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

Benefits of cognitive training can last 10 years in older adults

2014-01-13
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Eric Schoch
eschoch@iu.edu
317-274-8205
Indiana University
Benefits of cognitive training can last 10 years in older adults

INDIANAPOLIS -- Exercises meant to boost mental sharpness can benefit older adults as many as 10 years after they received the cognitive training, researchers said Monday.

In a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, a multi-institutional team of researchers reported that older adults who had participated in the mental exercise programs reported less difficulty with everyday tasks of living than were those who had not participated, even after 10 years had passed.

The study, known as Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly, or ACTIVE, is the first to link such cognitive training to benefits in activities in everyday living and not just to mental skills related to the exercises, said Frederick W. Unverzagt, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Indiana University School of Medicine and one of the ACTIVE study investigators.

"Previous data from this clinical trial demonstrated that the effects of the training lasted for five years," said Richard J. Hodes, M.D., director of the National Institute on Aging. "Now, these longer term results indicate that particular types of cognitive training can provide a lasting benefit a decade later. They suggest that we should continue to pursue cognitive training as an intervention that might help maintain the mental abilities of older people so that they may remain independent and in the community."

The study involved 2,832 people living independently in Detroit, Baltimore and western Maryland, Birmingham, Ala., Indianapolis, Boston and central Pennsylvania. The participants averaged 74 years old at the beginning of the study. About one-quarter of the participants were African-Americans, and about three-quarters were women.

The participants were divided randomly into groups receiving either memory training, reasoning training or speed training. A fourth -- control -- group received no training. Meeting in small groups, the participants had 10 training sessions of 60 to 75 minutes each over a period of five to six weeks. Some participants received "booster" training one and three years after the initial sessions.

VIDEO: Exercises meant to boost mental sharpness can benefit older adults as many as 10 years after they received the cognitive training, researchers reported. Prof. Frederick W. Unverzagt of Indiana University...
Click here for more information.

Memory training involved improving abilities to recall texts and lists. Reasoning training included solving problems that involved patterns. Speed training, conducted on touch screen computers, was designed to increase speed in identifying information in different screen locations. The types of training were selected because they appeared in previous testing to be applicable to such daily activities as using the phone, tracking medication use and taking care of finances.

After 10 years, participants in each of the training groups reported less difficulty in conducting activities of daily living than those in the control groups. Participants in all three treatment groups saw immediate improvements in the cognitive ability that was trained compared to participants in the control group who received no training. This cognitive improvement was maintained through 5 years for all three treatments and through 10 years for the participants who received reasoning and speed training.

"The durability of this effect was remarkable," Dr. Unverzagt said.

Dr. Unverzagt noted that overall, the training sessions produced clear but modest benefits, suggesting it would be worthwhile to study the potential benefits of combining cognitive training with other lifestyle and health interventions as exercise and improved diet.



INFORMATION:

A short video report on the ACTIVE study by Dr. Unverzagt can be viewed here: http://youtu.be/Ql4T4JVWpo0

Other researchers involved in the study were Karlene Ball, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Richard N. Jones, Sc.D., Social and Health Policy Research, Hebrew SeniorLife; Jonathan W. King, Ph.D., Division of Social and Behavioral Research, National Institute on Aging; Michael Marsiske, Ph.D., Institute on Aging and Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida; John N. Morris, Ph.D., Social and Health Policy Research, Hebrew SeniorLife; George W. Rebok, Ph.D., Department of Mental Health and Center on Aging and Health, Johns Hopkins University; Sharon L. Tennstedt, Ph.D., New England Research Institutes and Sherry L. Willis, Ph.D., Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington; the ACTIVE Study Group.

The study was supported by grant numbers U01NR04507, U01NR04508, U01AG14260, U01AG14282, U01AG14263, U01AG14289, and U01AG14276 from the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute for Nursing Research of the National Institutes of Health.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New discovery could stimulate plant growth and increase crop yields, researchers say

2014-01-13
New discovery could stimulate plant growth and increase crop yields, researchers say Scientists led by experts at Durham University have discovered a natural mechanism in plants that could stimulate their growth even under stress and potentially lead to ...

Researchers investigating how to make PET imaging even sweeter

2014-01-13
Researchers investigating how to make PET imaging even sweeter Mount Sinai Heart leads international research team testing new sugar-based tracer to help in the cardiovascular imaging hunt for inflamed high-risk, vulnerable ...

