ArticleDementia & neuropsychologia
Cognitive training using the abacus: a literature review study on the benefits for different age groups.
Article in Dementia & neuropsychologia. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of the abacus-based mental calculation training application "SoroTouch" on cognitive functions: A randomized controlled trial.PloS one · 2024Trial
- What Does 'Human-Centred AI' Mean?Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Impact of a physical-cognitive intervention on emotional regulation and school adjustment in primary school children.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- A Multimodal Physical Program Combining Abacus Use and Exercise to Improve Motor Coordination and Flexibility in Primary School Children.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2025Article
- Effects of Abacus Training on Auditory Spatial Maturation in Children with Normal Hearing.International archives of otorhinolaryngology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The literature indicates that cognitive stimulation interventions have shown promising results. Abacus represents a tool with great potential in such interventions.
objectivesTo carry out a systematic review of studies published in recent years that entailed the delivery of a cognitive training program using an abacus to boost target cognitive abilities of older persons and also other age groups, with or without cognitive impairment.
methodsA systematic review study was conducted in July 2020 involving PubMed, MedLine, LILACS, and SciELO databases.
resultsA total of 29 studies were retrieved, of which 8 aimed to identify the effect of abacus-based mental calculation (AMC) for different age groups and to determine its applicability as a method of cognitive stimulation for older adults. In AMC technique, participants first learn to use the physical abacus (PA) and after achieving proficiency they perform calculations using a mental image of the device, manipulating the beads of the so-called mental abacus (MA).
conclusionsThe number of studies addressing abacus use as a cognitive training tool was rather limited, considering the relevance of the theme. Their interventions have shown benefits for cognitive functioning of individuals of various age groups, including older adults with cognitive impairment. Future studies that involve larger samples of healthy and/or cognitively impaired older adults with a longitudinal design and a more elaborate methodological design are suggested.
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Registered trials
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.