Authors (including presenting author) :
MO JWH (1)
Affiliation :
(1) Occupational Therapy Department, Prince of Wales Hospital
Introduction :
With the rise in life expectancy over the decades, concerning the aging population and the incident rate of developing neurodegenerative disorders and stroke events had gradually increased. Computer-assisted cognitive training is the most commonly used technology-based intervention. Computerized cognitive Training Program (CCTP)is a safe and relatively inexpensive intervention to maintain one’s cognitive function. CCTP had increasing concern on improving cognitive function for patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). However, limited evidence was available on MCI patients with stroke history. The World Health Organization emphasized that taking actions against cognitive decline and dementia are of paramount importance. Therefore, early and effective interventions for managing cognitive decline are urgently needed.
Objectives :
This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of CCTP on improving cognitive function for patients with MCI and patients with cognitive impairment and stroke history. Additionally, it aims to evaluate the effects of CCTP in global cognitive function and various cognitive domains.
Methodology :
60 occupational therapy progress reports were retrieved retrospectively for analysis: 20 MCI patients and 20 stroke patients with memory declined were enorlled in CCTP; and 20 MCI patients with the home-based training program. Weekly CCTP sessions that lasted for 60 minutes were conducted for 8 weeks. The Hong Kong Montreal Cognitive Assessment (HK-MoCA) was used to measure the cognitive function in baseline and post-intervention assessment.
Result & Outcome :
All statistical analyses were carried out using the computer software IBM SPSS Statistic version 26, with significance level of P-value at 0.05. Participants with MCI in CCTP group showed statistically significant improvement in overall cognitive function (p<0.001) after 8 weeks. Among different cognitive aspects, only visuospatial performance had significant difference (p=0.021) after CCTP. Yet, the participants with stroke history in CCTP group (p= 0.470) and those with home-based training (p=0.038) showed no significant difference in post-intervention assessment. The findings suggested that CCTP is effective for improving overall cognition for people with MCI. Though the treatment effect of CCTP and home-based cognitive training are still inconclusive, CCTP can be an alternative treatment modality for those patients as regular activity engagement and cognitive treatment. Further robust studies are worth validating these preliminary findings.
