MEMO+: Efficacy, Durability and Effect of Cognitive Training and Psychosocial Intervention in Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment

Abstract

Background/Objectives There is no consensus on the efficacy of cognitive training in persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) because of the paucity of well‐designed randomized controlled trials. The objective was to assess the effect of memory training on the cognitive functioning of persons with MCI and its durability and to evaluate whether this effect generalizes to daily life and whether positive effects could be obtained from psychosocial intervention. Design Single‐blind randomized controlled trial. Setting Research centers of the Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal and Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Québec. Participants Older adults meeting criteria for amnestic MCI (N = 145). Intervention Participants were randomized to cognitive training, a psychosocial intervention, or a no‐contact control condition. Interventions were provided in small groups in eight 2‐hour sessions. Measurement Outcome measures were immediate and delayed composite performance memory scores, psychological health (depression, anxiety, well‐being), and generalization effects of the intervention (strategy use in everyday life, difficulties in complex activities of daily living, memory complaints). Testing was administered before training and immediately, 3 months, and 6 months after training. Results Participants in the cognitive training condition improved on the delayed composite memory score and on strategy use in everyday life. Improvement was maintained at the 3‐ and 6‐month follow‐up assessments. Participants in the psychosocial and no‐contact conditions did not show any significant improvement. Conclusion Cognitive training improves the memory of persons with amnestic MCI. The effect persists over a 6‐month period, and learned strategies are used in everyday life. Cognitive training is a valid way to promote cognition in MCI.

State of the science on mild cognitive impairment (MCI)

“…These interventions typically teach people practical, everyday memory strategies such as mental imagery and semantic processing to improve encoding of information; teach people about the effects of lifestyle factors such as exercise, diet, and cognitive and social engagement on memory and facilitate adoption of healthier lifestyles; and address coping strategies such as relaxation and preparing for the future. [98][99][100][101][102] These studies have reported some improvements on objective tests of memory and other cognitive abilities [98][99][100][101] and improvements in subjective memory, 98,99,102 but due to variations in the quality of these studies (eg, use of an active control group, selection of appropriate outcome measures), the most recent MCI guidelines suggest that clinicians may (versus should) recommend such programs. 16 More large-scale trials are needed with proper controls to identify the most effective group intervention approaches for MCI.…”

Cognitive interventions and performance measures: a longitudinal study in elderly women

“…Health promotion and quality of life are targets of interest for different programs and services aimed at the elderly, with an objective of regulating and compensating for functional and cognitive losses associated with the aging process. In this context, cognitive interventions for the elderly may assist in maintaining and optimizing cognitive abilities in healthy or cognitively impaired elderly individuals (Bahar-Fuchs, Clare, & Woods, 2013;Belleville et al, 2018;Huntley, Gould, Liu, Smith, & Howardet, 2015;Neri et al, 2018).…”

“…Although previous studies have already been performed with the Stimullus (Chariglione & Janczura, 2013) or MEMO (Gagnon & Belleville, 2012;Belleville et al, 2018) cognitive interventions, or comparing these two modalities (Chariglione et al, 2018b;Chariglione et al, 2018a), no study have focused on potential gains in physical measurements.…”

Efeito de intervenções cognitivas na autoeficácia e na memória episódica de idosas do Distrito Federal

“…Intervenções cognitivas na autoeficácia e na memória episódica de idosas O envelhecimento cursa com um gradual declínio das funções cognitivas, sendo o declínio da memória a que mais se destaca entre as principais queixas da população em geral, na qual compromete as tarefas relativas às atividades instrumentais da vida diária (MELO et al, 2017;BELLEVILLE et al, 2018). As maiores queixas relacionam-se à memória de trabalho, principalmente na redução dos recursos de processamento, e às falhas no mecanismo de inibição de informações supérfluas (BOLLER et al, 2017).…”