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• What is the primary question addressed by this study? We conducted a four-armed, quasi-experimental intervention to assess the effects of simultaneous combined intervention (cycling while playing a video game), single aerobic exercise, and single video game training on executive functions and brain connectivity in older adults. • What is the main finding of this study? Both video game training alone and combined intervention could improve executive functions, while combined intervention holds greater potential to boost gains. • What is the meaning of the study? Combining aerobic exercise with challenging cognitive activities simultaneously is especially beneficial for postponing the decline in executive functions in older adults. The study was designed to examine the effects of simultaneous combination of aerobic exercise and video game training on executive functions (EFs) and brain functional connectivity in older adults. A four-armed, quasi-experimental study. Community-dwelling adults aged 55 years and older. A total of 97 older adults were divided into one of four groups: aerobic exercise (AE), video game (VG), combined intervention (CI), and passive control (PC). Participants in intervention groups received 32 sessions of training over a 4-month period at a frequency of twice a week. EFs was evaluated using a composite score derived from a battery of neuropsychological tests. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was employed to evaluate overall cognitive function, while the 6-Minute Walking Test (6MWT) was utilized to gauge physical function. Additionally, the functional connectivity (FC) of the frontal-parietal networks (FPN) was examined as a neural indicator of cognitive processing and connectivity changes. In terms of EFs, both VG and CI groups demonstrated improvement following the intervention. This improvement was particularly pronounced in the CI group, with a large effect size (Hedge's g = 0.83), while the VG group showed a medium effect size (Hedge's g = 0.56). A significant increase in MoCA scores was also observed in both the VG and CI groups, whereas a significant increase in 6MWT scores was observed in the AE and CI groups. Although there were no group-level changes observed in FC of the FPN, we found that changes in FC was behaviorally relevant as increased FC was associated with greater improvement in EFs. The study offers preliminary evidence that both video game training and combined intervention could enhance EFs in older adults. Simultaneous combined intervention may hold greater potential for facilitating EFs gains. The initial evidence for correlated changes in brain connectivity and EFs provides new insights into understanding the neural basis underlying the training gains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• What is the primary question addressed by this study? This study examines the neural correlates of the group–counseling–boosted memory training gains in older adults with subjective memory complaints (SMC). • What is the main finding of this study? Improved mood, which may boost memory training gains in older adults with SMC, was associated with changes in the functional resting-state connectivity between the amygdala and hippocampus. • What is the meaning of the finding? This finding suggests that amygdala–hippocampal connectivity may be associated with improved mood–enhanced memory training gains in older adults with SMC. Older adults with subjective memory complaints (SMC) have a higher risk of dementia and commonly demonstrate symptoms of anxiety. This study examined the neural correlates of group counseling (GC)–boosted memory training (MT) gains. This study was an active, controlled, randomized trial. Neighborhoods near the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Community-dwelling older adults, aged 60 or above with a minimum of 6 years of education, were recruited through advertisements and flyers posted at community service stations. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations and resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) analyses were used to examine the neural correlates associated with MT gains enhanced by improved mood in older adults with SMC. Participants were randomly assigned to the combined intervention (CI) or GC group. The CI group received 3 weeks of GC followed by 4 weeks of MT, and the GC group received GC and health lectures. Cognitive function and emotions were assessed before GC (T1), after GC (T2), and after MT (T3). Both groups underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning at T2 and T3. Alleviated anxiety was positively correlated with rs-FC between the amygdala and left hippocampus and negatively correlated with rs-FC between the amygdala and right hippocampus. MT improvement was negatively correlated with rs-FC between the amygdala and right hippocampus in the CI group; the correlation was not significant after controlling for emotional changes. Amygdala–hippocampal connectivity may be associated with improved mood-enhanced MT gains in individuals with SMC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• What is the primary question addressed by this study? We investigated the effects of a 9-month community-based multidomain intervention of mindfulness meditation, cognitive training, exercise, and nutrition counseling on improving cognition compared to controls for Chinese older adults having risks of cognitive decline. • What is the main finding of this study? Multidomain intervention had immediate benefits on improving cognitive performance measured by objective assessments and subjective cognitive abilities