Effectiveness of neurofeedback-based cognitive training in older adults

Abstract

The increasing aging of the global population requires strategies that address age-related cognitive decline. This study investigated the impact of neurofeedback (NF) training on cognitive performance in healthy older adults, those with mild cognitive impairments (MCI), and those with mild dementia (MD). Participants engaged in bi-weekly NeuroPlay training over 4 weeks, targeting theta/alpha brainwave frequencies. The results revealed intriguing distinctions: ACE-III scores significantly improved in the MCI (p < 0.001) and MD (p =0.004) groups, signifying robust enhancements in attention, memory, and language. MCI participants displayed notable gains in digit span tests (p =0.014) and participants’ Continuous Performance Task results indicated fewer errors (p =0.003). Meanwhile, reaction times in the Simple Reaction Time task increased (p =0.047) for healthy participants. These findings underscore NF's potential to enhance cognitive functions, particularly in attention-related tasks, suggesting its efficacy as an intervention tool for age-related cognitive decline.