Multidomain Cognitive Training Transfers to Attentional and Executive Functions in Healthy Older Adults
Healthy aging is associated with deficits in focused and sustained attention and executive functions. However, cognitive training (CT) provides a promising method to counteract these deficits. In the present randomized controlled study, we examined to what extent CT regimes can improve attention, ve...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2020.586963/full |
| _version_ | 1819205380789501952 |
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| author | Patrick D. Gajewski Sven Thönes Michael Falkenstein Edmund Wascher Stephan Getzmann |
| author_facet | Patrick D. Gajewski Sven Thönes Michael Falkenstein Edmund Wascher Stephan Getzmann |
| author_sort | Patrick D. Gajewski |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Healthy aging is associated with deficits in focused and sustained attention and executive functions. However, cognitive training (CT) provides a promising method to counteract these deficits. In the present randomized controlled study, we examined to what extent CT regimes can improve attention, verbal skills, and inhibition capacities. Over a period of 16 weeks, healthy older adults (65 years and older, mean: 70 years) received a trainer-guided multidomain paper-and-pencil and computerized CT. Pre- and post-training, a battery of psychometric tests was applied that measured the critical functions. This study used two control groups: a passive control and an active control group performing a relaxation training. Compared to a passive control group, the CT led to enhanced performance in the attentional endurance test and the interference list of the Stroop test, whereas no benefits in verbal and crystalized tests were found. Similar effects were found on the attentional endurance compared to the active control group. Additionally, word fluency was enhanced after CT, but the improvement in the Stroop test did not reach significance compared to the active control. The contents of CT were dissimilar to the psychometric tests showing far transfer, whereas no transfer to attentional or memory functions in the daily life assessed by the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire was found. This demonstrates specific gains of multidomain CT on cognitive functions not explicitly trained and lack of transfer to daily activities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T04:50:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6584605da57c4ee694bccf0fcecbfcd2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5161 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T04:50:47Z |
| publishDate | 2020-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-6584605da57c4ee694bccf0fcecbfcd22022-12-21T17:59:28ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1662-51612020-11-011410.3389/fnhum.2020.586963586963Multidomain Cognitive Training Transfers to Attentional and Executive Functions in Healthy Older AdultsPatrick D. Gajewski0Sven Thönes1Michael Falkenstein2Edmund Wascher3Stephan Getzmann4Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), Dortmund, GermanyDepartment of Psychology, University of Mainz, Dortmund, GermanyInstitute for Working, Learning and Aging (ALA), Bochum, GermanyLeibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), Dortmund, GermanyLeibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), Dortmund, GermanyHealthy aging is associated with deficits in focused and sustained attention and executive functions. However, cognitive training (CT) provides a promising method to counteract these deficits. In the present randomized controlled study, we examined to what extent CT regimes can improve attention, verbal skills, and inhibition capacities. Over a period of 16 weeks, healthy older adults (65 years and older, mean: 70 years) received a trainer-guided multidomain paper-and-pencil and computerized CT. Pre- and post-training, a battery of psychometric tests was applied that measured the critical functions. This study used two control groups: a passive control and an active control group performing a relaxation training. Compared to a passive control group, the CT led to enhanced performance in the attentional endurance test and the interference list of the Stroop test, whereas no benefits in verbal and crystalized tests were found. Similar effects were found on the attentional endurance compared to the active control group. Additionally, word fluency was enhanced after CT, but the improvement in the Stroop test did not reach significance compared to the active control. The contents of CT were dissimilar to the psychometric tests showing far transfer, whereas no transfer to attentional or memory functions in the daily life assessed by the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire was found. This demonstrates specific gains of multidomain CT on cognitive functions not explicitly trained and lack of transfer to daily activities.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2020.586963/fullcognitive trainingtransferstroop interferenceexecutive functionsselective attentionverbal fluency |
| spellingShingle | Patrick D. Gajewski Sven Thönes Michael Falkenstein Edmund Wascher Stephan Getzmann Multidomain Cognitive Training Transfers to Attentional and Executive Functions in Healthy Older Adults Frontiers in Human Neuroscience cognitive training transfer stroop interference executive functions selective attention verbal fluency |
| title | Multidomain Cognitive Training Transfers to Attentional and Executive Functions in Healthy Older Adults |
| title_full | Multidomain Cognitive Training Transfers to Attentional and Executive Functions in Healthy Older Adults |
| title_fullStr | Multidomain Cognitive Training Transfers to Attentional and Executive Functions in Healthy Older Adults |
| title_full_unstemmed | Multidomain Cognitive Training Transfers to Attentional and Executive Functions in Healthy Older Adults |
| title_short | Multidomain Cognitive Training Transfers to Attentional and Executive Functions in Healthy Older Adults |
| title_sort | multidomain cognitive training transfers to attentional and executive functions in healthy older adults |
| topic | cognitive training transfer stroop interference executive functions selective attention verbal fluency |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2020.586963/full |
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