Abstract
Objectives To determine the effects of cognitive training on cognitive abilities and everyday function over 10 years. Design Ten-year follow-up of a randomized, controlled single-blind trial (Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE)) with three intervention groups and a no-contact control group. Setting Six U.S. cities. Participants A volunteer sample of 2,832 persons (mean baseline age 73.6; 26% African American) living independently. Intervention Ten training sessions for memory, reasoning, or speed of processing; four sessions of booster training 11 and 35 months after initial training. Measurements Objectively measured cognitive abilities and self-reported and performance-based measures of everyday function. Results Participants in each intervention group reported less difficulty with instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) (memory: effect size = 0.48, 99% confidence interval (CI) = 0.12-0.84; reasoning: effect size = 0.38, 99% CI = 0.02-0.74; speed of processing: effect size = 0.36, 99% CI = 0.01-0.72). At a mean age of 82, approximately 60% of trained participants, versus 50% of controls (P <.05), were at or above their baseline level of self-reported IADL function at 10 years. The reasoning and speed-of-processing interventions maintained their effects on their targeted cognitive abilities at 10 years (reasoning: effect size = 0.23, 99% CI = 0.09-0.38; speed of processing: effect size = 0.66, 99% CI = 0.43-0.88). Memory training effects were no longer maintained for memory performance. Booster training produced additional and durable improvement for the reasoning intervention for reasoning performance (effect size = 0.21, 99% CI = 0.01-0.41) and the speed-of-processing intervention for speed-of-processing performance (effect size = 0.62, 99% CI = 0.31-0.93). Conclusion Each Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly cognitive intervention resulted in less decline in self-reported IADL compared with the control group. Reasoning and speed, but not memory, training resulted in improved targeted cognitive abilities for 10 years.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 16-24 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of the American Geriatrics Society |
Volume | 62 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 2014 |
Keywords
- cognitive abilities
- cognitive training
- elderly
- everyday function
- training maintenance
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geriatrics and Gerontology