title: Protecting cognition from aging and Alzheimer's disease: a computerized cognitive training combined with reminiscence therapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this paper was to assess the efficacy of process-based cognitive training (pb-CT) combined with reminiscence therapy (RT) in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (mAD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and in healthy elderly (HE) subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  This multicenter, randomized, controlled trial involved 348 participants with mAD, MCI, and HE from four European countries. Participants were randomly assigned to two arms of a crossover design: those in arm A underwent 3 months of computerized pb-CT for memory and executive functions combined with RT and 3 months of rest; those in arm B underwent the reverse. The primary outcome was the effect of the training on memory and executive functions performance. The secondary outcome was the effect of the training on functional abilities in mAD assessed with the instrumental activities of daily living.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found a significant effect of the training for memory in all three groups on delayed recall of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test and for executive functions in HE on the phonological fluency test. MCI and HE participants maintained these effects at follow-up. MCI and mAD participants also showed a significant effect of the training on the Mini-mental state examination scale. Participants with mAD showed more stable instrumental activities of daily living during the training versus the rest period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results corroborate the positive effect of pb-CT and its maintenance primarily on memory in HE and MCI participants that did not seem to be potentiated by RT. Moreover, our results are very promising for the mAD participants.
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Behavioral Neurology Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barban
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Behavioral Neurology Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Annicchiarico
authors.affiliation: Singularlogic, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Stelios
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pantelopoulos
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Behavioral Neurology Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Federici
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Behavioral Neurology Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Perri
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Behavioral Neurology Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fadda
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Behavioral Neurology Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.|Department of "Medicina dei Sistemi", University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni Augusto
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Carlesimo
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Behavioral Neurology Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ricci
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Behavioral Neurology Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giuli
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Behavioral Neurology Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scalici
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Behavioral Neurology Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara Stella
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Turchetta
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Behavioral Neurology Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Fulvia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Adriano
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Behavioral Neurology Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Giovanna
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Lombardi
authors.affiliation: Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale, Forlì, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zaccarelli
authors.affiliation: Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale, Forlì, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cirillo
authors.affiliation: CEDAF, Forlì, Italy.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Passuti
authors.affiliation: CEDAF, Forlì, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mattarelli
authors.affiliation: Hygeia Diagnostic and Therapeutic Center, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lymperopoulou
authors.affiliation: Hygeia Diagnostic and Therapeutic Center, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Paraskevi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sakka
authors.affiliation: Hygeia Diagnostic and Therapeutic Center, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ntanasi
authors.affiliation: Psicología y Realidad Virtual, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Reyes
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moliner
authors.affiliation: Jaume I University of Castellón, Castellón de la Plana, Spain.
authors.forename: Azucena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garcia-Palacios
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Behavioral Neurology Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.|Department of "Medicina dei Sistemi", University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caltagirone
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Alzheimer's disease; aging; cognitive training; computerized training; mild cognitive impairment; reminiscence therapy