Do you remember the IMPACT study published in 2009? It was a randomized clinical trial with healthy older adults that compared a computer-based cognitive program that trains auditory processing (Brain Fitness Program, Posit Science) with educational video programs (control group). People who used the program improved in the trained tasks, which was not that surprising, but there was also a clear benefit in auditory memory, which wasn’t directly trained.
A 2011 paper reports the 3‑month follow-up results of the IMPACT study. The 487 participants in the original study were 65 and older. Training was 1 hour a day, 4 to 5 days a week, for a total of 40 hours in 8 to 10 weeks. There was no contact with the researchers between the initial training study and the follow-up study.
The results showed that 3 months after the initial training most of the improvement observed in the training group was still present, although not as strongly. [Read more…] about The Benefits of a One-Time Cognitive Training Program Do Last but Wane Over Time