Long-term beneficial impact of the randomised trial 'Train the Brain', a motor/cognitive intervention in mild cognitive impairment people: effects at the 14-month follow-up

Abstract

No treatment options are currently available to counteract cognitive deficits and/or delay progression towards dementia in older people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The 'Train the Brain' programme is a combined motor and cognitive intervention previously shown to markedly improve cognitive functions in MCI individuals compared to non-trained MCI controls, as assessed at the end of the 7-month intervention. Here, we extended the previous analyses to include the long-term effects of the intervention and performed a data disaggregation by gender, education and age of the enrolled participants. We report that the beneficial impact on cognitive functions was preserved at the 14-month follow-up, with greater effects in low-educated compared to high-educated individuals, and in women than in men.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01725178.

Keywords: behavioural interventions; cognitive rehabilitation; memory loss; mild cognitive impairment; motor-cognitive stimulation; older people.