Researchers' Analysis Confirms Effects of Cognitive Training for Older Adults

A study in Psychology and Aging analyzed the benefits of multiple cognitive training types for both persons who are aging healthily and those with mild cognitive impairment, reports Medical Xpress . This meta-analysis evaluated 215 earlier studies published in 167 journal articles, and lead author Professor Chandramallika Basak at the University of Texas at Dallas' Center for Vital Longevity expects the research to have a broad impact on the field of cognitive training. Such training in older adults concerns activities designed to maintain or enhance cognitive abilities that decline in late adulthood. Most forms of training involve a professional who administers a standardized test, oversees a training module designed to improve the skill or skills applied on that test, and then retests to see if a subject shows demonstrable improvement. According to Basak, subjects who were given any type of training outperformed their related controls on post-training cognitive tests, supporting the concept that even a slightly impaired brain can still benefit. "One key finding was that cognitive training was found to significantly improve everyday functioning in older adults, which in turn can provide additional years of independence and potentially delay the onset of dementia," Basak said.