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15).ResultsAn association between studying time of over one semester at the University of the Third Age and a lower rate of depressive symptoms, was observed.ConclusionStudy time of over one semester was associated with less depressive symptoms, acting as a possible protective factor against depression.

A systematic review of the neuroanatomical literature was performed to determine the neuropharmacological aspects most relevant to the study of memory processes. Articles were retrieved using the search terms "biology of memory", "memory and aging", "memory impairment", "elderly and memory," and their equivalents in Portuguese. Of the studies surveyed, five studies dealt with epidemiological and demographic issues, 12 were clinical trials i.e. were based on testing and implementation of instruments in human subjects, 33 studies were basic research involving studies of mice, rats and non-human primates, and biochemical and in vitro trials and finally, 52 studies were literature reviews or book chapters which in our view, fell into this category.ConclusionsThe work sought to highlight which neural networks are most involved in processing information, as well as their location within brain regions and the way in which neurotransmitters interact with each other for the formation of these memories. Moreover, it was shown how memory changes during the normal human aging process, both positively and negatively, by analyzing the morphological alterations that occur in the brain of aging individuals.