The influence of perceptual training on working memory in older adults.

Normal aging is associated with a degradation of perceptual abilities and a decline in higher-level cognitive functions, notably working memory. To remediate age-related deficits, cognitive training programs are increasingly being developed. However, it is not yet definitively established if, and by...

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Main Authors: Anne S Berry, Theodore P Zanto, Wesley C Clapp, Joseph L Hardy, Peter B Delahunt, Henry W Mahncke, Adam Gazzaley
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2010-07-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC2904363?pdf=render
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spelling doaj-cf363c3175c44d908b55fc6933527dc82020-11-25T02:15:26ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032010-07-0157e1153710.1371/journal.pone.0011537The influence of perceptual training on working memory in older adults.Anne S BerryTheodore P ZantoWesley C ClappJoseph L HardyPeter B DelahuntHenry W MahnckeAdam GazzaleyNormal aging is associated with a degradation of perceptual abilities and a decline in higher-level cognitive functions, notably working memory. To remediate age-related deficits, cognitive training programs are increasingly being developed. However, it is not yet definitively established if, and by what mechanisms, training ameliorates effects of cognitive aging. Furthermore, a major factor impeding the success of training programs is a frequent failure of training to transfer benefits to untrained abilities. Here, we offer the first evidence of direct transfer-of-benefits from perceptual discrimination training to working memory performance in older adults. Moreover, using electroencephalography to evaluate participants before and after training, we reveal neural evidence of functional plasticity in older adult brains, such that training-induced modifications in early visual processing during stimulus encoding predict working memory accuracy improvements. These findings demonstrate the strength of the perceptual discrimination training approach by offering clear psychophysical evidence of transfer-of-benefit and a neural mechanism underlying cognitive improvement.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC2904363?pdf=render
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Anne S Berry
Theodore P Zanto
Wesley C Clapp
Joseph L Hardy
Peter B Delahunt
Henry W Mahncke
Adam Gazzaley
spellingShingle Anne S Berry
Theodore P Zanto
Wesley C Clapp
Joseph L Hardy
Peter B Delahunt
Henry W Mahncke
Adam Gazzaley
The influence of perceptual training on working memory in older adults.
PLoS ONE
author_facet Anne S Berry
Theodore P Zanto
Wesley C Clapp
Joseph L Hardy
Peter B Delahunt
Henry W Mahncke
Adam Gazzaley
author_sort Anne S Berry
title The influence of perceptual training on working memory in older adults.
title_short The influence of perceptual training on working memory in older adults.
title_full The influence of perceptual training on working memory in older adults.
title_fullStr The influence of perceptual training on working memory in older adults.
title_full_unstemmed The influence of perceptual training on working memory in older adults.
title_sort influence of perceptual training on working memory in older adults.
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
series PLoS ONE
issn 1932-6203
publishDate 2010-07-01
description Normal aging is associated with a degradation of perceptual abilities and a decline in higher-level cognitive functions, notably working memory. To remediate age-related deficits, cognitive training programs are increasingly being developed. However, it is not yet definitively established if, and by what mechanisms, training ameliorates effects of cognitive aging. Furthermore, a major factor impeding the success of training programs is a frequent failure of training to transfer benefits to untrained abilities. Here, we offer the first evidence of direct transfer-of-benefits from perceptual discrimination training to working memory performance in older adults. Moreover, using electroencephalography to evaluate participants before and after training, we reveal neural evidence of functional plasticity in older adult brains, such that training-induced modifications in early visual processing during stimulus encoding predict working memory accuracy improvements. These findings demonstrate the strength of the perceptual discrimination training approach by offering clear psychophysical evidence of transfer-of-benefit and a neural mechanism underlying cognitive improvement.
url http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC2904363?pdf=render
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