Investigation of a cognitive training protocol to strengthen cognitive inhibition and executive attention

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Albert Erickson
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Executive Attention ◽  
Cognitive Inhibition ◽  
Training Protocol

scholarly journals Principles of Integrated Cognitive Training for Executive Attention: Application to an Instrumental Skill

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Benso ◽  
Sandra Moretti ◽  
Veronica Bellazzini ◽  
Eva Benso ◽  
Eleonora Ardu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Reading Speed ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Executive Attention ◽  
Sustained Effect ◽  
Experimental Group

One effective cognitive treatment is the rehabilitation of working memory (WM) using an integrated approach that targets the “executive attention” system. Recent neuroscientific literature has revealed that treatment efficacy depends on the presence of various features, such as adaptivity, empathy, customization, avoidance of automatism and stereotypies, and alertness activation. Over the last two decades, an Integrated Cognitive Training (ICT) protocol has been proposed and developed; ICT takes the above-mentioned features and existing literature into account, and has been used to promote the development of reading skills. ICT has been employed in several clinical settings and involves stimulation of a specific deteriorated system (e.g., reading) and the improvement of executive attention components, thus also increasing working memory capacity. In this context, we present two experiments. In Experiment 1, participants diagnosed with dyslexia (aged between 8 and 14 years) underwent two ICT sessions a week, with home supplements, for a duration of 7 months. The participants showed a significant improvement in the reading speed of text, words, and non-words, and in the reading accuracy of text and non-words. In Experiment 2, we replicated Experiment 1, but included a comparison between two groups (experimental group vs. control group) of young participants with diagnosis of dyslexia. The experimental group was subjected to 18 ICT sessions twice a week and with home supplements, using the same protocol as in Experiment 1. The control group was entrusted to the protocol of compensatory tools and dispense/helping procedures provided by the scholastic Personalized Educational Plan. After training, the experimental group gained about 0.5 syllables per second in text reading, and a marked decrease in error rate. The control group showed no significant improvement in reading skills after the same period. Moreover, the improvement observed in the experimental group remained stable 4 months after ICT had ended. The results of these two experiments support the efficacy of the integrated ICT protocol in improving reading skills in children with dyslexia and its sustained effect.

scholarly journals Α Virtual Reality App for Physical and Cognitive Training of Older People With Mild Cognitive Impairment: Mixed Methods Feasibility Study

10.2196/24170 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. e24170
Author(s):  
Mary Hassandra ◽  
Evangelos Galanis ◽  
Antonis Hatzigeorgiadis ◽  
Marios Goudas ◽  
Christos Mouzakidis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
University Students ◽  
Older People ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Training Conditions ◽  
Training Protocol

Background Therapeutic virtual reality (VR) has emerged as an effective treatment modality for cognitive and physical training in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, to replace existing nonpharmaceutical treatment training protocols, VR platforms need significant improvement if they are to appeal to older people with symptoms of cognitive decline and meet their specific needs. Objective This study aims to design and test the acceptability, usability, and tolerability of an immersive VR platform that allows older people with MCI symptoms to simultaneously practice physical and cognitive skills on a dual task. Methods On the basis of interviews with 20 older people with MCI symptoms (15 females; mean age 76.25, SD 5.03 years) and inputs from their health care providers (formative study VR1), an interdisciplinary group of experts developed a VR system called VRADA (VR Exercise App for Dementia and Alzheimer’s Patients). Using an identical training protocol, the VRADA system was first tested with a group of 30 university students (16 females; mean age 20.86, SD 1.17 years) and then with 27 older people (19 females; mean age 73.22, SD 9.26 years) who had been diagnosed with MCI (feasibility studies VR2a and VR2b). Those in the latter group attended two Hellenic Association Day Care Centers for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders. Participants in both groups were asked to perform a dual task training protocol that combined physical and cognitive exercises in two different training conditions. In condition A, participants performed a cycling task in a lab environment while being asked by the researcher to perform oral math calculations (single-digit additions and subtractions). In condition B, participants performed a cycling task in the virtual environment while performing calculations that appeared within the VR app. Participants in both groups were assessed in the same way; this included questionnaires and semistructured interviews immediately after the experiment to capture perceptions of acceptability, usability, and tolerability, and to determine which of the two training conditions each participant preferred. Results Participants in both groups showed a significant preference for the VR condition (students: mean 0.66, SD 0.41, t29=8.74, P<.001; patients with MCI: mean 0.72, SD 0.51, t26=7.36, P<.001), as well as high acceptance scores for intended future use, attitude toward VR training, and enjoyment. System usability scale scores (82.66 for the students and 77.96 for the older group) were well above the acceptability threshold (75/100). The perceived adverse effects were minimal, indicating a satisfactory tolerability. Conclusions The findings suggest that VRADA is an acceptable, usable, and tolerable system for physical and cognitive training of older people with MCI and university students. Randomized controlled trial studies are needed to assess the efficacy of VRADA as a tool to promote physical and cognitive health in patients with MCI.

