Neurocognitive enhancement in older adults: Comparison of three cognitive training tasks to test a hypothesis of training transfer in brain connectivity

Strenziok, Maren; Parasuraman, Raja; Clarke, Ellen; Cisler, Dean; Thompson, James C.; Greenwood, Pamela M.

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.07.069

Cited by 117 publications

(154 citation statements)

References 111 publications

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“…“What is the cause of the inability of the brain to generate strong, persistent activities? How and why is the system not generating the highly correlated feed-forward inputs and/or neuromodulatory inputs both known to be crucial for its genesis?” From that perspective, broader training designed to increase the salience (correlated power) of representation of the details of inputs and actions at every system level and the assured or corrected function of neuromodulatory contributors to working memory processing would be deemed to also be important for achieving stronger far-transfer training impacts (see, for example, Strenziok et al, 2014). …”

Section: The Science Of Neuroplasticitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Brain plasticity-based therapeutics

Merzenich¹,

Vleet²,

Nahum³

2014

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

161

128

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The primary objective of this review article is to summarize how the neuroscience of brain plasticity, exploiting new findings in fundamental, integrative and cognitive neuroscience, is changing the therapeutic landscape for professional communities addressing brain-based disorders and disease. After considering the neurological bases of training-driven neuroplasticity, we shall describe how this neuroscience-guided perspective distinguishes this new approach from (a) the more-behavioral, traditional clinical strategies of professional therapy practitioners, and (b) an even more widely applied pharmaceutical treatment model for neurological and psychiatric treatment domains. With that background, we shall argue that neuroplasticity-based treatments will be an important part of future best-treatment practices in neurological and psychiatric medicine.

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Section: The Science Of Neuroplasticitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Brain plasticity-based therapeutics

Merzenich¹,

Vleet²,

Nahum³

2014

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

161

128

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Placebo effects are well known in the context of drug and surgical interventions (2,3), but the specter of a placebo may arise in any intervention when the desired outcome is known to the participant-an intervention like cognitive training. Although a large body of research shows that general cognitive ability, g, is heritable (4,5) and stable in young adults (6), recent research stands in contrast to this, indicating that intelligence can be heightened by cognitive training (7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12). General cognitive ability and IQ are related to many important life outcomes, including academic success (13,14), job performance (15), health (16,17), morbidity (18), mortality (18,19), income (20,21), and crime (13).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Placebo effects in cognitive training

Foroughi

Monfort

Paczynski

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

220

176

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Although a large body of research shows that general cognitive ability is heritable and stable in young adults, there is recent evidence that fluid intelligence can be heightened with cognitive training. Many researchers, however, have questioned the methodology of the cognitive-training studies reporting improvements in fluid intelligence: specifically, the role of placebo effects. We designed a procedure to intentionally induce a placebo effect via overt recruitment in an effort to evaluate the role of placebo effects in fluid intelligence gains from cognitive training. Individuals who self-selected into the placebo group by responding to a suggestive flyer showed improvements after a single, 1-h session of cognitive training that equates to a 5-to 10-point increase on a standard IQ test. Controls responding to a nonsuggestive flyer showed no improvement. These findings provide an alternative explanation for effects observed in the cognitive-training literature and the brain-training industry, revealing the need to account for confounds in future research.placebo effects | cognitive training | brain training | fluid intelligence

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“…However, recent studies have shown that some training tasks are better than others. For instance auditory perception and skill acquisition training improve everyday cognition and "far transfer", and are associated with changes of connectivity in the brain in older people [20]. Direct monitoring of cerebral hemodynamic response by near infrared spectroscopy demonstrates clear training effects associated with improvement using working memory training [147].…”

Section: Thinking Hormesis and Effortmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Is it therefore possible that things that make the brain "work", which have been shown to slow cognitive decline such as environmental enrichment, "brain training" and physical activity [20][21][22][23], can be considered hormetic? Does "thought" make the brain more robust?…”

Section: Introduction To Cognitive Hormesismentioning

confidence: 99%

The Hormesis of Thinking: A Deeper Quantum Thermodynamic Perspective?

Nunn¹,

Guy²,

Bell³

2017

Int J Neurorehabilitation Eng

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We are able to read this because of quantum and thermodynamic principles that via an inorganic proton gradient, possibly generated 4.2 billion years ago, gave rise to a system that has an awareness of time and space by using energy to integrate information. Life can be described as a dissipative system driven by an energy gradient that uses information to positively reinforce its self-sustaining structure, which in turn increases its non-linear decisional capacity. Key in the evolution of life has been stress coupled to natural selection, which usually meant an increased demand for energy. As hormesis describes the adaptive response to stress, we propose that hormesis embraces not only the evolution of life, but that of intelligence itself, as natural selection would favour systems that enhances its efficiency. A component of the hormetic response in eukaryotes is the mitochondrion, which itself relies on quantum effects such as tunnelling. This suggests that quantum effects control the stability of individual cells as well as long-lived cellular networks. Hormesis, which can be anti-inflammatory, is therefore key in maintaining the functional stability of complex systems, including the brain. In contrast, a lack of classical hormetic factors, such as physical activity, plant polyphenols, or calorie restriction, will lead to accelerated cognitive decline, which is associated with increased inflammation. However, there may be another previously unidentified factor that could also be considered hormetic, and that is thinking itself. Here we propose that the process of "thinking", and managing complex movement, induces "stress" in the neuronal system and is therefore in itself part of maintaining cognitive health and reserve throughout life. In effect, the right amount of thinking and information processing can beneficially induce adaptation, and this itself could be explainable by quantum thermodynamics.

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Neurocognitive enhancement in older adults: Comparison of three cognitive training tasks to test a hypothesis of training transfer in brain connectivity

Cited by 117 publications

References 111 publications

Brain plasticity-based therapeutics

Brain plasticity-based therapeutics

Placebo effects in cognitive training

The Hormesis of Thinking: A Deeper Quantum Thermodynamic Perspective?

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