Newly Developed TV-Based Cognitive Training Games Improve Car Driving Skills, Cognitive Functions, and Mood in Healthy Older Adults: Evidence From a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Cognitive training in a laboratory improves car driving skills of older car drivers. However, it remains unclear whether other types of cognitive training at home have beneficial effects on driving skills. Using our developed cognitive training games that can be played on a television with a set-top box in a person’s home, we investigated the effects of a 6-week cognitive training program on driving skills, which included on-road evaluation (primary outcome), and cognitive functions and emotional states (secondary outcome) in older people.Methods: In this double-blinded randomized control trial (RCT), 60 older licensed drivers were randomly assigned into one of the two groups: a cognitive training game for car driving (CTCD) group and an active control cognitive training game (ACT) group. Participants in the CTCD group played the CTCD (processing speed, dual attention, and speed prediction) for 20 min in five sessions per week for 6 weeks. Participants in the ACT group played the ACT (selecting the larger number; selecting a number from largest to smallest; play a game of rock, article, scissors) for 20 min in five sessions per week for 6 weeks. We measured driving skills, various cognitive functions, and emotional states before and after the 6-week intervention period.Results: Our main results showed that compared to the ACT group, the CTCD group demonstrated improved driving skills (adjusted p = 0.034). Moreover, the CTCD group demonstrated improved inhibition (stroop, adjusted p = 0.042: reverse Stroop, adjusted p = 0.043) and processing speed performance symbol search (SS), adjusted p = 0.049; digit symbol coding (adjusted p = 0.047), compared to the ACT group. The CTCD group scored higher on vigor–activity mood (adjusted p = 0.041) as measured using the Profile of Mood State.Discussion: This randomized controlled trial provides scientific evidence for the benefits of the 6-week CTCD program on driving skills and cognitive functions, such as processing speed, inhibition, and vigor–activity mood, in healthy older people. Our results suggest that cognitive training is useful to improve the driving skills of older adults.Trial registration: This trial was registered at The University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN 000029769). Registered 31 October 2017, https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr_e/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R00003401

Effects of sulforaphane intake on processing speed and negative moods in healthy older adults: Evidence from a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundRecent studies have reported that sulforaphane (SFN) intake with cognitive training had positive effects on cognitive functions. However, it is still unknown whether SFN intake alone has beneficial effects on cognition as well as mood. We investigated whether a SFN intake intervention improved cognitive performance and mood states in healthy older adults.MethodsIn a 12-week, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial (RCT), we randomly assigned 144 older adults to a SFN group or a placebo group. We asked the participants to take a supplement (SFN or placebo) for 12 weeks. We measured several cognitive functions, mood states, and biomarkers before and after the intervention period.ResultsThe SFN group showed improvement in processing speed and a decrease in negative mood compared to the placebo group. In addition, the SFN group exhibited a higher SFN-N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) level compared to the placebo group. However, there were no significant results in other biomarkers of oxidant stress, inflammation, or neural plasticity.DiscussionThese results indicate that nutrition interventions using SFN can have positive effects on cognitive functioning and mood in healthy older adults

Lutein Has a Positive Impact on Brain Health in Healthy Older Adults: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials and Cohort Studies

A previous systematic review revealed that lutein intake leads to improved cognitive function among older adults. However, the association between lutein intake and brain health remains unclear. Methods: We searched the Web of Science, PubMed, PsycInfo, and Cochrane Library for research papers. The criteria were (1) an intervention study using oral lutein intake or a cross-sectional study that examined lutein levels and the brain, (2) participants were older adults, and (3) brain activities or structures were measured using a brain imaging technique (magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or electroencephalography (EEG)). Results: Seven studies using MRI (brain activities during rest, cognitive tasks, and brain structure) and two studies using EEG were included. We mainly focused on MRI studies. Three intervention studies using MRI indicated that 10 mg lutein intake over 12 months had a positive impact on healthy older adults’ brain activities during learning, resting-state connectivity, and gray matter volumes. Four cross-sectional studies using MRI suggested that lutein was positively associated with brain structure and neural efficiency during cognitive tasks. Conclusion: Although only nine studies that used similar datasets were reviewed, this systematic review indicates that lutein has beneficial effects on healthy older adults’ brain health

A comprehensive analysis of the correlations between resting-state oscillations in multiple-frequency bands and big five traits

Recently, the association between human personality traits and resting-state brain activity has gained interest in neuroimaging studies. However, it remains unclear if Big Five personality traits are represented in frequency bands (~0.25 Hz) of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) activity. Based on earlier neurophysiological studies, we investigated the correlation between the five personality traits assessed by the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), and the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) at four distinct frequency bands (slow-5 (0.01–0.027 Hz), slow-4 (0.027–0.073 Hz), slow-3 (0.073–0.198 Hz) and slow-2 (0.198–0.25 Hz)). We enrolled 835 young subjects and calculated the correlations of resting-state fMRI signals using a multiple regression analysis. We found a significant and consistent correlation between fALFF and the personality trait of extraversion at all frequency bands. Furthermore, significant correlations were detected in distinct brain regions for each frequency band. This finding supports the frequency-specific spatial representations of personality traits as previously suggested. In conclusion, our data highlight an association between human personality traits and fALFF at four distinct frequency bands

