Neural and Behavioral Effects of an Adaptive Online Verbal Working Memory Training in Healthy Middle-Aged Adults
Neural correlates of working memory (WM) training remain a matter of debate, especially in older adults. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) together with an n-back task to measure brain plasticity in healthy middle-aged adults following an 8-week adaptive online verbal WM training....
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2019-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnagi.2019.00300/full |
| _version_ | 1818511401539338240 |
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| author | Mónica Emch Mónica Emch Mónica Emch Isabelle Ripp Isabelle Ripp Isabelle Ripp Qiong Wu Qiong Wu Igor Yakushev Igor Yakushev Igor Yakushev Kathrin Koch Kathrin Koch Kathrin Koch |
| author_facet | Mónica Emch Mónica Emch Mónica Emch Isabelle Ripp Isabelle Ripp Isabelle Ripp Qiong Wu Qiong Wu Igor Yakushev Igor Yakushev Igor Yakushev Kathrin Koch Kathrin Koch Kathrin Koch |
| author_sort | Mónica Emch |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Neural correlates of working memory (WM) training remain a matter of debate, especially in older adults. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) together with an n-back task to measure brain plasticity in healthy middle-aged adults following an 8-week adaptive online verbal WM training. Participants performed 32 sessions of this training on their personal computers. In addition, we assessed direct effects of the training by applying a verbal WM task before and after the training. Participants (mean age 55.85 ± 4.24 years) were pseudo-randomly assigned to the experimental group (n = 30) or an active control group (n = 27). Training resulted in an activity decrease in regions known to be involved in verbal WM (i.e., fronto-parieto-cerebellar circuitry and subcortical regions), indicating that the brain became potentially more efficient after the training. These activation decreases were associated with a significant performance improvement in the n-back task inside the scanner reflecting considerable practice effects. In addition, there were training-associated direct effects in the additional, external verbal WM task (i.e., HAWIE-R digit span forward task), and indicating that the training generally improved performance in this cognitive domain. These results led us to conclude that even at advanced age cognitive training can improve WM capacity and increase neural efficiency in specific regions or networks. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T23:32:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-90958b6ee2854070b96d949295a7eb9d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1663-4365 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T23:32:53Z |
| publishDate | 2019-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-90958b6ee2854070b96d949295a7eb9d2022-12-22T01:29:18ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience1663-43652019-11-011110.3389/fnagi.2019.00300488690Neural and Behavioral Effects of an Adaptive Online Verbal Working Memory Training in Healthy Middle-Aged AdultsMónica Emch0Mónica Emch1Mónica Emch2Isabelle Ripp3Isabelle Ripp4Isabelle Ripp5Qiong Wu6Qiong Wu7Igor Yakushev8Igor Yakushev9Igor Yakushev10Kathrin Koch11Kathrin Koch12Kathrin Koch13Department of Neuroradiology, School of Medicine, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, GermanyTUM-Neuroimaging Center, Technical University of Munich, Munich, GermanyGraduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Martinsried, GermanyTUM-Neuroimaging Center, Technical University of Munich, Munich, GermanyGraduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Martinsried, GermanyDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, School of Medicine, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, GermanyDepartment of Neuroradiology, School of Medicine, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, GermanyTUM-Neuroimaging Center, Technical University of Munich, Munich, GermanyTUM-Neuroimaging Center, Technical University of Munich, Munich, GermanyGraduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Martinsried, GermanyDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, School of Medicine, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, GermanyDepartment of Neuroradiology, School of Medicine, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, GermanyTUM-Neuroimaging Center, Technical University of Munich, Munich, GermanyGraduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Martinsried, GermanyNeural correlates of working memory (WM) training remain a matter of debate, especially in older adults. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) together with an n-back task to measure brain plasticity in healthy middle-aged adults following an 8-week adaptive online verbal WM training. Participants performed 32 sessions of this training on their personal computers. In addition, we assessed direct effects of the training by applying a verbal WM task before and after the training. Participants (mean age 55.85 ± 4.24 years) were pseudo-randomly assigned to the experimental group (n = 30) or an active control group (n = 27). Training resulted in an activity decrease in regions known to be involved in verbal WM (i.e., fronto-parieto-cerebellar circuitry and subcortical regions), indicating that the brain became potentially more efficient after the training. These activation decreases were associated with a significant performance improvement in the n-back task inside the scanner reflecting considerable practice effects. In addition, there were training-associated direct effects in the additional, external verbal WM task (i.e., HAWIE-R digit span forward task), and indicating that the training generally improved performance in this cognitive domain. These results led us to conclude that even at advanced age cognitive training can improve WM capacity and increase neural efficiency in specific regions or networks.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnagi.2019.00300/fulltask-fMRIworking memory trainingactive control groupverbal working memorymiddle-aged adultsfronto-parietal activation |
| spellingShingle | Mónica Emch Mónica Emch Mónica Emch Isabelle Ripp Isabelle Ripp Isabelle Ripp Qiong Wu Qiong Wu Igor Yakushev Igor Yakushev Igor Yakushev Kathrin Koch Kathrin Koch Kathrin Koch Neural and Behavioral Effects of an Adaptive Online Verbal Working Memory Training in Healthy Middle-Aged Adults Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience task-fMRI working memory training active control group verbal working memory middle-aged adults fronto-parietal activation |
| title | Neural and Behavioral Effects of an Adaptive Online Verbal Working Memory Training in Healthy Middle-Aged Adults |
| title_full | Neural and Behavioral Effects of an Adaptive Online Verbal Working Memory Training in Healthy Middle-Aged Adults |
| title_fullStr | Neural and Behavioral Effects of an Adaptive Online Verbal Working Memory Training in Healthy Middle-Aged Adults |
| title_full_unstemmed | Neural and Behavioral Effects of an Adaptive Online Verbal Working Memory Training in Healthy Middle-Aged Adults |
| title_short | Neural and Behavioral Effects of an Adaptive Online Verbal Working Memory Training in Healthy Middle-Aged Adults |
| title_sort | neural and behavioral effects of an adaptive online verbal working memory training in healthy middle aged adults |
| topic | task-fMRI working memory training active control group verbal working memory middle-aged adults fronto-parietal activation |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnagi.2019.00300/full |
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