Enforcement and anti-poaching measures set to fail

2014-01-13
Enforcement and anti-poaching measures set to fail In a paper published in Conservation Letters, researchers from the University of Kent's Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) argue that despite record levels of funding being invested in enforcement ...

Understanding secondary light emission by plasmonic nanostructures may improve medical imaging

2014-01-13
Understanding secondary light emission by plasmonic nanostructures may improve medical imaging "Plasmonic nanostructures are of great current interest as chemical sensors, in vivo imaging agents, and for photothermal therapeutics," explained ...

Bragging rights: MSU study shows that interventions help women's reluctance to discuss accomplishments

2014-01-13
Bragging rights: MSU study shows that interventions help women's reluctance to discuss accomplishments BOZEMAN, Mont. -- A study published by Jessi L. Smith, professor of psychology at Montana State University, and Meghan Huntoon, who was Smith's student at MSU ...

Study: Kidney cancer patients preserve kidney function with robot-assisted partial nephrectomy

2014-01-13
Study: Kidney cancer patients preserve kidney function with robot-assisted partial nephrectomy

Hang up or hold on?

2014-01-13
Hang up or hold on? Study helps call centers know when patience is running out Press "1" if you're tired of being on hold! Nobody likes to wait, but since customer service can't be packaged to sit on a shelf ready when we need it, ...

Immune system development linked to leukemia

2014-01-13
Immune system development linked to leukemia Our defenses against infection can be weaknesses in causing cancer Scientists have discovered a genetic signature that implicates a key mechanism in the immune system as a driving force for a type of ...

Research uncovers key difference between our bodies' fight against viruses and bacteria

2014-01-13
Research uncovers key difference between our bodies' fight against viruses and bacteria Scientists at The University of Nottingham have discovered a key difference in the biological mechanisms by which the immune system responds to viral and bacterial ...

Study identifies population of stem-like cells where HIV persists in spite of treatment

2014-01-13
Study identifies population of stem-like cells where HIV persists in spite of treatment Recently discovered T memory stem cells may be long-term viral reservoir, potential targets for future treatment Although antiviral therapy against HIV suppresses ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Malnutrition in children rises when economy drops

New model enables the study of how protein complex influences mitochondrial function

Device study offers hopes for spinal cord injuries

How urea forms spontaneously

Mayo Clinic’s AI tool identifies 9 dementia types, including Alzheimer’s, with one scan

Gene therapy improves blood flow in the brain in patients with sickle cell disease

Building breast tissue in the lab to better understand lactation

How gut bacteria change after exposure to pesticides

Timepoint at which developing B-cells become cancerous impacts leukemia treatment

Roberto Morandotti wins prestigious IEEE Photonics Society Quantum Electronics Award 

New urine-based tumor DNA test may help personalize bladder cancer treatment

How a faulty transport protein in the brain can trigger severe epilepsy

Study reveals uneven land sinking across New Orleans, raising flood-risk concerns

Researchers uncover novel mechanism for regulating ribosome biogenesis during brain development

RNA codon expansion via programmable pseudouridine editing and decoding

Post-diagnosis emergency department presentation and demographic factors in malignant skin cancers

A new genetic tuner for embryo development

Insurance churn and the COVID-19 pandemic

Postpartum Medicaid use in birthing parents and access to financed care

Manufacturing chemicals via orthogonal strategy, making full use of waste plastic resources in real life

Study overturns long-held belief about shape of fish schools

Precision oncology Organ Chip platform accurately and actionably predicts chemotherapy responses of patients suffering from esophageal adenocarcinoma

Verify the therapeutic effect of effective components of lycium barbarum on hepatocellular carcinoma based on molecular docking

Early intervention changes trajectory for depressed preschoolers

HonorHealth Research Institute presents ‘monumental’ increase in survivability for patients suffering ultra-low blood pressure

Mitochondrial dynamics in breast cancer metastasis: From metabolic drivers to therapeutic targets

Removing out-of-pocket fee improves access to 3D mammography

Does reducing exposure to image and video content on messaging apps reduce the impact of misinformation? Yes and no

A global microbiome preservation effort enters its growth phase

New credit card-sized TB test could close the diagnostic gap in HIV hotspots

[Press-News.org] Benefits of cognitive training can last 10 years in older adults