Efeitos de um treino de atenção, memória e funções executivas na cognição de idosos saudáveis

Abstract

ResumoIntrodução: Estudos mostram declínio significativo em funções cognitivas, como memória, atenção e funções executivas ao longo do processo de envelhecimento normal. Objetivo: Verificar os efeitos de um treino de atenção, memória e funções executivas na cognição de idosos saudáveis. Métodos: 76 idosos saudáveis, divididos em grupo experimental (GE) e grupo controle (GC), cada um com 38 indivíduos. O GE recebeu doze sessões de treino de atenção, memória e funções executivas. Resultados: O GE no pós-teste apresentou melhor desempenho em tarefas de atenção, memória de trabalho, linguagem (inferências e escrita espontânea), praxia construcional, resolução de problemas e funções executivas. Conclusão: O treino revelou resultados significativos para uma intervenção de doze sessões, indicando que idosos saudáveis podem melhorar seu desempenho cognitivo. Palavras-chave: Treino cognitivo, idosos, memória, atenção, funções executivas. AbstractIntroduction: Studies show there is a significant decrease in cognitive functions such as attention, memory and executive functions throughout the normal aging process. Objective: To verify the effects of an attention, memory and executive functions training on the cognition of healthy elderly people. Methods: 76 healthy elderly subjects were divided into experimental (EG) and control groups (CG), both were composed by 38 participants each. The EG received 12 training sessions in attention, memory and executive functions. Results: In the post-test, the EG presented better performance in tasks of attention, working memory, language (inferences and spontaneous writing), constructional praxia, problems solving, and executive functions. Conclusion: The training revealed significant results for a 12-session intervention, indicating that healthy elderly individuals may improve their cognitive functions.

Impact of cognitive stimulation on depression, anxiety, cognition and functional capacity among adults and elderly participants of an open university for senior citizens

“…Another study demonstrated an improved cognitive performance in a healthy sample, in terms of their performance in tests of attention, memory, verbal memory, oral language, written language and constructional apraxia, when comparing the results of the experimental and control groups. 4 The results of a literature review demonstrated the promising and significant effects of CS on healthy elderly individuals, particularly in relation to memory, attention, executive function and the speed of processing. 32 Another study 33 sought to ascertain and compare the performance of adults and elderly individuals (n=79) in tests of attention, memory, mood and metamemory before and after 20 sessions of multidisciplinary cognitive stimulation in a large hospital in the city of São Paulo.…”

“…Furthermore, as a consequence of their higher level of education, these people may have performed less physical work in their lives and had greater access to health services, which led to them exhibiting better physical health conditions and a satisfactory memory performance, as previously discussed in the literature. 4 According to the World Health Organization, 22 depression is a psychiatric illness, in which the patient exhibits a deteriorating mood, reduced energy and decreased activity. Alterations to the individual's capacity to experience pleasure have also been confirmed, together with a loss of interest, low concentration levels and (usually) significant fatigue, even after exerting minimal effort.…”

“…One of the hypotheses proposed for this result was their participation in the cognitive stimulation group sessions, where they felt valued and were stimulated to modify their lifestyle, expand their knowledge and feel equal (or even better) than other people of the same age. 4 Valentjin et al 6 compared strategies of cognitive stimulation for groups and individuals. The authors found that the individuals exhibited no improvements in specific tests, although their anxiety levels did decrease.…”

“…These exercises include word memorization (to train the memory), searching for differences between images (to train attention to detail) and the completion of puzzles (to train constructive capacity), among others. 4 In Brazil, Yassuda et al 5 sought to confirm the effects of four sessions of an episodic memory stimulation program on 69 healthy elderly individuals. The post-test results showed that the individuals in the experimental group performed better, in terms of remembering the text and using memory strategies, than those in the control group.…”

Queixa subjetiva de memória e a relação com a fluência verbal em idosos ativos

“…The decline in cognitive skills becomes a factor associated with the increased risk of difficulty in performing instrumental activities of daily living and even difficulties in the social conviviality, which can cause depression and isolation (5) . During the aging process, it is natural for some cognitive functions to mitigate, such as attention, executive functions, and memory (6) , with the slowing of information processing (7) . With population aging, it is necessary to try to identify whether the difficulties related to the cognitive processes are within the standards of normality or characterize dementia processes (8) .…”