Home-Based, Adaptive Cognitive Training for Cognitively Normal Older adults: Initial Efficacy Trial.

Objectives: We examined whether a home-based, adaptive cognitive training (CT) program would lead to cognitive performance changes on a neuropsychological test battery in cognitively normal older adults.

Method: Sixty-eight older adults (age = 70.0, SD = 3.74) were randomly assigned to either CT or an active control group (AC, casual computer games). Participants were instructed to train on their assigned programs for 42 min per day, 5 days per week, over 10 weeks (35 hr of total program usage). Participants completed tests of processing speed, working memory, and executive control before and after 10 weeks of training.

Results: Training groups did not differ in performance before training. After training, CT participants out-performed AC participants in the overall cognitive composite score, driven by processing speed and working memory domains.

Discussion: Our results show that a limited dose of home-based CT can drive cognitive improvements as measured with neuropsychological test battery, suggesting potential cognitive health maintenance implications for cognitively normal older adults.