Mnemonic Strategy Versus Spaced Retrieval Training in Those With Mild Cognitive Impairment

Comparing Mnemonic Strategy With Spaced Retrieval Training in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment (B6366-W)

This study compared two active cognitive interventions to evaluate whether one improved memory more than the other in patients with mild cognitive impairment. Participants were randomized to either memory strategy training or spaced retrieval training and completed memory tests before and after 3 training sessions. Participants returned 1 month after treatment to see how well they remembered the learned information. Brain scans (functional MRI) were collected before and after the interventions to see if training changed the way brain regions were functioning.

Individuals with MCI were randomized to 3 sessions of mnemonic strategy or spaced retrieval training that focused on object location associations. Across these training sessions, each group received 9 training trials for each of the 45 trained stimuli. Task-fMRI was acquired before and after training. Memory was again evaluated 1 month after the last training session. The primary outcome measure was memory for the "trained" stimuli while secondary outcome was accuracy for novel stimuli acquired outside of the MRI environment.

Inclusion Criteria:

-Diagnosis of MCI according to Petersen (2004) criteria, right handed

Exclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis of other neurological condition,
• active drug/alcohol abuse/dependence,
• moderate-severe depression or other Axis I diagnoses.