PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Brief mental training sessions have long-lasting benefits for seniors' cognition and everyday function

2014-01-13
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Ben Norman
sciencenewsroom@wiley.com
44-012-437-70375
Wiley
Brief mental training sessions have long-lasting benefits for seniors' cognition and everyday function Older adults who received as few as 10 sessions of mental (cognitive) training showed improvements in reasoning ability and speed-of-processing when compared with untrained controls participants as long as 10 years after the intervention. These gains were even greater for those who got additional "booster" sessions over the next three years. Older adults who received brief cognitive training also reported that they had less difficulty in performing important everyday tasks. The findings are published today in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

"Showing that training gains are maintained for up to 10 years is a stunning result because it suggests that a fairly modest intervention in practicing mental skills can have relatively long-term effects beyond what we might reasonably expect," said lead author Dr. George Rebok of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD.

Cognitive decline is prevalent in older adults and can seriously affect quality of life. To determine the potential benefits of cognitive training on cognition and daily functioning in older adults, researchers conducted the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) study.

The investigators now report on the 10-year follow-up results of 2832 participants (with an average age of 73.6 years at the start of the study) who were randomized to three intervention groups and an untrained control group. Those in the memory training group were taught strategies for remembering word lists and sequences of items, text material, and the main ideas and details of stories. Participants in the reasoning group received instruction on how to solve problems that follow patterns, which is useful for tasks such as reading bus schedules or completing order forms. Individuals who received speed-of-processing training participated in a computer-based program that focused on the ability to identify and locate visual information quickly, which is useful when looking up phone numbers or reacting to changes in traffic when driving. Training was conducted in small groups in ten 60 to 75 minute sessions over five to six weeks.

Ten years later, participants in each intervention group reported having less difficulty with instrumental activities of daily living. About 60% of trained participants compared with 50% of controls were at or above their starting level of function regarding daily tasks such as using medications, cooking, and managing their finances. Memory performance improved up to five years following the intervention, but there was no longer a significant difference between trained participants and controls at 10 years. Importantly, reasoning and speed-of-processing trained participants still showed significant improvements relative to controls in the trained skills even at 10 years.

The team also found that a four-session booster training at 11 and at 35 months after the initial training sessions produced additional and durable improvements in the reasoning intervention group and in the speed-of-processing group.

"Our findings provide support for the development of other interventions for senior adults, particularly those that target cognitive abilities showing the most rapid decline with age and that can affect their everyday functioning and independence. Such interventions have potential to delay the onset of difficulties in daily functioning," said Dr. Rebok. He added that even small delays in the onset of mental and functional impairments may have a large impact on public health and help reduce rising health care costs.

Additional studies are warranted to determine how even relatively brief interventions can have such lasting effects that transfer to self-reported everyday functioning. Dr. Rebok and his team are also interested in testing whether the training sessions help older adults maintain safe driving skills. They also hope to test whether more training over a longer period will have even stronger effects on elders' functioning.

### This study is funded by grants from the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute of Nursing Research of the National Institutes of Health to Hebrew SeniorLife, Indiana University School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, New England Research Institutes, Pennsylvania State University, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and the University of Florida. Drs. Jones and Morris were also supported in part by the Edward Fein Foundation (Nevada) and through the generosity of Vicki and Arthur Loring (Massachusetts).


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Advanced radiation therapy for head and neck cancer may be better than traditional radiation at preventing side effects and cancer recurrence

2014-01-13
Advanced radiation therapy for head and neck cancer may be better than traditional radiation at preventing side effects and cancer recurrence Patients with head and neck cancer who are treated with an advanced form of radiation therapy may experience fewer side effects and ...

Study finds more targeted form of radiation improves survival in patients with head and neck cancers

2014-01-13
Study finds more targeted form of radiation improves survival in patients with head and neck cancers IMRT reduces side effects, also improves outcomes HOUSTON — Patients with cancers of the head and neck who received intensity-modulated ...

White parents more likely to use age-appropriate car seats than non-whites

2014-01-13
White parents more likely to use age-appropriate car seats than non-whites Race of parents remains a key predictor of whether children will be placed in the right safety seat, according to new U-M study Ann Arbor, Mich. — White parents reported higher ...

Fear of being too skinny may put teen boys at risk for depression, steroid use

2014-01-13
Fear of being too skinny may put teen boys at risk for depression, steroid use Steroid use more likely among depressed and bullying victims, study finds WASHINGTON – Teenage boys who think they're too skinny when they are actually a healthy weight are ...

'Superlens' extends range of wireless power transfer

2014-01-11
'Superlens' extends range of wireless power transfer Engineers accomplish the first relatively long-range wireless power transfer by 'beaming' electromagnetic fields DURHAM, N.C. -- Inventor Nikola Tesla imagined the technology to transmit energy through thin air almost ...

Social media helps users embrace differences and provide support to one another, MU study finds

2014-01-11
Social media helps users embrace differences and provide support to one another, MU study finds Lady Gaga enables followers to embrace their awkwardness while deepening the perceived relationship they feel they have with the celebrity COLUMBIA, Mo. ...

Study: Autophagy predicts which cancer cells live and die when faced with anti-cancer drugs

2014-01-11
Study: Autophagy predicts which cancer cells live and die when faced with anti-cancer drugs When a tumor is treated with an anti-cancer drug, some cells die and, unfortunately, some cells tend to live. A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published in the ...

Text messaging boosts flu vaccine rates in pregnant women

2014-01-11
Text messaging boosts flu vaccine rates in pregnant women January 10, 2014 --A study by researchers at the Mailman School of Public Health evaluated the impact of text messaging reminders for influenza vaccine in a low-income obstetric ...

Complementary medicine in wide use to treat children with autism, developmental delay

2014-01-11
Complementary medicine in wide use to treat children with autism, developmental delay

Study shows large carnivore numbers and range declining worldwide

2014-01-10
Study shows large carnivore numbers and range declining worldwide MISSOULA – New research co-written by University of Montana scientists finds steep declines in the worldwide populations and habitat range of 31 large carnivore species. The analysis, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Corpse flowers are threatened by spotty recordkeeping

Riding the AI wave toward rapid, precise ocean simulations

Are lifetimes of big appliances really shrinking?

Pink skies

Monkeys are world’s best yodellers - new research

Key differences between visual- and memory-led Alzheimer’s discovered

% weight loss targets in obesity management – is this the wrong objective?

An app can change how you see yourself at work

NYC speed cameras take six months to change driver behavior, effects vary by neighborhood, new study reveals

New research shows that propaganda is on the rise in China

Even the richest Americans face shorter lifespans than their European counterparts, study finds

Novel genes linked to rare childhood diarrhea

New computer model reveals how Bronze Age Scandinavians could have crossed the sea

Novel point-of-care technology delivers accurate HIV results in minutes

Researchers reveal key brain differences to explain why Ritalin helps improve focus in some more than others

Study finds nearly five-fold increase in hospitalizations for common cause of stroke

Study reveals how alcohol abuse damages cognition

Medicinal cannabis is linked to long-term benefits in health-related quality of life

Microplastics detected in cat placentas and fetuses during early pregnancy

Ancient amphibians as big as alligators died in mass mortality event in Triassic Wyoming

Scientists uncover the first clear evidence of air sacs in the fossilized bones of alvarezsaurian dinosaurs: the "hollow bones" which help modern day birds to fly

Alcohol makes male flies sexy

TB patients globally often incur "catastrophic costs" of up to $11,329 USD, despite many countries offering free treatment, with predominant drivers of cost being hospitalization and loss of income

Study links teen girls’ screen time to sleep disruptions and depression

Scientists unveil starfish-inspired wearable tech for heart monitoring

Footprints reveal prehistoric Scottish lagoons were stomping grounds for giant Jurassic dinosaurs

AI effectively predicts dementia risk in American Indian/Alaska Native elders

First guideline on newborn screening for cystic fibrosis calls for changes in practice to improve outcomes

Existing international law can help secure peace and security in outer space, study shows

Pinning down the process of West Nile virus transmission

[Press-News.org] Brief mental training sessions have long-lasting benefits for seniors' cognition and everyday function