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Objective We aimed to assess how daily-living-related contextual cueing (DLCC) affects memory performance in three groups: healthy older adults (HA), those with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), while accounting for age and education. Methods After gathering demographic information, participants underwent neuropsychological assessments including the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Everyday Cognition Scale (ECog-12), Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and Trail Making Test (TMT) to establish baseline characteristics. Participants were categorized into HA ( N = 47), SCD ( N = 54), and MCI ( N = 43) groups based on MoCA and ECog-12 scores. Memory performance was evaluated through two components of the Contextual Memory Test (CMT): one with non-contextual cues and the other with daily-living-related contextual cues. Results Interaction effects between contextual cueing and group for immediate recall ( p < .001), delayed recall ( p < .001), and total recall ( p < .001) were found. All recall scores were lower in the MCI group than in the other two groups in the contextual cueing, not non-contextual. The post-hoc results revealed that scores on immediate recall, delayed recall, and total recall were lower in the MCI group than in the other two groups in the contextual cueing condition but not in the non-contextual cueing one. Conclusions Daily-living-related contextual cueing benefited HA, SCD, and younger-adult MCI groups more than older-adult MCI group, particularly enhancing delayed and total memory performance.

Abstract Diminished cognitive and physical functions negatively affect the daily functions of individuals. Although combined cognitive and physical training prevents instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) disability in older adults, no predictive model or mediation analysis of IADL after combined training exists. This study aims to employ prediction and mediation analysis to identify the predictors of IADL performance and to elucidate the mediators of the association between baseline global cognition and subsequent IADL performance following combined cognitive and physical training. This study involved 177 participants aged 60 years and older who underwent combined training. Cognitive function was measured with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), Color Trails Test, Word List, and a dual task; physical function with the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test; daily function with the Lawton IADL Scale. We conducted regression analyses to identify the predictors of IADL performance, and mediation analysis to examine whether DSST and TUG mediate the relationship between MoCA and IADL. The pre-intervention DSST and TUG were significant independent predictors of post-intervention IADL. The association between the pre-intervention MoCA and post-intervention IADL was mediated by pre-intervention DSST and TUG. This study highlighted the importance of measuring and improving processing speed and functional mobility before and during interventions to enhance IADL outcomes. Trial registration: NCT03619577, 23/07/2018; NCT04689776, 29/12/2020.