A group of seniors who were trained to reason effectively maintained this ability for 10 years although memory, which also was tested, did not last for the decade.

The training was done in a study sponsored by the National Institute for Aging and conducted by the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE).

While the ability to think and learn had a lasting effect, not so in the case of memory, the researchers found.

The 2,832 volunteers for the ACTIVE study were involved in research aimed at training seniors in memory, reasoning and speed of processing and comparing them with an untrained group. The training consisted of ten 60- to 70-minute sessions over five to six weeks.

Results of the tests after 10 years show that 73.6 percent of reasoning-trained participants were still performing reasoning tasks above their pre-trial baseline level compared to 61.7 percent of control participants, who received no training.

"Showing that training gains are maintained for up to 10 years is a stunning result because it suggests that a fairly modest intervention in practicing mental skills can have relatively long-term effects beyond what we might reasonably expect," said lead author Dr. George Rebok of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

This same pattern was seen in speed training: 70.7 percent of speed-trained participants were performing at or above their baseline level compared to 48.8 percent of the untrained.

Those who took part in the training said they had less difficulty performing everyday tasks compared with the untrained group. Standard tests of function, however, showed no difference in functional ability between the groups.

There was no difference in memory performance between the memory group and the control group after 10 years.
At the start of the study, all 2,832 participants were cognitively normal. The study included four groups: three training groups plus a control group of volunteers who came in for regular testing to see how they were faring with age.

The ACTIVE study followed healthy older adults from six cities. The participants averaged 74 years of age at the beginning of the study. They had an average of 14 years of education. Females made up 76 percent of the participants. Twenty-six percent were African-Americans.

The 10-year follow-up was conducted with 44 percent of the original sample of participants.

The investigators were also interested in whether the training had any effect on the seniors’ ability to undertake some everyday as well as complex tasks. The seniors were assessed using standardized measures of time and efficiency in conducting daily activities ranging from preparing meals, housework, handling their finances, health care,  shopping, travel, and needing assistance in personal hygiene and bathing.

The follow-up study ended in October, 2010.  The study results were published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Tait Trussell is an old guy and fourth-generation professional journalist who writes extensively about aging issues among a myriad of diverse topics.

Meet Tait