Cognitive stimulation intervention for elders with mild cognitive impairment compared to normal aged subjects: preliminary results

Background and aims: Cognitive training programs have been developed for Alzheimer's disease patients and the healthy elderly population. Collective cognitive stimulation programs have been shown to be efficient for subjects with memory complaint, The aim of this study was to evaluate the benefit of such cognitive programs in populations with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Methods: Twelve patients with MCI and twelve cognitively normal elders were administered a cognitive stimulation program. Cognitive performance (Logical Memory, Word paired associative learning task, Trail Making Test, verbal fluency test) were collected before and after the intervention. A gain score [(post-score-prescore)/pre-score] was calculated for each variable and compared between groups. Results: The analysis revealed a larger intervention size effect in MCI than in normal elders' performances on the associative learning task (immediate recall: p < 0.05, delayed recall: p < 0.01). The intervention was more beneficial in improving associative memory abilities in MCI than in normal subjects. At the end of the intervention, the MCI group had lower results than the normal group only for the delayed recall of Logical Memory. Conclusions: Although further studies are needed for more details on the impact of cognitive stimulation programs on MCI patients, this intervention is effective in compensating associative memory difficulties of these patients. Among non-pharmacological interventions, cognitive stimulation therapy is a repeatable and inexpensive collective method that can easily be provided to various populations with the aim of slowing down the rate of decline in elderly persons with cognitive impairment.