The role of cognitive control in age-related changes in well-being

Maintaining emotional well-being in late life is crucial for achieving successful and healthy aging. While previous research from Western cultures has documented that emotional well-being improves as individuals get older, previous research provided mixed evidence on the effects of age on well-being in Eastern Asian cultures. However, previous studies in East Asia do not always take into account the effects of cognitive control – an ability which has been considered as a key to enable older adults to regulate their emotions. In the current study, we tested whether cognitive control abilities interact with age in determining individuals’ well-being in 59 Japanese females (age range: 26-79; Mage = 64.95). Participants’ mental health and mental fatigue were tracked for 5 years together with their cognitive control abilities. We found that as individuals became older, they showed improved mental health and decreased mental fatigue. In addition, for mental fatigue, we found a quadratic effect of age which was further qualified by baseline cognitive control abilities; in those who had a lower level of cognitive control abilities, mental fatigue declined until the mid 60s, at which point it started increasing (a U-shape effect). In contrast, in those who had a higher level of cognitive control ability, mental fatigue showed a steady decrease with age even after their mid-60s. These results suggest that whether advancing age is associated with positive vs. negative changes in well-being depends on cognitive control abilities and that preserved cognitive control is a key to maintain well-being in late life

A GO intervention program for enhancing elementary school children's cognitive functions and control abilities of emotion and behavior: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Executive function is critical for children's healthy development. We propose an intervention program to enhance children's executive function using the game, GO. Many neuroimaging studies have revealed that playing GO is related to executive function. In addition, previous studies also revealed that executive function can be enhanced by training. We will perform a randomized controlled trial to investigate the effectiveness of a GO intervention group and a control group without intervention. METHODS/DESIGN: 35 elementary school children aged 8 to 10 were recruited from Edogawa elementary school in Tokyo, Japan. They will be randomized into two groups; either the 5-week GO intervention group or no-intervention control group. We will ask the participants of the intervention group to join the GO course which will be held once every week for five weeks (total: six times). In the GO course, the children will be taught GO by the GO masters of the Nihon Ki-in and enjoy it for an hour. Besides the course, the participants will perform GO problems about twenty minutes a day, three times a week during the intervention period. We will use the Stroop task, the digit span, the Raven's colored progressive matrices, the Span-board task, and the Behavioral inhibition/behavioral activation scale for the outcome measures. Outcomes will be measured at a baseline (Assessment 1) and 5 weeks after the intervention program started (Assessment 2). The intervention group will be compared with the control group using one-way analyses of covariance with the difference between Assessment 1 and Assessment 2 measures as dependent variables and pretest scores as covariates. DISCUSSION: To our knowledge, this study will be the first RCT to investigate the efficacy of a GO intervention program for elementary school children. If this intervention is effective, we will be able to take the next steps in making an educational program to enhance children's executive function and other cognitive abilities using GO. In addition, we further will investigate the transfer effects of the GO intervention program through executive function. We also will investigate neuroplasticity with the GO intervention using neuroimaging. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN Clinical Trials Registry UMIN00000632

Association between upper limb movements during drumming and cognition in older adults with cognitive impairment and dementia at a nursing home: a pilot study

BackgroundDespite the association between motor dysfunction and dementia, quantitative assessment of dementia-related specific motor dysfunction in patients with severe dementia is difficult. Thus, this study aimed to develop a new method to measure upper limb motor function in people with dementia.MethodsWe examined the relationship between dementia severity and dementia-related specific motor dysfunction using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), a dementia screening test. Participants comprised 16 nursing home residents with a mean age of 86 years and MMSE score of 15.75 (range, 1–27) Points. Participants were seated in a circle and instructed to play a drum that was placed in their lap using mallets (drumsticks) in their dominant hand. Acceleration and gyroscopic sensors were attached to their wrists to collect data on arm movements while drumming. Upper limb motor characteristics were confirmed by recording acceleration and arm movement during drumming and analyzing the correlation with handgrip strength.ResultsHandgrip strength was correlated with arm elevation angle during drumming. The arm elevation angle displayed a significant regression equation with the MMSE score and showed the best regression equation along with handgrip strength (adjusted R2 = 0.6035, p = 0.0009).ConclusionWe developed a new method using drums to measure upper limb motor function in people with dementia. We also verified that the average arm elevation angle during drumming could predict cognitive dysfunction. This system may be used to monitor people with dementia in a simple and safe way

The Effects of Family Socioeconomic Status on Psychological and Neural Mechanisms as Well as Their Sex Differences

Family socioeconomic status (SES) is an important factor that affects an individual’s neural and cognitive development. The two novel aims of this study were to reveal (a) the effects of family SES on mean diffusivity (MD) using diffusion tensor imaging given the characteristic property of MD to reflect neural plasticity and development and (b) the sex differences in SES effects. In a study cohort of 1,216 normal young adults, we failed to find significant main effects of family SES on MD; however, previously observed main effects of family SES on regional gray matter volume and fractional anisotropy (FA) were partly replicated. We found a significant effect of the interaction between sex and family income on MD in the thalamus as well as significant effects of the interaction between sex and parents’ educational qualification (year’s of education) on MD and FA in the body of the corpus callosum as well as white matter areas between the anterior cingulate cortex and lateral prefrontal cortex. These results suggest the sex-specific associations of family SES with neural and/or cognitive mechanisms particularly in neural tissues in brain areas that play key roles in basic information processing and higher-order cognitive processes in a way females with greater family SES level show imaging outcome measures that have been associated with more neural tissues (such as greater FA and lower MD) and males showed opposite