Brain training may help attention in older people with thinking problems

The review

1. 01

   Who took part

   The 17 trials included 1,128 people aged 50 or older with mild dementia or thinking problems. On average they were about 70 years old, and about 53 in 100 were women.

2. 02

   What they did

   The trials tested many kinds of brain training, such as computer games and attention tasks. The other groups got another treatment, no treatment or usual care. How often and how long the sessions ran varied between trials.

3. 03

   What happened

   Compared with other groups, brain training helped attention and general thinking. The gains were small to medium, and the selective attention gain was smaller after adjusting for missing studies. The paper's study counts don't agree, so treat the sizes with care.

What the review found

1. Helped

   Across 12 studies, brain training helped people pay attention better than other groups did.

   • Action: Train attention and memory with exercisestested

   Pooled analysis of 12 studies · vs people who got another treatment, no treatment or usual care

2. Helped

   Across 12 studies, brain training helped people focus, but less once missing studies were allowed for.

   • Action: Train attention and memory with exercisestested

   Pooled analysis of 12 studies · vs people who got another treatment, no treatment or usual care · ⚠ signs that small negative studies went unpublished

3. Helped

   Across 3 studies, brain training helped people do two things at once more than other groups did.

   • Action: Train attention and memory with exercisestested

   Pooled analysis of 3 studies · vs people who got another treatment, no treatment or usual care

Source