Higher white matter hyperintensity load adversely affects pre-post proximal cognitive training performance in healthy older adults

Emanuel M Boutzoukas; Andrew O'Shea; Jessica N Kraft; Cheshire Hardcastle; Nicole D Evangelista; Hanna K Hausman; Alejandro Albizu; Emily J Van Etten; Pradyumna K Bharadwaj; Samantha G Smith; Hyun Song; Eric C Porges; Alex Hishaw; Steven T DeKosky; Samuel S Wu; Michael Marsiske; Gene E Alexander; Ronald Cohen; Adam J Woods

doi:10.1007/s11357-022-00538-y

Higher white matter hyperintensity load adversely affects pre-post proximal cognitive training performance in healthy older adults

Geroscience. 2022 Jun;44(3):1441-1455. doi: 10.1007/s11357-022-00538-y. Epub 2022 Mar 12.

Authors

Emanuel M Boutzoukas^{1

2}, Andrew O'Shea¹, Jessica N Kraft^{1

3}, Cheshire Hardcastle^{1

2}, Nicole D Evangelista^{1

2}, Hanna K Hausman^{1

2}, Alejandro Albizu^{1

3}, Emily J Van Etten⁴, Pradyumna K Bharadwaj⁴, Samantha G Smith⁴, Hyun Song⁴, Eric C Porges^{1

2}, Alex Hishaw^{5

6}, Steven T DeKosky⁷, Samuel S Wu⁸, Michael Marsiske^{1

2}, Gene E Alexander^{4

9}, Ronald Cohen^{1

2}, Adam J Woods^{10

11

12}

Affiliations

¹ Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
² Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
³ Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
⁴ Department of Psychology and Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
⁵ Department Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
⁶ Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
⁷ Department of Neurology and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
⁸ Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health and Health Professions, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
⁹ Department of Psychiatry, Neuroscience and Physiological Sciences Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs, and BIO5 Institute, University of Arizona and Arizona Alzheimer's Disease Consortium, Tucson, AZ, USA.
¹⁰ Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. ajwoods@phhp.ufl.edu.
¹¹ Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. ajwoods@phhp.ufl.edu.
¹² Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. ajwoods@phhp.ufl.edu.

Abstract

Cognitive training has shown promise for improving cognition in older adults. Age-related neuroanatomical changes may affect cognitive training outcomes. White matter hyperintensities are one common brain change in aging reflecting decreased white matter integrity. The current study assessed (1) proximal cognitive training performance following a 3-month randomized control trial and (2) the contribution of baseline whole-brain white matter hyperintensity load, or total lesion volume (TLV), on pre-post proximal training change. Sixty-two healthy older adults were randomized to either adaptive cognitive training or educational training control interventions. Repeated-measures analysis of covariance revealed two-way group × time interactions such that those assigned cognitive training demonstrated greater improvement on proximal composite (total training composite) and sub-composite (processing speed training composite, working memory training composite) measures compared to education training counterparts. Multiple linear regression showed higher baseline TLV associated with lower pre-post change on processing speed training sub-composite (β = -0.19, p = 0.04), but not other composite measures. These findings demonstrate the utility of cognitive training for improving post-intervention proximal performance in older adults. Additionally, pre-post proximal processing speed training change appears to be particularly sensitive to white matter hyperintensity load versus working memory training change. These data suggest that TLV may serve as an important factor for consideration when planning processing speed-based cognitive training interventions for remediation of cognitive decline in older adults.

Keywords: Cognitive aging; Cognitive training; Processing speed; Total lesion volume; White matter hyperintensities.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Aged
Brain / pathology
Cognition
Cognition Disorders*
Cognitive Dysfunction* / pathology
Humans
White Matter*

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding