A cognitive training intervention improves modality-specific attention in a randomized controlled trial of healthy older adults

Abstract

Age-related deficits in cognitive and sensory function can result in increased distraction from background sensory stimuli. This randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of a cognitive training intervention aimed at helping healthy older adults suppress irrelevant auditory and visual stimuli. Sixty-six participants received 8 weeks of either the modality-specific attention training program or an educational lecture control program. Participants who completed the intervention program had larger improvements in modality-specific selective attention following training than controls. These improvements also correlated with reductions in bimodal integration during selective attention. Further, the intervention group showed larger improvements than the control group in non-trained domains such as processing speed and dual-task completion, demonstrating the utility of modality-specific attention training for improving cognitive function in healthy older adults.

The impact of cognitive training and mental stimulation on cognitive and everyday functioning of healthy older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Consistent with research reporting that transfer depends on the type and duration of training (Klingberg, 2010;Owen et al, 2010;van Muijden et al, 2012), interventions using adaptive and repetitive training sessions (Borella et al, 2010;Carretti et al, 2012;Mozolic et al, 2011;Richmond et al, 2011;Smith et al, 2009) Maintenance was reported in nine out of ten cognitive training interventions, lasting between 3 and 6 months. These findings are consistent with reports from other reviews that training effects can be preserved for at least a couple of months in both memory and executive domains (Reijnders et al, 2012;Verhaeghen, 2000).…”

“…Contrary to prior reports (Owen et al, 2010;Papp et al, 2009) Papp et al, 2009;van Muijden et al, 2012;West, 2000), training most reliably produced transfer to tasks within the same cognitive domain, although seven cognitive training studies also reported transfer to untrained cognitive domains (Ball et al, 2002;Borella et al, 2010;Carretti et al, 2012;Cheng et al, 2012;Mozolic et al, 2011;Richmond et al, 2011;Smith et al, 2009). Consistent with research reporting that transfer depends on the type and duration of training (Klingberg, 2010;Owen et al, 2010;van Muijden et al, 2012), interventions using adaptive and repetitive training sessions (Borella et al, 2010;Carretti et al, 2012;Mozolic et al, 2011;Richmond et al, 2011;Smith et al, 2009) Maintenance was reported in nine out of ten cognitive training interventions, lasting between 3 and 6 months.…”

“…In individual studies (table 2), significant improvements for intervention groups were reported in seven out of 15 memory outcome measures (Legault et al, 2011;Mahncke et al, 2006;Mozolic et al, 2011;Peretz et al, 2011;Richmond et al, 2011;Smith et al, 2009), 17 out of 29 measures of executive function (Borella et al, 2010;Carretti et al, 2012;Legault et al, 2011;Mahncke et al, 2006;Mozolic et al, 2011;Nouchi et al, 2012;Peretz et al, 2011;Richmond et al, 2011;Smith et al, 2009), and six out of nine composite measures of cognitive function (McDougall et al, 2010). None of the studies included measures of everyday functioning.…”

“…For secondary outcomes, significant improvements were reported for training versus control in three out of four subjective measures of cognitive performance (McDougall et al, 2010;Richmond et al, 2011;Smith et al, 2009). Transfer of training effects were reported in nine out of ten trials: five reported transfer to untrained tasks within the same domain (Borella et al, 2010;Carretti et al, 2012;Mahncke et al, 2006;Nouchi et al, 2012;Peretz et al, 2011) and six to other cognitive domains (Borella et al, 2010;Carretti et al, 2012;McDougall et al, 2010;Mozolic et al, 2011;Richmond et al, 2011;Smith et al, 2009). Four out of five trials that included follow-up assessments reported maintenance of training effects (Borella et al, 2010;Carretti et al, 2012;Mahncke et al, 2006;Smith et al, 2009).…”

Memory and Cognitive Prevention Training for Typically Aging Seniors in a University Clinic Setting: A Feasibility Study

“…In the current study, the Individual CT training context may have been more facilitative, simply due to the ostensible lack of distraction as compared to the busier and nosier Group CT setting. It has been suggested that distraction, and the decreased ability to focus without being distracted is one of the hallmarks, and conceivably one of the principal challenges to an elderly adult learner [33,34].…”