Relearning face-name associations in early Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract

Preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation interventions based on errorless learning principles in early-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD) was provided by Clare et al. (1999, 2000, 2001). The present study extends these findings in a controlled trial. Twelve participants meeting criteria for probable AD, with Mini-Mental State Examination scores of 18 or above, were trained in face-name associations using an errorless learning paradigm. Training produced a significant group improvement in recall of trained, but not control, items. Gains were largely maintained 6 months later, in the absence of practice. There were differences in individual response to intervention. Results did not differ according to medication status, and the intervention had no adverse effects on self-reported well-being, but participants who were more aware of their memory difficulties achieved better outcomes.

Memory enhancement in healthy older adults using a brain plasticity-based training program: A randomized, controlled study

“…To date, behavioral strategies have focused almost exclusively on compensatory strategies (e.g., mnemonics) to enhance memory function in mature adults (31)(32)(33)(34), individuals with mild cognitive impairment (35), and those with Alzheimer's disease (36)(37)(38). These studies demonstrated that significant short-term improvements in certain cognitive functions are achievable in both healthy and impaired populations…”

Non-pharmacological intervention for memory decline

“…This technique employs learning conditions in which patients are prevented from making errors and is based on various techniques (e.g., vanishing cues and spaced retrieval) that have been previously described for MCI studies. In particular, Clare and collaborators used a combination of methods to successfully produce long-lasting memories for a specific set of face-name pairs (Clare et al, 1999(Clare et al, , 2000(Clare et al, , 2001(Clare et al, , 2002(Clare et al, , 2003a. Furthermore, a single case study by Winter and Hunkin (1999) provided descriptive evidence that errorless learning in AD may lead to better re-learning of familiar names compared to learning with errors.…”

“…A different method is applied for the treatment of memory in AD patients during errorless learning because some previous studies have suggested that cognitive rehabilitation approaches may have positive effects on memory functioning during the earlystages of AD (Backman and Dixon, 1992;Backman, 1996;Clare et al, 1999Clare et al, , 2000Clare et al, , 2001Clare et al, , 2002Clare et al, , 2003aClare et al, , 2009). This technique employs learning conditions in which patients are prevented from making errors and is based on various techniques (e.g., vanishing cues and spaced retrieval) that have been previously described for MCI studies.…”

Nonpharmacological Treatment of Alzheimer Disease

“…15 However, this evidence is still preliminary, and is largely based on small cohort studies with 3 to 12 participants. [16][17][18][19][20] Although the literature regarding cognitive training in AD is limited, studies in people with MCI and healthy older adults do indicate some benefit. However, the effect sizes are modest, with benefits limited to the specific domain on which the training is focused.…”