Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27242481›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in human neuroscience2016

Reading Aloud and Solving Simple Arithmetic Calculation Intervention (Learning Therapy) Improves Inhibition, Verbal Episodic Memory, Focus Attention and Processing Speed in Healthy Elderly People: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Rui Nouchi, Yasuyuki Taki, Hikaru Takeuchi, Takayuki Nozawa, Atsushi Sekiguchi, Ryuta Kawashima

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in human neuroscience, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.6field-weighted citation impact, top 11% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 44 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Rui NouchiCreative Interdisciplinary Research Division, Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science (FRIS), Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan; Human and Social Response Research Division, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan; Smart Ageing International Research Centre, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan.
Yasuyuki TakiDepartment of Nuclear Medicine and Radiology, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan; Division of Medical Neuroimage Analysis, Department of Community Medical Supports, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan; Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan.
Hikaru TakeuchiDivision of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University Sendai, Japan.
Takayuki NozawaSmart Ageing International Research Centre, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan; Department of Ubiquitous Sensing, PreClinical Research Center, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan.
Atsushi SekiguchiDivision of Medical Neuroimage Analysis, Department of Community Medical Supports, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan; Department of Adult Mental Health, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and PsychiatryTokyo, Japan.
Ryuta KawashimaSmart Ageing International Research Centre, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan; Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan; Department of Ubiquitous Sensing, PreClinical Research Center, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan; Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan.
Tohoku University · JPTohoku Medical Megabank Organization · JP

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPrevious reports have described that simple cognitive training using reading aloud and solving simple arithmetic calculations, so-called "learning therapy", can improve executive functions and processing speed in the older adults. Nevertheless, it is not well-known whether learning therapy improve a wide range of cognitive functions or not. We investigated the beneficial effects of learning therapy on various cognitive functions in healthy older adults.

methodsWe used a single-blinded intervention with two groups (learning therapy group: LT and waiting list control group: WL). Sixty-four elderly were randomly assigned to LT or WL. In LT, participants performed reading Japanese aloud and solving simple calculations training tasks for 6 months. WL did not participate in the intervention. We measured several cognitive functions before and after 6 months intervention periods.

resultsCompared to WL, results revealed that LT improved inhibition performance in executive functions (Stroop: LT (Mean = 3.88) vs. WL (Mean = 1.22), adjusted p = 0.013 and reverse Stroop LT (Mean = 3.22) vs. WL (Mean = 1.59), adjusted p = 0.015), verbal episodic memory (Logical Memory (LM): LT (Mean = 4.59) vs. WL (Mean = 2.47), adjusted p = 0.015), focus attention (D-CAT: LT (Mean = 2.09) vs. WL (Mean = -0.59), adjusted p = 0.010) and processing speed compared to the WL control group (digit symbol coding: LT (Mean = 5.00) vs. WL (Mean = 1.13), adjusted p = 0.015 and Symbol Search (SS): LT (Mean = 3.47) vs. WL (Mean = 1.81), adjusted p = 0.014). DISCUSSION: This randomized controlled trial (RCT) can be showed the benefit of LT on inhibition of executive functions, verbal episodic memory, focus attention and processing speed in healthy elderly people. Our results were discussed under overlapping hypothesis.

Indexed as

cognitive traininglearning therapyreading aloudsimple calculationtransfer effect

Identifiers

PMID27242481
PMCPMC4868921
OpenAlexW2403128367

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.