Affiliations: Laboratory of Neuropsychology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland | Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland
Note: [] Corresponding author: Elzbieta Szelag, Laboratory of Neuropsychology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, 3 Pasteur Street, Warsaw 02-093, Poland. Tel.: +48 22 5892286; Fax: +48 22 8225342; E-mail: e.szelag@nencki.gov.pl
Abstract: Purposes: The study offers a promising direction for rehabilitation, as for the first time cognitive benefits of training in temporal information processing (TIP) using Fast ForWord were identified in elderly adults. As TIP creates a fundamental basis for human cognition, we focussed on two questions: (1) can TIP be improved by Fast ForWord training? (2) can a transfer of the trained skill from the time domain to the untrained cognitive domain be observed after the training? Methods: 30 healthy seniors were classified according to three groups which underwent either temporal Fast ForWord training (Group A) or non-temporal control training (Group B). Group C was comprised of non-active controls. Various cognitive functions, i.e., TIP, as well as some aspects of attention and short-term memory, were compared before and after the training. Results: Only for Group A was the improved TIP accompanied by amelioration of both attentional and memory resources. The observed improvements were maintained for up to 18 months. Although in Group B some improvements in TIP were also evidenced after the training, significant improvements were observed neither in Group B nor C. Conclusions: Temporal training is effective for amelioration of cognitive function in seniors. Its application may foster improved life quality in increasingly aging societies.
Keywords: Temporal information processing, timing, Fast ForWord, cognitive function, healthy aging