scholarly journals Computerized physical and cognitive training improves the functional architecture of the brain in adults with Down Syndrome: a longitudinal network science EEG study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Anagnostopoulou ◽  
Charis Styliadis ◽  
Panagiotis Kartsidis ◽  
Evangelia Romanopoulou ◽  
Vasiliki Zilidou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Network Architecture ◽  
Network Science ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Hierarchical Organization ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Training Protocol

AbstractUnderstanding the neuroplastic capacity of people with Down Syndrome (PwDS) can potentially reveal the causal relationship between aberrant brain organization and phenotypic characteristics. We used resting-state EEG recordings to identify how a neuroplasticity-triggering training protocol relates to changes in the functional connectivity of the brain’s intrinsic cortical networks. Brain activity of 12 PwDS before and after a ten-week protocol of combined physical and cognitive training was statistically compared to quantify changes in directed functional in conjunction with psycho-somatometric assessments. PwDS showed increased connectivity within the left hemisphere and from left to right hemisphere, as well as increased physical and cognitive performance. Our results reveal a strong adaptive neuroplastic reorganization, as a result of the training that leads to a more complex and less-random network, with a more pronounced hierarchical organization. Our results go beyond previous findings by indicating a transition to a healthier, more efficient, and flexible network architecture, with improved integration and segregation abilities in the brain of PwDS. Resting-state electrophysiological brain activity is used here for the first time to display meaningful longitudinal relationships to underlying DS processes and outcomes of importance in a translational inquiry. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT04390321.Author SummaryThe effects of cognitive and physical training on the neuroplasticity attributes of people with and without cognitive impairment have been well documented via neurophysiological evaluations and network science indices. However, there is still insufficient evidence for people with Down Syndrome (PwDS). We investigated the effects of a combinational training protocol on the brain network organization of 12 adult PwDS using EEG and network indices coupled with tests assessing their cognitive and physical capacity. We report evidence of adaptational neuroplastic effects, pointing to a transitional state towards a healthier organization with an increased ability to integrate and segregate information. Our findings underline the ability of the DS brain to respond to the cognitive demands of external stimuli, reflecting the possibility of developing independent- living skills.

scholarly journals Α Virtual Reality App for Physical and Cognitive Training of Older People With Mild Cognitive Impairment: Mixed Methods Feasibility Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Hassandra ◽  
Evangelos Galanis ◽  
Antonis Hatzigeorgiadis ◽  
Marios Goudas ◽  
Christos Mouzakidis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
University Students ◽  
Older People ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Training Conditions ◽  
Training Protocol

