Article: Sharon - Keeping the Brain Active

Sharon - SSTattler

On the stroke lists, many people are looking for ways to keep their brain active and maybe even improve memory, word finding, and some of the quickness they had when they were younger or before their stroke. Brain training promises that users will improve on certain brain skills and many studies demonstrate that young children and adults and even middle aged adults benefit from computerized brain training. Based on these results, can we assume it works for older adults or people with stroke?

According to two recent reviews (Buitenweg et al. 2012, Kueider et al., 2011) older adults may benefit too.  While Buitenweg’s review reported modest results, Kueider found fairly significant effects of cognitive training for adults over 55.   Older adults did not need to be technologically savvy in order to successfully complete or benefit from training. Overall, their review demonstrated that video games are at least comparable to more traditional, paper-and-pencil cognitive training approaches and online  or computerized training is better than traditional approaches.  Computerized training is an effective, less labor intensive alternative.

Buitenweg et al. (2012) believe that brain retraining should include these elements: (1) novelty, (2) focusing on skills like decision-making and memory strategy training, and (3) tailoring the training adaptively to the level and progress of the individual.

A study with of online brain training for people with  Multiple Sclerosis using a program from Neuropsychonline demonstrated significant  improvements in memory and other cognitive skills. As well, the group increased in their use of compensatory strategies. The authors conclude that the MAPSS-MS intervention was useful,  feasible, and well-accepted by participants.

In an advocacy statement, the Brain Injury Association of America (2006) charged that based on the evidence even at that time, people with brain injuries should be offered cognitive rehabilitation:

The fact that research questions remain about cognitive rehabilitation and that techniques are constantly being improved should not be an excuse to withhold payer support for treatment. Individuals with brain injury must have access to cognitive rehabilitation that is of sufficient scope, duration and intensity and is available as cognitive skills and related problems change over time. Availability, accessibility and ease of movement among services in systems of care for persons with brain injury must be improved.

You can try these online training programs without a prescription. With most brain re-training, the more you play the more you gain.

Online Cognitive Training Programs:

• Online Treatment Used In The Ms Intervention .
• Lumosity.
• Posit Science. 

References:

• Buitenweg et al, Brain Training in Progress: a Review of Trainability in Health Senior, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 21 June 2012.
• Kueider AM et al., (2012) Computerized Cognitive Training with Older Adults: A Systematic Review. PLoS ONE 7(7): e40588.
• Stuifbergen et al., (2012) A Randomized Controlled Trial Of A Cognitive Rehabilitation Intervention For Persons With Multiple Sclerosis. Clinical Rehabilitation, 26(10),  882 –893.