Learning mnemonics: Roles of aging and subtle cognitive impairment.

Yesavage, Jerome A.; Sheikh, Javaid I.; Friedman, Leah; Tanke, Elizabeth Decker

doi:10.1037/0882-7974.5.1.133

Cited by 88 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 13 publications

(22 reference statements)

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“…Furthermore, total selectivity was decomposed into two selectivity components: (a) a mortalityassociated component, or the extent to which individuals still alive at the beginning of the training study (n ϭ 184; January, 1998) differ from the parent sample of BASE (N ϭ 516; 1990 -1993), and (b) an experimental component, or the extent to which the present training sample (n ϭ 96; 1998) differs from the survivors (for details on computation of selectivity effects, see Lindenberger, Singer, & Baltes, 2002). of age differences in plasticity within the present sample of very old individuals, which stands in contrast both to earlier findings (Gratzinger, Sheikh, Friedman, & Yesavage, 1990;Verhaeghen et al, 1992;Yesavage et al, 1990) and to the observed magnification of age differences during training between young and very old participants.…”

Section: Effects Of Sample Selectivitycontrasting

confidence: 77%

Plasticity of memory for new learning in very old age: A story of major loss?

Singer¹,

Lindenberger²,

Baltes³

2003

Psychology and Aging

194

122

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Longitudinal survivors of the Berlin Aging Study (N ϭ 96, mean age ϭ 84 years, range 75-101 years) were instructed and trained in a mnemonic skill to examine plasticity of episodic memory performance in very old age. Performance gains after mnemonic instruction were modest, and most individuals were unable to further enhance their performance during 4 sessions of mnemonic practice. Whereas the proportion of variance explained by measures from the broad fluid-ability domain (e.g., perceptual speed) increased with training, the proportion of variance explained by crystallized-ability domain (e.g., word knowledge) and sociobiographical variables decreased. Furthermore, prior 6-year longitudinal changes (loss) in perceptual speed predicted individual differences in plasticity. Results suggest that aginginduced biological factors are a prominent source of individual differences in cognitive plasticity in very old age.

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Section: Effects Of Sample Selectivitycontrasting

confidence: 77%

Plasticity of memory for new learning in very old age: A story of major loss?

Singer¹,

Lindenberger²,

Baltes³

2003

Psychology and Aging

194

122

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“…Thus, our finding that gains in non-verbal long-term memory, attention and set-shifting was predicted by female gender needs further investigation. The fact that higher age was a negative predictor for gains in (non-verbal) memory and attention is concordant with the notion that higher age is regarded to be associated with less brain and cognitive plasticity [25] and with other findings that younger age predict better training outcome of cognitive or memory training [69] The inconsistent results regarding technology commitment as a predictor for gains in figural memory, but losses in executive functions and speed of processing are hard to interpret-even more so when the results of [29] are taken into account that computer familiarity (although a slightly different construct) was not predictive at all for the success of computer-based memory…”

Section: E Kalbe Et Al Healthsupporting

confidence: 72%

Computerized Cognitive Training in Healthy Older Adults: Baseline Cognitive Level and Subjective Cognitive Concerns Predict Training Outcome

Kalbe¹,

Bintener²,

Ophey³

et al. 2018

Health

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Computerized cognitive training (CCT) can improve cognition in older adults. However, specific programs for this target group have rarely been developed, and predictors of training success are largely unclear. In a randomized controlled pilot trial, we examined effects of a six-week CCT, tailored to the cognitive profile of healthy older adults (EG, n = 21) as compared to a nonspecific CCT (CG, n = 18) matched in frequency and intensity. No interaction effects between Group and Time were found. However, within-group analysis showed significant gains in verbal and non-verbal memory, executive and visuospatial functions and subjective cognitive concerns (SCC) in the EG, while the CG only benefitted in non-verbal memory and set-shifting. Low cognitive performance and lower SCC at baseline were the most consistent predictors of cognitive gains in the EG. Thus, CCTs specifically tailored to older adults seem advantageous compared to non-specific CCT. Further, we conclude that SCC may be related to reduced cognitive plasticity.

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“…Rather, except for the gender distribution, this group was comparable to the facilitated old on several variables that have been linked to cognitive reserve capacity in old age, including the Mini Mental State Examination (24), digit symbol substitution (5), and calendar age (24). In addition, the two older groups had comparable levels of education and vocabulary.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Neural correlates of training-related memory improvement in adulthood and aging

Nyberg

Sandblom

Jones

et al. 2003

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

238

195

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Cognitive studies show that both younger and older adults can increase their memory performance after training in using a visuospatial mnemonic, although age-related memory deficits tend to be magnified rather than reduced after training. Little is known about the changes in functional brain activity that accompany training-induced memory enhancement, and whether age-related activity changes are associated with the size of training-related gains. Here, we demonstrate that younger adults show increased activity during memory encoding in occipito-parietal and frontal brain regions after learning the mnemonic. Older adults did not show increased frontal activity, and only those elderly persons who benefited from the mnemonic showed increased occipitoparietal activity. These findings suggest that age-related differences in cognitive reserve capacity may reflect both a frontal processing deficiency and a posterior production deficiency.T he existence of age-related deficits in episodic memory functioning are well documented (1). Given the impact of such deficits, much research has been directed at examining possible means of enhancing memory performance in older adults by various forms of cognitive support (2). One approach that has received considerable attention involves estimation of latent cognitive potential, or cognitive reserve capacity, in older age (3). In one variant of this approach, younger and older participants are given training in using a classical mnemonic, the method of loci (4), to memorize and retrieve words. This method involves learning to visualize a series of mental landmarks (e.g., places along one's route to work). After acquisition of the landmarks, the to-be-remembered information is linked to the various loci at the time of encoding. At test, the landmarks are mentally revisited in serial order, and the information associated with each locus is retrieved.Serial recall is substantially enhanced by the loci mnemonic for both younger and older adults (5, 6), demonstrating cognitive reserve capacity in aging (i.e., cognitive reserve capacity is defined as the ability to enhance one's memory performance after learning a mnemonic). However, the most striking aspect of previous findings is that age differences in memory performance are magnified rather than reduced after training (7). This pattern of results suggests an age-related decrease in cognitive reserve capacity. Little is known about the basis for this phenomenon. Baltes and Kliegl (7) hypothesized that older adults may have difficulty in forming novel relations between the landmarks and the to-be-remembered information (i.e., a difficulty in using rather than acquiring the mnemonic), and they proposed neurobiological constraints as a determinant of this deficit. However, no direct evidence for this account has been provided. Here, we present the results from an age-comparative positron emission tomography (PET) study of the neural underpinnings of acquisition and use of the loci method. MethodsTasks and Procedure. The whole experiment,...

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Learning mnemonics: Roles of aging and subtle cognitive impairment.

Cited by 88 publications

References 13 publications

Plasticity of memory for new learning in very old age: A story of major loss?

Plasticity of memory for new learning in very old age: A story of major loss?

Computerized Cognitive Training in Healthy Older Adults: Baseline Cognitive Level and Subjective Cognitive Concerns Predict Training Outcome

Neural correlates of training-related memory improvement in adulthood and aging

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