BACKGROUND Therapeutic virtual reality (VR) has emerged as an effective treatment modality for cognitive and physical training in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, to replace existing nonpharmaceutical treatment training protocols, VR platforms need significant improvement if they are to appeal to older people with symptoms of cognitive decline and meet their specific needs. OBJECTIVE This study aims to design and test the acceptability, usability, and tolerability of an immersive VR platform that allows older people with MCI symptoms to simultaneously practice physical and cognitive skills on a dual task. METHODS On the basis of interviews with 20 older people with MCI symptoms (15 females; mean age 76.25, SD 5.03 years) and inputs from their health care providers (formative study VR1), an interdisciplinary group of experts developed a VR system called VRADA (VR Exercise App for Dementia and Alzheimer’s Patients). Using an identical training protocol, the VRADA system was first tested with a group of 30 university students (16 females; mean age 20.86, SD 1.17 years) and then with 27 older people (19 females; mean age 73.22, SD 9.26 years) who had been diagnosed with MCI (feasibility studies VR2a and VR2b). Those in the latter group attended two Hellenic Association Day Care Centers for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders. Participants in both groups were asked to perform a dual task training protocol that combined physical and cognitive exercises in two different training conditions. In condition A, participants performed a cycling task in a lab environment while being asked by the researcher to perform oral math calculations (single-digit additions and subtractions). In condition B, participants performed a cycling task in the virtual environment while performing calculations that appeared within the VR app. Participants in both groups were assessed in the same way; this included questionnaires and semistructured interviews immediately after the experiment to capture perceptions of acceptability, usability, and tolerability, and to determine which of the two training conditions each participant preferred. RESULTS Participants in both groups showed a significant preference for the VR condition (students: mean 0.66, SD 0.41, <i>t</i><sub>29</sub>=8.74, <i>P</i>&lt;.001; patients with MCI: mean 0.72, SD 0.51, <i>t</i><sub>26</sub>=7.36, <i>P</i>&lt;.001), as well as high acceptance scores for intended future use, attitude toward VR training, and enjoyment. System usability scale scores (82.66 for the students and 77.96 for the older group) were well above the acceptability threshold (75/100). The perceived adverse effects were minimal, indicating a satisfactory tolerability. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest that VRADA is an acceptable, usable, and tolerable system for physical and cognitive training of older people with MCI and university students. Randomized controlled trial studies are needed to assess the efficacy of VRADA as a tool to promote physical and cognitive health in patients with MCI.

Task-Switching Training and Transfer

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 106-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zsófia Anna Gaál ◽  
István Czigler
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Task Switching ◽  
Difficulty Level ◽  
Training Procedure ◽  
Far Transfer ◽  
Near Transfer ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
Transfer Tasks

Abstract. We used task-switching (TS) paradigms to study how cognitive training can compensate age-related cognitive decline. Thirty-nine young (age span: 18–25 years) and 40 older (age span: 60–75 years) women were assigned to training and control groups. The training group received 8 one-hour long cognitive training sessions in which the difficulty level of TS was individually adjusted. The other half of the sample did not receive any intervention. The reference task was an informatively cued TS paradigm with nogo stimuli. Performance was measured on reference, near-transfer, and far-transfer tasks by behavioral indicators and event-related potentials (ERPs) before training, 1 month after pretraining, and in case of older adults, 1 year later. The results showed that young adults had better pretraining performance. The reference task was too difficult for older adults to form appropriate representations as indicated by the behavioral data and the lack of P3b components. But after training older adults reached the level of performance of young participants, and accordingly, P3b emerged after both the cue and the target. Training gain was observed also in near-transfer tasks, and partly in far-transfer tasks; working memory and executive functions did not improve, but we found improvement in alerting and orienting networks, and in the execution of variants of TS paradigms. Behavioral and ERP changes remained preserved even after 1 year. These findings suggest that with an appropriate training procedure older adults can reach the level of performance seen in young adults and these changes persist for a long period. The training also affects the unpracticed tasks, but the transfer depends on the extent of task similarities.

Computerized cognitive training in pediatric sickle cell disease: A randomized controlled pilot study.

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 390-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taryn M. Allen ◽  
Lindsay M. Anderson ◽  
Samuel M. Brotkin ◽  
Jennifer A. Rothman ◽  
Melanie J. Bonner
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Sickle Cell Disease ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Sickle Cell ◽  
Cell Disease ◽  
Computerized Cognitive Training ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease
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