Working Memory Training Effects on White Matter Integrity in Young and Older Adults
ObjectivesWorking memory is essential for daily life skills like reading comprehension, reasoning, and problem-solving. Healthy aging of the brain goes along with working memory decline that can affect older people’s independence in everyday life. Interventions in the form of cognitive training are...
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doaj-002243aa2b9949d6bf7d82fd9c4225a62021-04-14T04:40:26ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1662-51612021-04-011510.3389/fnhum.2021.605213605213Working Memory Training Effects on White Matter Integrity in Young and Older AdultsSabine Dziemian0Sabine Dziemian1Sabine Dziemian2Sabine Dziemian3Sarah Appenzeller4Claudia C. von Bastian5Claudia C. von Bastian6Lutz Jäncke7Lutz Jäncke8Nicolas Langer9Nicolas Langer10Nicolas Langer11Nicolas Langer12Department of Methods of Plasticity Research, Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, SwitzerlandUniversity Research Priority Program “Dynamic of Healthy Aging”, University of Zurich, Zurich, SwitzerlandCenter for Reproducible Science, University of Zurich, Zurich, SwitzerlandNeuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ), Zurich, SwitzerlandDepartment of Methods of Plasticity Research, Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, SwitzerlandDepartment of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United KingdomNeuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United KingdomInstitute of Psychology, Department of Neuropsychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, SwitzerlandUniversity Research Priority Program “Dynamic of Healthy Aging”, University of Zurich, Zurich, SwitzerlandDepartment of Methods of Plasticity Research, Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, SwitzerlandUniversity Research Priority Program “Dynamic of Healthy Aging”, University of Zurich, Zurich, SwitzerlandCenter for Reproducible Science, University of Zurich, Zurich, SwitzerlandNeuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ), Zurich, SwitzerlandObjectivesWorking memory is essential for daily life skills like reading comprehension, reasoning, and problem-solving. Healthy aging of the brain goes along with working memory decline that can affect older people’s independence in everyday life. Interventions in the form of cognitive training are a promising tool for delaying age-related working memory decline, yet the underlying structural plasticity of white matter is hardly studied.MethodsWe conducted a longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging study to investigate the effects of an intensive four-week adaptive working memory training on white matter integrity quantified by global and tract-wise mean diffusivity. We compared diffusivity measures of fiber tracts that are associated with working memory of 32 young and 20 older participants that were randomly assigned to a working memory training group or an active control group.ResultsThe behavioral analysis showed an increase in working memory performance after the four-week adaptive working memory training. The neuroanatomical analysis revealed a decrease in mean diffusivity in the working memory training group after the training intervention in the right inferior longitudinal fasciculus for the older adults. There was also a decrease in mean diffusivity in the working memory training group in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus for the older and young participants after the intervention.ConclusionThis study shows that older people can benefit from working memory training by improving their working memory performance that is also reflected in terms of improved white matter integrity in the superior longitudinal fasciculus and the inferior longitudinal fasciculus, where the first is an essential component of the frontoparietal network known to be essential in working memory.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2021.605213/fullworking memory trainingworking memoryhealthy agingdiffusion tensor imagingwhite matter integritytractography |
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DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Sabine Dziemian Sabine Dziemian Sabine Dziemian Sabine Dziemian Sarah Appenzeller Claudia C. von Bastian Claudia C. von Bastian Lutz Jäncke Lutz Jäncke Nicolas Langer Nicolas Langer Nicolas Langer Nicolas Langer |
spellingShingle |
Sabine Dziemian Sabine Dziemian Sabine Dziemian Sabine Dziemian Sarah Appenzeller Claudia C. von Bastian Claudia C. von Bastian Lutz Jäncke Lutz Jäncke Nicolas Langer Nicolas Langer Nicolas Langer Nicolas Langer Working Memory Training Effects on White Matter Integrity in Young and Older Adults Frontiers in Human Neuroscience working memory training working memory healthy aging diffusion tensor imaging white matter integrity tractography |
author_facet |
Sabine Dziemian Sabine Dziemian Sabine Dziemian Sabine Dziemian Sarah Appenzeller Claudia C. von Bastian Claudia C. von Bastian Lutz Jäncke Lutz Jäncke Nicolas Langer Nicolas Langer Nicolas Langer Nicolas Langer |
author_sort |
Sabine Dziemian |
title |
Working Memory Training Effects on White Matter Integrity in Young and Older Adults |
title_short |
Working Memory Training Effects on White Matter Integrity in Young and Older Adults |
title_full |
Working Memory Training Effects on White Matter Integrity in Young and Older Adults |
title_fullStr |
Working Memory Training Effects on White Matter Integrity in Young and Older Adults |
title_full_unstemmed |
Working Memory Training Effects on White Matter Integrity in Young and Older Adults |
title_sort |
working memory training effects on white matter integrity in young and older adults |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
series |
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
issn |
1662-5161 |
publishDate |
2021-04-01 |
description |
ObjectivesWorking memory is essential for daily life skills like reading comprehension, reasoning, and problem-solving. Healthy aging of the brain goes along with working memory decline that can affect older people’s independence in everyday life. Interventions in the form of cognitive training are a promising tool for delaying age-related working memory decline, yet the underlying structural plasticity of white matter is hardly studied.MethodsWe conducted a longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging study to investigate the effects of an intensive four-week adaptive working memory training on white matter integrity quantified by global and tract-wise mean diffusivity. We compared diffusivity measures of fiber tracts that are associated with working memory of 32 young and 20 older participants that were randomly assigned to a working memory training group or an active control group.ResultsThe behavioral analysis showed an increase in working memory performance after the four-week adaptive working memory training. The neuroanatomical analysis revealed a decrease in mean diffusivity in the working memory training group after the training intervention in the right inferior longitudinal fasciculus for the older adults. There was also a decrease in mean diffusivity in the working memory training group in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus for the older and young participants after the intervention.ConclusionThis study shows that older people can benefit from working memory training by improving their working memory performance that is also reflected in terms of improved white matter integrity in the superior longitudinal fasciculus and the inferior longitudinal fasciculus, where the first is an essential component of the frontoparietal network known to be essential in working memory. |
topic |
working memory training working memory healthy aging diffusion tensor imaging white matter integrity tractography |
url |
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2021.605213/full |
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