Inhibitory control training in healthy and highly educated older adults

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Executive function training is considered a promising tool for delaying the natural effects of aging on cognition. However, there are still few studies that propose a unimodal intervention with a focus on inhibitory control, and none of them has studied the effect of this type of intervention on older adults (OA). Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the benefits of inhibitory control training in healthy OA by comparing the two assessment time points, namely, before and after training. Methods: Twenty-seven participants were included after interview and checking the inclusion criteria. The training was based on the stop-signal paradigm and carried out in 21 sessions. Results: Participants performed better after training by reducing the false alarm error rate (i.e., for stop-signal trials), reducing omission error rate, showing an increase in hit rate, Go response time (i.e., for go-signal trials), stop-signal response time, and showing a decrease in the level of anxiety. The executive function training had no significant impact on the scores obtained in the complementary neuropsychological tests. Conclusions: These results are consistent with previous studies that support the viability and effectiveness of cognitive intervention for executive functions in OA and suggest a positive effect of the intervention, which may be related to the learning experience of a new and challenging task.