relative to the control, and the benefits on subjective cognitive abilities were retained for 1 year after the completion of the intervention. • What is the meaning of the finding? Multidomain intervention that targeted multiple predictors of cognitive decline can have immediate benefits on improving cognitive performance for older adults at risk of cognitive decline. Long-term effects on cognition and individual differences in response to the intervention deserve further investigation. We sought to assess cognitive benefits of a community-based multidomain intervention for improving cognition among older adults at risk of cognitive decline (COMBAT). A two-armed cluster-randomized controlled trial. Community-dwelling older adults aged 60 years or older and were at risk of cognitive decline (n = 209). In this 9-month intervention study, 10 community hospitals in Beijing, China, were randomized (1:1) to receive either a multidomain intervention of meditation, cognitive training, exercise, and nutrition counseling or usual care. The intervention was delivered with weekly 1-hour group training sessions and weekly home homework. Primary outcome was change in cognition as measured by a composite Z score of seven cognitive tests. Secondary outcomes included subjective cognitive abilities, positive and negative affective experiences, physical activity, and dietary habits. Assessments were administered at baseline, end of the intervention, and 1 year after completing the intervention (1-year follow-up). Immediately after the intervention, the intervention group showed significant enhancement in cognitive performance (p = 0.026). The between-group difference in the Z score of change of cognition was 0.20 (95% CI: 0.053, 0.35), with a Hedges' g of 0.40 (95% CI: 0.29, 0.50). However, this cognitive benefit was not significant at 1-year follow-up. This multidomain intervention was effective to improve cognition for at-risk individuals. Long-term effects on cognitive function and individual differences in response to the intervention deserve further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the effects of a multimodal intervention composed of cognitive training, physical exercise, and group counseling on cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults.Design: A four-armed, quasi-experimental intervention study.Setting and Participants: Community-dwelling adults aged 60 years and older (n = 153).Intervention: Participants were allocated into multimodal intervention, cognitive training plus Taichi exercise, cognitive training, or control group. The multimodal intervention included 18 sessions of cognitive training, 18 sessions of Taichi, and 6 sessions of group reminiscence over six weeks.Measurements: Cognitive function, depressive symptoms, and psychological well-being were assessed at the baseline, postintervention, and three-month follow-up. The primary outcome was the change in overall cognition measured by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and a composite cognitive score derived from a battery of neuropsychological tests.Results: For MoCA, there was no significant difference between any of the three intervention groups and controls. For composite cognition, all three intervention groups showed improvements at the three-month follow-up, with a large effect size in the cognitive training plus Taichi group (change difference 0.37, 95% CI 0.18-0.56, Hedge's g = 0.92), and medium effect sizes in the multimodal intervention group (change difference 0.23, 95% CI 0.0 -0.42, g = 0.58) and cognitive training group (change difference 0.22, 95% CI 0.03-0.42, g = 0.55).Conclusions: Multimodal intervention, cognitive training plus Taichi, and cognitive training could foster cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults. The combination of cognitive training and Taichi showed greater efficacy than the other two interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Older adults with subjective memory complaints (SMC) have a higher risk of dementia and commonly demonstrate symptoms of depression and anxiety. The study aimed to examine the effect of a memory training program for individuals with SMC, and whether additional group counseling aimed at alleviating depression and anxiety would boost memory training gains.Design: A three-armed, double-blind, randomized controlled trial.Setting and Participants: Community-dwelling older adults with SMC, age ≥60.Methods: Participants (n = 124) were randomly assigned to memory training (MT), group counseling (GC), or GC + MT intervention. The GT + MT group received 3 sessions of group counseling followed by a 4-week memory training, while the MT group attended reading and memory training, and the GC group received group counseling and health lectures. Cognitive function and symptoms of depression and anxiety were assessed at baseline, mid-, and post-intervention.Results: After group counseling, the GC + MT and GC groups showed reduced symptoms of anxiety compared to the MT group. Memory training enhanced associative learning in both MT and GC + MT groups compare with the GC group, but the GC + MT group demonstrated a larger memory improvement (Cohen's d = 0.57) than the MT group (Cohen's d = 0.44).Conclusion and Implications: Group counseling decreased symptoms of anxiety, memory training increased associative learning, and the combination of two intervention induced larger memory gain than memory training alone. The results suggest that it may need to integrate treatment for anxiety into memory training for older adults with SMC to achieve better intervention effect.Trial Registration: ChiCTR-IOR-15006165 in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]