Efficacy Of Cognitive Intervention Research Articles

Efficacy of Cognitive Interventions in Mild Cognitive Impairment due to Alzheimer's Disease- An Open-Labelled Exploratory Analysis.

Efficacy data on nonpharmacotherapy-based interventions such as cognitive retraining and mindfulness meditation on improving neuropsychological functioning in early Alzheimer's disease (AD) are sparse in Indian literature. The objective of the study was to quantify the effect of cognitive retraining (CR) versus mindfulness training (MT) on neuropsychological test performance in patients with early AD. We administered CR and MT strategies in two prospectively enrolled groups of individuals (N = 34) who met the criteria for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to AD. Inclusion was based on patient choice and informed consent. One group of 20 patients was imparted supervised CR, and the other group included 14 patients who opted for MT as open-labeled interventions, with group allocation based on participant choice. Paired t test was performed with assessment of baseline and postintervention neuropsychological scores of CR and MT groups. The CR group revealed significant improvement on scores at 3 months (P < 0.05) for Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE) subcomponents, particularly total score, memory, visuospatial, and language subscores as well as on Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale. The MT group showed no significant differences on these tests post-intervention with a trend toward improvement on recall scores, and none of the other test scores demonstrated a declining trend. This proof-of-concept study demonstrated significant benefit of CR in improving neuropsychological test performance in patients with MCI due to AD and need to be studied in long-term, multicenter, randomized controlled trials in harmonized groups of patients with MCI and early AD.

The efficacy of cognitive interventions on the performance of instrumental activities of daily living in individuals with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundCognitive changes associated with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia can lead to difficulties in completing instrumental activities of daily living. The ability to live independently at home and in the community is often compromised due to the inability to complete these activities. Cognitive interventions have been reported as beneficial in maintaining or improving cognitive functions among this group of adults. However, the effectiveness of different types of cognitive interventions on the performance of instrumental activities of daily living in older adults with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia is not well established. The aim of this paper is to develop a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive interventions in maintaining or improving the performance of instrumental activities of daily living in individuals with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia.MethodsRandomised control studies which investigate the effectiveness of cognitive interventions on the performance in instrumental activities of daily living for older adults with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia will be sought. A systematic search will be conducted in five databases: CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. The search strategy was developed with assistance from a health science librarian. Two independent reviewers will perform the study selection and data extraction. Quality assessment will be implemented using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale. A narrative synthesis of the findings will be used to report outcomes of all included studies. If appropriate, a meta-analysis will combine the results of individual studies.DiscussionThis systematic review and meta-analysis will determine the effectiveness of cognitive interventions in maintaining or improving the performance of IADL in individuals with MCI or mild dementia. It is anticipated that the results will inform rehabilitation professionals of the most effective cognitive interventions to be implemented into clinical practice. It will potentially provide substantial benefit to both the persons with MCI or dementia and the health care system by keeping more people out of full-time care and allowing those in full-time care to require less intensive support.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42016042364

The efficacy of cognitive interventions for improving cognitive performance and academic achievement in children after cancer treatment: A systematic review

ABSTRACTAcademic decline has been reported in children after cancer treatment, believed to be as a result of cognitive impairment. Cognitive interventions may improve both the present and future outcomes for children after cancer treatment by improving cognitive and/or academic performance. This review aimed to examine the efficacy of cognitive interventions in children who had received cancer treatment. A systematic search of the PsycInfo and PubMed databases was conducted in May 2015 to identify studies in which cognitive interventions were conducted with children who had undergone cancer treatment and were under the age of 21. Cognitive or academic outcomes needed to be reported pre- and post-intervention to meet the inclusion criteria. Eleven studies were included in this review. Computerized and home-based cognitive interventions were found to be most successful at improving cognitive skills. However, few cognitive interventions assessed academic achievement specifically. Future cognitive intervention research studies should include measures of academic achievement outcomes, because academic achievement and cognitive outcomes may differ. Future research regarding the effectiveness of early, home-based and computerized intervention is warranted.

