title: Cognitive stimulation in a-MCI: an experimental study.
abstract: Nowadays, preventing the effects of mental decline is an international priority, but there is little research into cognitive training in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We present the results of a program aimed at teaching memory strategies and improving metacognitive abilities. This was associated with training to ameliorate caregivers' assistance. Two groups (A and B) were compared in a crossover design. After the first evaluation, group A (but not B) participated in a 6-month cognitive stimulation program. After a second assessment, only B received treatment and then a final evaluation was carried out on both the groups. The results show that (1) both the groups improved their performance as an effect of training; (2) improvements are specific to the functions trained; (3) in the interval without intervention, performance of group B worsened; and (4) group A has maintained their results over time. In conclusion, our results show that specific training may reduce memory impairment in MCI.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Filosofia, Pedagogia e Psicologia, Università di Verona, Lungadige Porta Vittoria, Verona, Italy. valentina.moro@univr.it
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Moro
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Condoleo
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sala
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pernigo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Moretto
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gambina
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001288:Attention; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000628:therapy*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome