A recent study in the Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics (2013, Volume 56) by M.R. Olchik et al. reports on a randomized controlled experiment conducted with people aged 60 and older. Some of the participants had memory complaints and others did not, but none showed decline in IADLs (instrumental activities of daily living). Through cognitive testing, some were identified as having MCI (mild cognitive impairment) and some had dementia.

The participants were randomly assigned to three groups, all of which included both normal controls (NC) and subjects with MCI. The MT group received memory training. They had a class which discussed memory and aging, then they were taught four memorization strategies and given practice with these strategies. The EI group also had the classes on memory and aging, and then read and discussed newspaper and magazine articles regarding these topics. The CG group, which was the control group, received no procedure between pre-and post-test evaluations, but did receive an abridged version of the training after the experiment had concluded. The interventions for the MT and EI groups consisted of a total of eight twice weekly 90-minute sessions.

Results indicated that those who had the memory training had the most cognitive improvement, as measured by comparing pre and post-test scores, and on some tests those with MCI improved more than the NC group. The researchers suggest that this type of training might be a promising therapeutic alternative in trying to revert, at least temporarily or partially, the cognitive changes observed in individuals with MCI. They also observe that their results align with prior studies which compared the performance of normal control participants with that of older adults with MCI after participation in cognitive interventions. One difference was that the training effects in this study were modest; the researchers suggest this could be due to the lower intensity in their training. For example, in one study participants were given two hours of training twice a week and in another they received four sessions per week for a month. The conclusion is that longer or more intense interventions may produce more cognitive change. In addition, it was noted that group size during training may also have affected the outcome, and that studies involving smaller groups with additional facilitators reported more robust findings.

The final conclusion was that memory training represents a feasible non-pharmacological treatment option for early cognitive decline, and that such training produces the same pattern of results in both normal control subjects and in aged individuals with MCI.

This was yet another study among many being published which support the use of cognitive interventions with older adults, and which demonstrate improvement in this demographic as a result of the training provided. My “BE” Brain Enrichment Course (ten one-hour sessions), which I have been teaching regularly at two retirement communities in my area, is such a cognitive intervention, and feedback from the participants has been very positive! If you want to learn more about it, please contact me.