Long-term benefits of cognitive and exercise training on cognitive functions and mental health in older adults

• Project/Area Number: 15H05366
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Applied health science
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: Nouchi Rui 東北大学, 加齢医学研究所, 准教授 (50569580)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2018)
• Budget Amount: ¥14,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥11,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥3,330,000); Fiscal Year 2017: ¥3,510,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥810,000); Fiscal Year 2016: ¥3,510,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥810,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥7,410,000 (Direct Cost: ¥5,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,710,000)
• Keywords: 認知介入 / 運動介入 / 長期効果 / 生活介入 / 高齢者 / 認知訓練 / 運動訓練 / 個人差 / 認知トレーニング / 運動トレーニング

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We investigated benefits of daily intervention on cognitive functions and mental health in the healthy older adults. We developed the long-term intervention program using calculation and reading and the short-term intervention program using processing speed games. After the calculation and reading training for 5 months, older adults showed improvements of episodic memory and processing speed. In addition, after playing the processing speed training game for 4 weeks, the older adult improved cognitive functions and reduced the depressive mood.　The results indicated that daily intervention programs using cognitive training had short and long-term benefits on cognition.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

加齢と共に私たちの記憶力などの認知機能は低下していく。加齢による認知機能の低下は、高齢者の社会生活を困難にする要因の一つである。本研究の結果から、日常的に実施しやすい簡便な認知介入を用いた生活介入を実施するだけで、高齢者の認知機能が向上することが明らかになった。特に、タブレットPCを用いた処理速度介入は、自宅でも実施できることから、低コストで実施できる認知機能維持・向上プログラムとして、今後活用できる可能性がある。さらに、音読・計算という日常的な活動を計画的に実施することで、認知症予防につながる可能性があることを示すことができため、社会的な意義があるといえる。

Research Products

• [Journal Article] The Beneficial Effects of Cognitive Training With Simple Calculation and Reading Aloud (SCRA) in the Elderly Postoperative Population: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (2018)
  • Author(s): Kay Kulason, Rui Nouchi, Yasushi Hoshikawa, Masafumi Noda, Yoshinori Okada, Ryuta Kawashima
  • Journal Title: Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience Volume: 10 Pages: 68-68
  • DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2018.00068
• [Journal Article] Gaze bias in preference judgments by younger and older adults (2017)
  • Author(s): Toshiki Saito, Rui Nouchi, Hikari Kinjo, Ryuta Kawashima
  • Journal Title: Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience Volume: 9 Pages: 285-285
  • DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2017.00285
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] Indication of Cognitive Change and Associated Risk Factor after Thoracic Surgery in the Elderly: A Pilot Study (2017)
  • Author(s): Kulason Kay, Nouchi Rui, Hoshikawa Yasushi, Noda Masafumi, Okada Yoshinori, Kawashima Ryuta
  • Journal Title: Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience Volume: 9
  • DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2017.00396
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] Small Acute Benefits of 4 Weeks Processing Speed Training Games on Processing Speed and Inhibition Performance and Depressive Mood in the Healthy Elderly People: Evidence from a Randomized Control Trial (2016)
  • Author(s): Nouchi Rui、Saito Toshiki、Nouchi Haruka、Kawashima Ryuta
  • Journal Title: Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience Volume: 8
  • DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2016.00302
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] The beneficial effects of cognitive training with simple calculation and reading aloud in an elderly postsurgical population: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial (2016)
  • Author(s): Kulason Kay, Nouchi Rui, Hoshikawa Yasushi, Noda Masafumi, Okada Yoshinori, Kawashima Ryuta
  • Journal Title: Trials Volume: 17 Issue: 1
  • DOI: 10.1186/s13063-016-1476-0
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access