Reading aloud and arithmetic calculation improve frontal function of people with dementia.

Background: Recent findings of neuroimaging studies indicate that reading aloud and arithmetic calculation activate bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of humans. The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of reading aloud and arithmetic calculation, by elderly people who were clinically diagnosed with dementia Alzheimer type, on their brain functions and activities of daily living.

Methods: Sixteen experimental and 16 age- and Mini-Mental State Examination score-matched control subjects participated.