Computer Training and Memory Problems

It’s a really “hot” topic, and an often-discussed topic: Can cognitive training on computer software help you improve your memory and stave off Alzheimer’s?

I think the answer to the first question may turn out to be at least a partial yes. I think it’s pretty clear that computer-based training can improve your memory. A lot of research has shown that older people can learn new things, just as younger people do. Sometimes the way older people who are taught may have to change, and sometimes older people need a little more help, but older people can learn new things. My colleague, Dr. Sara Czaja at the Center on Aging here at the University of Miami, has shown that older adults can learn how to do diverse jobs such as entering data on a computer or working with a computer to answer customers’ questions about their insurance policies. Another colleague in the Center, Dr. David Loewenstein, has also shown that even people with memory problems can improve their memory.

A large, multi-center (done at several different locations) trial sponsored by the National Institute on Aging showed that certain kinds of cognitive training had significant effects  on reasoning, memory, and psychomotor speed. Perhaps most exciting was the demonstration that some of these training effects were still evident after five years. More recently, several of the companies who sell cognitive or brain fitness software for brain gyms have shown that people who use the software may show improvements in memory and other abilities. I think it’s pretty safe to conclude that older adults can benefit from cognitive training.

Will doing the training keep you from getting Alzheimer’s disease, or from getting memory problems if you don’t already have them? That’s really a good question, but as in many cases, there isn’t a very good answer. Just as cognitive reserve (see my post from April 25 for more about cognitive reserve: click here) may mean it takes longer for someone to have recognizable memory problems, cognitive training may work in much the same way. We know that a lot of the people who participate in cognitive training activities feel that they are helpful.

I think computer-based cognitive training may be very useful in helping participants feel that they understand how their mind works and better able to cope with daily challenges to remember things and solve problems. And as far as we know, there are few or no side effects of computer-based training.