Neural Effects of Cognitive Intervention in Healthy Aging and Dementia

Abstract: Cognitive intervention being recognized as a viable non-pharmacological approach for age-related cognitive changes and as a complementary therapy to pharmacological therapies in dementia, in recent years has been gaining substantial scientific and public attention. Indeed, recent studies have shown promising results concerning the efficacy of cognitive intervention in the amelioration of cognitive deficits with benefits in functionality and quality of life. Despite an increasing amount of studies with neuropsychological, behavioral, functionality and quality of life outcomes, the neural bases of cognitive intervention remain comparatively less explored and understood. In the present work we review existing evidence concerning the impact of cognitive intervention in brain functioning of healthy older adults as well as people with dementia. Keywords: Brain aging, Cognitive aging, Cognitive intervention, Cognitive rehabilitation, Cognitive stimulation, Cognitive training, Dementia, Neuroimaging.

Are cognitive interventions for multiple sclerosis effective and feasible?

Fifty percent of patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) are estimated to have cognitive impairments leading to considerable decline in productivity and quality of life. Cognitive intervention has been considered to complement pharmacological treatments. However, a lack of agreement concerning the efficacy of cognitive interventions in MS still exists. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to assess the effects of cognitive interventions in MS. To overcome limitations of previous meta-analyses, several databases were searched only for Randomized Clinical Trials (RCTs) with low risk of bias. Five studies (total of 139 participants) met our eligibility criteria. Although good completion and adherence rates were evident, we found no evidence of intervention effects on cognition or mood in post-intervention or follow-up assessments. This is the first meta-analysis assessing the effects of cognitive intervention in MS including only RCTs with comparable conditions. Research regarding efficacy, cost-effectiveness and feasibility is still in its infancy. Caution is advised when interpreting these results due to the small number of RCTs meeting the inclusion criteria. Considering the costs of disease, good completion and adherence rates of this approach, further research is warranted. Recommendations concerning improved research practices in the field are presented as well.

Cognitive training in older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment: Impact on cognitive and functional performance.

Aging is associated with cognitive decline, yet this does not prevent older adults from finding ways to compensate for age-related deficits. Earlier studies have shown that cognitively unimpaired older adults can benefit from training programs. The efficacy of cognitive interventions among older adults without dementia but with cognitive decline (mild cognitive impairment, MCI) has not yet been widely tested.ObjectivesTo evaluate the impact of 8-session cognitive training on the cognitive and functional performance of older adults with MCI.Methods16 older adults diagnosed with MCI received cognitive training (18 participated as controls). All participants were assessed pre and post intervention using the Short Cognitive Test (SKT), Direct Assessment of Functional Scale Revised (DAFS-R), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and Clock Drawing Test (CDT).ResultsA significant improvement was observed in the study group between pre and post-test in attention (SKT), time orientation, shopping skills and dealing with finances (DAFS-R) along with reduced depressive symptoms (GDS).ConclusionThese results indicate the importance of non-pharmacological interventions for older adults with MCI to help compensate for cognitive decline.

THE USE OF STRESS INOCULATION IN THE TREATMENT OF TEST ANXIETY IN OLDER STUDENTS

Elderly students (n = 29), aged 50‐67, with self‐reported problems of test anxiety were randomly assigned to their stress inoculation training, attention placebo, or waiting‐list control conditions. Treatment rationales were equally credible across groups. Results suggested that while stress inoculation training was not singularly effective in reducing test anxiety, variations in such within its treatment group only were correlated with improvements in performance on the Letter Sets Test, a measure of fluid ability. No such interactions occurred in the attention placebo or control groups. Data are discussed with reference to the efficacy of cognitive interventions as a means by which to facilitate adult intellectual performance, and suggestions for future research in this area are offered.