A self-guided e-learning program improves metamemory outcomes in healthy older adults: a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: Aging brings memory changes that can be concerning for some older adults. Whereas in-person memory interventions can positively impact knowledge, mental health, and behavioural outcomes, self-guided e-learning programs may offer scalable and accessible alternatives to in-person programming. The current study aimed to evaluate efficacy of an e-learning program compared to no treatment.

Creation and Validation of the MMQ-9: A Short Version of the Multifactorial Memory Questionnaire for Middle-Aged and Older Adults.

Objectives: Memory concerns are common among older adults. The Multifactorial Memory Questionnaire (MMQ) is a well-validated participant-reported measure consisting of 57 items across three subscales assessing satisfaction with memory, self-perceived memory ability, and memory strategy use, respectively. Because short scales are often desired to accommodate clinical time constraints and reduce respondent burden, we created and evaluated 9-item versions of each subscale (MMQ-9).

Evaluating functional abilities within the context of memory assessment: A practice survey of neuropsychologists.

Functioning in daily life is an important consideration when differentiating between individuals with normal cognition, mild neurocognitive disorder, and major neurocognitive disorder. Despite this, there is no gold standard measurement approach for assessing functional abilities and few guidelines on how to do so. The objective of this study was to examine neuropsychologists' practices regarding the assessment of functional abilities across the spectrum of memory ability.

A Cost-Benefit Analysis of a Group Memory Intervention for Healthy Older Adults with Memory Concerns.

This study examines whether memory intervention programs can mitigate health care costs. Research suggests these programs translate to a decreased intention of older adults who are worried about age-normal memory changes to seek traditional outlets for medical/psychiatric help. We employed a cost-benefit analysis approach to analyze the effectiveness of a memory intervention program within Ontario.

Feasibility, Acceptability, and Impact of a self-guided e-learning Memory and Brain Health Promotion Program for Healthy Older Adults.

Objectives: To examine the feasibility (e.g., completion rate), acceptability (e.

An Agile Development Cycle of an Online Memory Program for Healthy Older Adults.

Online interventions for older adults should be tailored to their unique needs to increase the efficacy of and adherence to the intervention. The agile development cycle is a dynamic model to solicit and incorporate feedback from older adults during the design process. We combined this approach with the framework of Harvard University's clinical and translational phases that provide a clear structure for evaluating new health programs before they are offered in the community.

Evaluating the effectiveness of compensatory memory interventions in adults with acquired brain injury: A systematic review and meta-analysis of memory and everyday outcomes.

Objective: Adults with acquired brain injury (ABI) often experience memory impairments that are persistent and difficult to treat. Although evidence has shown that rehabilitation programs may improve cognitive performance in persons with ABI, there is an opportunity to look more closely at the benefits provided by specific interventions. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate whether compensation-based memory programs improve memory or everyday outcomes (e.

Functional Connectivity Between the Posterior Default Mode Network and Parahippocampal Gyrus Is Disrupted in Older Adults with Subjective Cognitive Decline and Correlates with Subjective Memory Ability.

Background: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is associated with increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the underlying mechanisms for this association remain unclear. Neuroimaging studies suggest the earliest AD-related changes are large-scale network disruptions, beginning in the posterior default mode (pDMN) network.

The Impact of Memory Change on Everyday Life Among Older Adults: Association with Cognition and Self-Reported Memory.

Objectives: Many older adults experience memory changes that can have a meaningful impact on their everyday lives, such as restrictions to lifestyle activities and negative emotions. Older adults also report a variety of positive coping responses that help them manage these changes. The purpose of this study was to determine how objective cognitive performance and self-reported memory are related to the everyday impact of memory change.

Initiation and maintenance of behaviour change to support memory and brain health in older adults: A randomized controlled trial.

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02087137.

Known-Groups and Convergent Validity of the Telephone Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test total Learning Scores for Distinguishing Between Older Adults With Amnestic Cognitive Impairment and Subjective Cognitive Decline.

Objective: To examine known-groups validity of a telephone administration of the total learning scores of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) in discriminating between people with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and convergent validity of the telephone-RAVLT.

Method: In total, 83 older adults (age = 71.4 ± 7.

Assessing one's sense of normalcy: psychometric properties of the subjective normalcy inventory.

Objectives: Individuals facing a personal challenge, such as age-related memory changes, may feel that their experiences are abnormal or pathological. Previous qualitative research on a group intervention that focuses on memory changes in older adulthood revealed that one of the greatest benefits derived by participants was the realization that their experience with memory changes was normal. In order to quantify this experience, we developed and validated a new measure, the 26-item (SNI).

