Objectives The frontal lobe hypothesis of age‐related cognitive decline suggests that the deterioration of the prefrontal cortical regions that occurs with aging leads to executive function deficits. Photobiomodulation (PBM) is a newly developed, noninvasive technique for enhancing brain function, which has shown promising effects on cognitive function in both animals and humans. This randomized, sham‐controlled study sought to examine the effects of PBM on the frontal brain function of older adults. Methods/designs Thirty older adults without a neuropsychiatric history performed cognitive tests of frontal function (ie, the Eriksen flanker and category fluency tests) before and after a single 7.5‐minute session of real or sham PBM. The PBM device consisted of three separate light‐emitting diode cluster heads (633 and 870 nm), which were applied to both sides of the forehead and posterior midline, and delivered a total energy of 1349 J. Results Significant group (experimental, control) × time (pre‐PBM, post‐PBM) interactions were found for the flanker and category fluency test scores. Specifically, only the older adults who received real PBM exhibited significant improvements in their action selection, inhibition ability, and mental flexibility after vs before PBM. Conclusions Our findings support that PBM may enhance the frontal brain functions of older adults in a safe and cost‐effective manner.

Abnormal saccadic eye movements, such as longer anti-saccade latency and lower pro-saccade accuracy, are common in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of computerized eye-tracking training on improving saccadic eye movements in children with ADHD. Eighteen children with ADHD (mean age = 8.8 years, 10 males) were recruited and assigned to either the experimental (n = 9) or control group (n = 9). The experimental group underwent an accumulated 240 min of eye-tracking training within two weeks, whereas the control group engaged in web game playing for the same amount of time. Saccadic performances were assessed using the anti- and pro-saccade tasks before and after training. Compared to the baseline, only the children who underwent the eye-tracking training showed significant improvements in saccade latency and accuracy in the anti- and pro-saccade tasks, respectively. In contrast, the control group exhibited no significant changes. These preliminary findings support the use of eye-tracking training as a safe non-pharmacological intervention for improving the saccadic eye movements of children with ADHD.

Disinhibition is a common sign among children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The present study examined the effect of computerized eye-tracking training to improve inhibitory control in ADHD children. Thirty-two ADHD children (mean age = 8.4 years) were recruited. Half of the participants underwent 240 min of eye-tracking training over two weeks (i.e., experimental group), while the other half did not receive any training (i.e., control group). After training, the experimental group exhibited significant improvements in neuropsychological tests of inhibition, such as faster reaction time in the incongruent condition of the Flanker test, more unique designs in the Category Fluency and Five-Point Tests, and a faster completion time in Trail 2 of the Children’s Color Trail Test. The control group did not show significant changes in any of these tests. Our findings support the use of eye-tracking training to improve the inhibitory control of ADHD children.

Background: There has been much research devoted to examining the short-term effects of different interventions for improving memory functioning of older adults with memory complaints. Nevertheless, very few studies have examined the long-term effects of these interventions. Thus, the present study compared the sustained effects of a conventional memory intervention (MI) and a Chinese lifestyle intervention on improving memory functioning in older adults.Methods: Twenty-nine older adults who were aged 60 years and older and had memory complaints were recruited. Each completed 10 weekly sessions of the Dejian Mind-body Intervention (DMBI; n = 11) or MI (n = 18) approximately 18 months ago. Participants’ verbal and visual memory functioning and their subjective impression of the changes of their memory performance and physical and psychological health status were evaluated.Results: Results showed significant improvements in memory in both intervention groups at the follow-up assessments when compared with baseline. In addition, older adults in both intervention groups perceived improved memory performance and physical and psychological wellness at follow-up, with the DMBI group reporting significantly greater improvements in physical health compared to the MI group.Conclusion: Altogether, the present study provides supportive evidence that the DMBI and MI might be two effective remedies for older adults to improve or preserve their memory functioning with relatively sustained effects.