Computerized cognitive stimulation for people with dementia or with mild cognitive impairment: a bibliometric review

Tablet- and Group-Based Multicomponent Cognitive Stimulation for Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment: Single-Group Pilot Study and Protocol for Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Cognitive stimulation therapy is a group-based psychological treatment for people with dementia as well as those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and is shown to improve both cognition and quality of life. Previous studies have indicated the potential to benefit from the use of technological devices in group interventions.

OBJECTIVE

The pilot study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a tablet- and group-based multicomponent cognitive stimulation therapy (MCST) for enhancing cognitive functions among older adults with MCI. The following study aims to report the protocol for a trial evaluating whether the MCST program is affecting individuals with MCI.

METHODS

In the first study, 30 individuals with MCI participated in 10 sessions of the tablet- and group-based MCST group. A subsequent protocol study will compare tablet-based MCST, tablet-based cognitive stimulation therapy, and control groups among 93 individuals with MCI. All participants will be recruited from older adults living in semiurban communities. Intervention groups will be facilitated by trained therapists, nurses, or psychologists. The study will be assessed by a pre- and posttest evaluation, including computer-based neuropsychological tests and electroencephalography assessment. The effects of several indicators, such as cognitive functions, behavioral, and emotional, will be analyzed as being indexed by their neurophysiological data.

RESULTS

The pilot study showed significant cognitive improvement (P<.001), reduced depression (P=.002), and decreased state anxiety (P=.001) post intervention. Quality of life remained unchanged (P=.18). The randomized controlled trial study was funded in March 2023. Enrolling began in August 2023 and was completed in December 2023. The data analysis was started, and the results are expected to be published by mid- to late-2025.

CONCLUSIONS

The study is the first tablet-group-based MCST for older adults with MCI in middle-income countries. It will provide deeper insight into participants' neuropsychological data, thus identifying specific processes underlying physiologically measured positive outcomes. Furthermore, the project will deliver solid and integrative results to mental health professionals in terms of knowledge and guidance for implementing the tablet- and group-based MCST in people with MCI.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Thai Clinical Trials Registry TCTR20230829004; https://tinyurl.com/3wuaue3e.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/64465.

Comparison of the effect of online physical exercise and computerized cognitive stimulation in patients with Alzheimer's disease during the Covid-19 pandemic

INTRODUCTION

To investigate the effect of physical exercise alone and in combination with cognitive stimulation on cognition, physical function, and quality of life in patients with Alzheimer's Disease (PwAD).

METHODS

The study was a randomized controlled, single-blinded trial with pre-and post-treatment and follow-up assessments conducted at the private hospital and home environment in PwAD. Seventy-five (N = 75) participants diagnosed with AD were enrolled, but sixty (N = 60) participants (mean age 77.8 years, standard deviation (SD) 6.7) were randomized as physical exercise group (PEG) (n = 20), physical exercise and cognitive stimulation group (PE + CSG) (n = 20) and control group (CG) (n = 20). Participants in PEG and PE + CSG performed an online supervised physical exercise program (SPEP) given biweekly for 12 weeks. Additionally, the cognitive stimulation (CS) program was offered for at least three or five days for 12 weeks for PE + CSG. No treatment was given for the CG. The primary outcome measures were cognition, balance, functional mobility (FM), upper extremity muscle strength (UEMS) and lower extremity muscle strength (LEMS), and quality of life (QoL). Furthermore, depression, basic activities of daily living (BADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) were measured secondarily.

RESULTS

PE + CSG demonstrated significant improvement in cognition, balance, FM, UEMS, IADL and reduction in depression compared to the CG (p < 0.05). Besides, participants in the PE + CSG had statistically superior QoL and IADL than the PEG (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The addition of CS to the SPEP was a safe and effective method to gain statistically significant improvements in cognition, balance, FM, UEMS, IADL, and reduction in depression in PwAD.

Global trends and hotspots of exercise interventions for mild cognitive impairment: A global bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND

Exercise interventions for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) have been extensively studied. However, there is no bibliometric study on exercise interventions for MCI. This study aimed to identify the collaborative networks, research hotspots, evolution trends, and future directions.

METHODS

Relevant documents were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. VOSviewer was used to analyze the co-authorship of the author, countries and institutions, and the keywords co-occurrence. CiteSpace was used to detect burst keywords' research trends.

RESULTS

A total of 569 articles were included and showed an overall increasing trend in annual publications. The most influential subject categories, authors, journals, country, and institutions were "geriatrics gerontology," "Doi, Takehiko and Shimada, Hiroyuki," "Journal of Alzheimer's Disease," USA, and "Veterans Health Administration," respectively. The research hotspots are "effectiveness," "neural mechanism" and "correlation" of exercise interventions, and the emerging trend is "intervention quality."

CONCLUSION

This area is in a rapid development phase, whereby research hotpots are focused and the research trend is clear. The highly productive authors and institutions have made outstanding contributions and the subject categories present an interdisciplinary trend. However, there is weak cooperation between countries and institutions, and a substantial research gap exists between developed and developing countries. Future research may highlight the intervention quality, emphasizing the combination with virtual reality technology.

Computer Education and Third Age Universities: A Systematic Review

An aging population and a digital society are realities. There is a need to equip older people with knowledge and computer skills so that they can participate in society, without feeling excluded or being marginalized. Third age universities are organizations around the world that specialize in teaching and learning for senior students in a more informal and more integrated way than other educational institutions. The objective of this study was to identify the existing quality publications that deal with the subject of computer education at senior universities. The SCOPUS and Web of Science databases were used, and 18 records were found according to the adopted criteria. It was found that these articles, depending on their focus, can be divided into four groups: educators, organizations/directors, students, and conceptual/review papers. Through these articles, it was possible to draw a picture of what older people's computer learning is like, what barriers exist for students to not be able to attend these classes, as well as tips on how courses should be organized and the pedagogical methodologies that must be adopted. It is intended that this article is used as a good tool for people who work in teaching information technology to the elderly, and especially for course directors who intend to create or reformulate courses of this type for this specific age group.

EU27 Higher Education Institutions and COVID-19, Year 2020

COVID-19 forced higher education institutions to reinvent themselves. The (usually) face-to-face education has swapped to distance contingency education. This change brought about numerous challenges that impose adjustments in several dimensions, such as pedagogical strategies and the dependence on teaching platforms and computer systems-and, above all, the new relationship between the various actors (students, teachers, and management staff). All the sudden changes, combined with uncertainty concerning what was happening, created several strategies and options. This paper has the main purpose of analyzing the scientific production on higher education of EU27 academic institutions during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in journals indexed in Clarivate Analytics' Web of Science and Elsevier's Scopus. The sample is composed of 22 articles in total. The results show that the articles were published in 19 journals; their main focuses are Higher Education, COVID-19, and distance learning. In our database, we find several types of concerns, which shows that HEIs have a wide range of dimensions. We intend this article to be an instrument, not only to identify what was done in 2020, but to point out clues for the future.