The measurement of participant-reported memory across diverse populations and settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the Multifactorial Memory Questionnaire.

Unlabelled: The Multifactorial Memory Questionnaire (MMQ) is a participant-reported measure of memory satisfaction, ability, and strategy use. Initially validated with healthy older adults, it has since been used in many different populations and settings for a variety of purposes. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the measurement properties of the MMQ across multiple, diverse studies.

The impact of memory-strategy training interventions on participant-reported outcomes in healthy older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

A number of memory-strategy training interventions have been developed to target and reduce the impact of normal age-related memory decline. Most outcome studies to date have used objective memory measures to evaluate the efficacy of such interventions. Participant-reported outcomes, well-suited to capture the extent to which such interventions address the expressed concerns of aging persons, have been less closely examined.

Considering Age-Related Hearing Loss in Neuropsychological Practice: Findings from a Feasibility Study.

ABSTRACTHearing loss is highly prevalent in older adults and can pose challenges for neuropsychologists, as assessment and intervention procedures often involve orally presented information which must be accurately heard. This project examined the hearing status of 20 clients (mean age = 71 years) in a hospital-based outpatient neuropsychology clinic, and explored whether information about hearing loss informed neuropsychologists' clinical practice. A research assistant administered a brief hearing screening test to each participant.

Comparable achievement of client-identified, self-rated goals in intervention and no-intervention groups: reevaluating the use of Goal Attainment Scaling as an outcome measure.

Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) is widely used as a measure of client-centered outcomes in clinical interventions. There are few well-controlled studies using GAS, however, and this limits the conclusions that can be drawn about the determinants of goal attainment post-intervention. In collaboration with researchers, 67- community-dwelling older adults used GAS to establish individualised goals for lifestyle change and memory strategy use in a randomised controlled trial of a multidimensional memory program (ClinicalTrials.

Psychometric properties of the Actual Week test: a naturalistic prospective memory task.

Objective: Prospective memory is the ability to 'remember to remember' and a facet of memory important to everyday functioning. For older adults, prospective memory slips are a common concern. In the present study, we conducted an initial validation of a paper-and-pencil adaptation of the Actual Week test, and reported on internal consistency, inter-rater and test-retest reliability, convergent and divergent validity, as well as veridicality of the task.

'Accepting where I'm at' - a qualitative study of the mechanisms, benefits, and impact of a behavioral memory intervention for community-dwelling older adults.

Objective: Gain novel, in-depth insight into therapeutic mechanisms, benefits, and impact of a multi-modal behavioral memory intervention for older adults with concerns about memory.

Methods: Participants were11 community-dwelling older adults (aged 63-88) who completed the Memory and Aging Program, an evidence-based multi-modal group intervention for normal age-related memory change. Semi-structured interviews were administered post-intervention.

Intraindividual variability in performance on associative memory tasks is elevated in amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

Elevations in intraindividual variability (IIV) are an indicator of neurocognitive compromise and are seen on reaction time tasks in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We examined IIV on memory tasks known to be sensitive to early cognitive change in a group of 24 individuals with amnestic MCI and 21 matched controls. Traditional measures of accuracy and speed, as well as indices of IIV statistically purified for systematic between-group and trial effects, were derived from performance on two computer-based associative recognition tests of word-word and face-name pairs.

One size does not fit all: older adults benefit from redundant text in multimedia instruction.

The multimedia design of presentations typically ignores that younger and older adults have varying cognitive strengths and weaknesses. We examined whether differential instructional design may enhance learning in these populations. Younger and older participants viewed one of three computer-based presentations: Audio only (narration), Redundant (audio narration with redundant text), or Complementary (audio narration with non-redundant text and images).

Divided attention improves delayed, but not immediate retrieval of a consolidated memory.

A well-documented dissociation between memory encoding and retrieval concerns the role of attention in the two processes. The typical finding is that divided attention (DA) during encoding impairs future memory, but retrieval is relatively robust to attentional manipulations. However, memory research in the past 20 years had demonstrated that retrieval is a memory-changing process, in which the strength and availability of information are modified by various characteristics of the retrieval process.

Age differences in the association of physical activity, sociocognitive engagement, and TV viewing on face memory.

Objective: Physical and sociocognitive lifestyle activities promote aspects of cognitive function in older adults. Very little is known about the relation between these lifestyle activities and cognitive function in young adults. One aspect of cognitive function that is critical for everyday function is episodic memory.