ONLINE COGNITIVE TRAINING INCREASES NEUROGENESIS AND IMPROVES COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE IN ADULTS OVER 50

Abstract

Cognitive training (CT), particularly when delivered online, offers a promising intervention for maintenance of cognitive function in older adults, with two large clinical trials reporting benefit to cognition and function. The mechanism of benefit from CT has not been established, but there are suggestions that regular use impacts directly on neuroplasticity. Pattern separation ability is an established measure of hippocampal neurogenesis and may be used to gain insight into the impact of CT on brain chemistry. Analysis of data from an ongoing open trial of an online Reasoning Cognitive Training (ReaCT) intervention in 8885 people aged 50 and over, to examine impact on key cognitive domains and neurogenesis after six weeks. Outcome measures were digit vigilance, simple reaction time, choice reaction time and grammatical reasoning (CogTrackTM), which were used as the basis of attentional performance, and paired associate learning, self-ordered search and digit span. Pattern separation was used as a proxy for hippocampal neurogenesis. Participants were divided into quartiles according to regularity of use (dosing). Significant dose-dependent improvement was seen across all cognitive domains at six weeks, including attentional intensity (ES Q1 vs Q4: 0.16, p<0.0001), attention factor (ES Q1 vs Q4: 0.24, p<0.0001), attentional fluctuations (ES Q1 vs Q4: 0.23, p<0.0001), grammatical reasoning (ES Q1 vs Q4: 0.24; p<0.0001) and cognitive reaction time (ES Q1 vs Q4: 0.09, p=0.0155), Paired Associate Learning (ES Q1 vs Q4: 0.13, p = 0.0001), verbal reasoning (ES Q1 vs Q4: 0.16, p<0.0001) and self-ordered search task (ES Q1 vs Q4: 0.22, p<0.0001). Dose-dependent benefit was also reported across all quartile groups on the pattern separation task Q1 vs Q4:0.12, p<0.0001; ES No use vs Q4: 0.14, p<0.0001). This study provides novel data that indicates a possible mechanism of CT relating to increased hippocampal neurogenesis. It also provides new information regarding benefit conferred by the ReaCT intervention to a wide range of cognitive domains not previously examined. It is now critical to examine the longer term impact of ReaCT on these outcomes and how it might be combined with further risk reduction approaches to improve public health.