Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Mar;15(1):109-19.
doi: 10.31887/DCNS.2013.15.1/dpark.

The aging mind: neuroplasticity in response to cognitive training

Denise C Park  1 , Gérard N Bischof
Affiliations

The aging mind: neuroplasticity in response to cognitive training

Denise C Park et al. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2013 Mar.

Abstract
in English, Spanish, French

Is it possible to enhance neural and cognitive function with cognitive training techniques? Can we delay age-related decline in cognitive function with interventions and stave off Alzheimer's disease? Does an aged brain really have the capacity to change in response to stimulation? In the present paper, we consider the neuroplasticity of the aging brain, that is, the brain's ability to increase capacity in response to sustained experience. We argue that, although there is some neural deterioration that occurs with age, the brain has the capacity to increase neural activity and develop neural scaffolding to regulate cognitive function. We suggest that increase in neural volume in response to cognitive training or experience is a clear indicator of change, but that changes in activation in response to cognitive training may be evidence of strategy change rather than indicative of neural plasticity. We note that the effect of cognitive training is surprisingly durable over time, but that the evidence that training effects transfer to other cognitive domains is relatively limited. We review evidence which suggests that engagement in an environment that requires sustained cognitive effort may facilitate cognitive function.

¿ Es posible mejorar la función neuronal y cognitiva con las técnicas de entrenamiento cognitivo? ¿ Podemos retrasar con iniervenciones la disminución de la función cognitiva relacionada con la edad y evitar la Enfermedad de Alzheimer? ¿ Tiene realmente un cerebro envejecido la capacidad de cambiar en respuesta a la estimulación? En este articulo se revisa la neuroplasticidad del cerebro que envejece, es decir, la posibilidad de este órgano de aumentar su capacidad en respuesta a la experiencia mantenida. Se argumenta que, aunque existe un cierto deterioro neuronal que ocurre con la edad, el cerebro tiene la capacidad de aumentar la actividad neuronal y desarrollar una estructura neuronal para regular la función cognitiva. Se sugiere que los aumentos del volumen neuronal en respuesta al entrenamiento o la experiencia cognitiva constituyen un clam indicador de cambio, pero que los cambios en la activación en respuesta al entrenamiento cognitivo pueden ser una evidencia de cambio de estrategia más que un indicador de plasticidad neuronal. Se menciona que el efecto del entrenamiento cognitivo sorprendentemente perdura a to largo del tiempo, pero es relativamente limitada la evidencia que existe respecto a que los efectos del entrenamiento se puedan trasladar a otros dominios cognitivos. Se revisa la evidencia que sugiere que la participación en un ambiente que requiere de un esfuerzo cognitivo sosienido puede facilitar el funcionamiento cognitivo.

Les techniques d'entraînement cognitif peuvent-elles améliorer les fonction neurales et cognitives? Pouvons-nous retarder le déclin des fonctions cognitives lié à l'âge et éviter la maladie d'Alzheimer? Un cerveau âgé peut-il vraiment changer en réponse à une stimulation? Nous étudions dans cet article la neuroplasticité du cerveau vieillissant, c'est-à-dire le potentiel du cerveau d'augmenter sa capacité de réponse a une expérience prolongée. Nous pensons que le cerveau, en dépit d'une certaine détérioration liée à l'âge, peut augmenter son activité neurale et développer un échafaudage neural pour réguler la fonction cognitive. L'augmentation du volume neural en réponse a l'expérience ou a l'entraînement cognitif nous semble être un bon indicateur de modification ; cependant, les changements dans l'activation de la réponse a l'entraînement cognitif seraient plus une preuve de changement de strategie qu'un indicateur de plasticité neurale. Nous observons que l'effet de l'entraînement cognitif est, de façon surprenante, durable dans le temps, mais que les arguments en faveur du transfert de ces effets sur d'autres domaines cognitifs sont assez limités. Nous passons en revue les preuves suggérant qu'une implication dans un environnement demandant un effort cognitif prolongé pourrait faciliier la fonction cognitive.

Keywords: cognitive reserve; cognitive training; engagement; neuroplasticity; scaffolding.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Cross-sectional aging data adapted from ref 9 showing behavioral performance on measures of speed of processing (ie, Digit Symbol, Letter Comparison, Pattern Comparison), working memory (ie, Letter rotation, Line span, Computation Span, Reading Span), Long-Term Memory (ie, Benton, Rey, Cued Recall, Free Recall), and world knowledge (ie, Shipley Vocabulary, Antonym Vocabulary, Synonym Vocabulary). Almost all measures of cognitive function (fluid intelligence) show decline with age, except world knowledge (crystallized intelligence), which may even show some improvement.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. A conceptual model of the scaffolding theory of aging and cognition (STAC).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Lustig C., Shah P., Seidle R., Reuter-Lorenz P. Aging, training, and the brain and future directions. Neuropsychol Rev. 2009;19:504–522. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Park DC., Bischof, GN Neuroplasticity, aging, and cognitive function, In: Schaie KW, Willis SL, eds. Handbook of the Psychology of Aging.San Diego, CA: Academic Press. 2011:109–117.
    1. Clarity Website. Aging in place in America, Available at: http://www.clarityproducts.com/. Published August 20, 2007, Accessed December 3, 2008
    1. Buschkuehl M., Jaeggi SM., Hutchison S., et al Impact of working memory training on memory performance in old-old adults. Psychol Aging. 2008;23:743–753. - PubMed
    1. Dahlin E., Neely AS., Larsson A., Backman L., Nyberg L. Transfer of learning after updating training mediated by the striatum. Science. 2008;320:1510–1512. - PubMed

Publication types