Language Intervention Training for Cognitive Protection in High-risk Cardio-Cerebrovascular Elderly Population

A Study of Language Intervention Training for Cognitive Protection in High-risk Cardio-Cerebrovascular Elderly Population

The global population is aging rapidly, with the number of elderly people with dementia projected to rise sharply, posing significant challenges to quality of life and societal burden.Frequent language switching, such as in interpreting, enhances cognitive abilities by improving attention, flexibility, and memory.Dialect-switching training, similar to interpreting, is a non-invasive method that shows potential for promoting cognitive health in the elderly but remains under-researched.This study aims to investigate the cognitive-enhancing effects of a dialect-switching training program on older adults with vascular risk factors through a six-month intervention.

The global population is aging rapidly, with those aged 65+ expected to reach 16% of the total population by 2050. Aging is linked to increased cognitive impairment risks, including dementia prevalence rates of 5%-10% among the elderly in developed countries. In China, the number of elderly with dementia is projected to soar from 7.4 million to 18 million by 2030 without intervention. This trend poses significant challenges to quality of life and societal burden.

Language experiences, particularly frequent switching between languages, enhance cognitive abilities. Interpreting, which demands high-intensity language switching, significantly improves cognitive control and memory. Interpreters' need for rapid language conversion and reliance on attention, flexibility, and inhibition contribute to their cognitive advantages.

Similar to interpreting, switching between dialects and standard language requires high-frequency, high-intensity language conversion. This non-invasive training method is suitable for promoting cognitive health in the elderly. However, its potential benefits for cognitive enhancement in this population remain underexplored.

This study aims to design a dialect-switching training program simulating interpreting and investigate its potential cognitive-enhancing effects through a six-month intervention in older adults with vascular risk factors.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients aged ≥ 60 years
• High risk of stroke (with ≥ 3 of 8 stroke risk factors, including hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, atrial fibrillation or valvular heart disease, smoking history, obvious overweight or obesity, lack of exercise, family history of stroke, or with transient ischemic attack)
• command of Hangzhou dialect
• Written informed consent available
• Willingness to complete all assessments and participate in follow-up
• Adequate Visual and auditory acuity to undergo neuropsychological testing

Exclusion Criteria:

• previously diagnosed dementia
• Suspected dementia after clinical assessment by study physician at screening visit
• Previous history of major head trauma and any intracranial surgery
• Intracranial abnormalities, such as intracerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage and other space occupying lesions
• Extrapyramidal symptoms or mental illness which may affect neuropsychological measurement
• Severe loss of vision, hearing, or communicative ability
• Patients presenting a malignant disease with life expectancy < 3 years
• Participation in an ongoing investigational drug study
• Any MRI contraindications