Don't forget about memory

Cognition is the ability to think and make decisions. The search for non-drug treatment to preserve brain health and maintain cognitive functions in old age has long been a concern of medical experts. Maintaining the ability to think clearly and make decisions independently plays an important role in the well-being and decent life of older people.

Moderate cognitive impairment is characteristic of the initial stages of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. In such patients, memory is reduced, there are difficulties with performing tasks that require mental activity. Moderate cognitive impairment can transform into a more severe degree and eventually end in dementia and Alzheimer's disease. They can also be accompanied by depression and anxiety. These conditions increase the risk of mental decline with age.

Canadian researchers have tried to find out whether thinking and memory exercises can improve the condition of patients with moderate cognitive impairment without taking medications. The result of their work is that cognitive training stimulates the brain and protects against mental decline. Even elderly people with moderate cognitive impairments are able to learn and use the skills acquired during training.

The study involved 145 elderly people (average age 72 years) with moderate cognitive impairment. They were divided into three groups, two of which attended 8 weekly classes of 120 minutes.

The groups were formed as follows:

• cognitive learning group; its participants attended classes on the MEMO program (from the French "learning method for optimal memory");
• a psychosocial group; its participants were asked to work on their general condition, learn to focus on the positive aspects of their lives and find ways to increase the number of positive emotions;
• the control group; its participants had no contact with researchers and did not participate in any programs.

The participants of the MEMO group improved memory performance by 35-40 percent, the result was maintained for 6 months of follow-up.

The best indicators were for the "delayed recall" indicator, when the memorization of words was checked 10 minutes after reading. Since memory loss is one of the early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, memory improvement in the MEMO group was an important result.

In addition, the participants of the first group told later that they used the memorization skills acquired in the classroom in their daily lives. For example, they learned to use visual images to memorize the names of new acquaintances, associations to memorize a shopping list. These lessons allowed the elderly to maintain their memory after the end of the study.

Participants in the psychosocial and control groups showed no improvement in memory or mood.

Article by Sylvie Belleville et al. MEMO+: Efficacy, Durability and Effect of Cognitive Training and Psychosocial Intervention in Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment is published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on EurekAlert materials: Can training improve memory, thinking abilities in older adults with cognitive impairment?