A Novel Dual-Language Touch-Screen Intervention to Slow Down Cognitive Decline in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background and Objectives: Bilingualism has been suggested to protect older adults from cognitive aging and delay the onset of dementia. However, no studies have systematically explored bilingual usage as a tool to mitigate age-related cognitive decline. We developed the Dual-Language Intervention in Semantic memory-Computerized (DISC), a novel cognitive training program with three training tasks (object categorization, verbal fluency, and utility of things) designed specifically for older adults that featured two modes: single-language (SL) exposure mode and dual-language (DL) exposure mode. Research Design and Methods: The final sample included 50 cognitively healthy (CH; 33 female, Results: For CH older adults, we found significant improvements in the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) Trial 5 score and the Clock Drawing Test score in the DL group but not in the SL and control groups posttraining compared with pretraining. For CI older adults, there was a delayed improvement in the RAVLT Trial 1, six months later. Discussion and Implications: Our findings provided novel evidence that implementing DL cognitive training benefits CH older adult's late verbal learning and visuospatial construction skills, and a delayed improvement in CI older adults' early verbal learning abilities.