Episodic memory training for face and name association in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment: cognitive measures and functional resonance magnetic imaging outcomes

Abstract

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) often represents a transitional State between healthy aging and dementia, being considered a public health problem especially due to the increase of elder population in Brazil and in the World in general. Yet the conclusions of studies on pharmacological treatments for this population are still controversial, making imperative to invest on new efficient therapies such as non pharmacological interventions aimed at memory improvement. One training mode that has benefited elders is the association between names and faces, which has a compelling clinical relevance considering that one of the main complains among elders is the difficulty in remembering names. However, the exact effects of this kind of training in elders (i.e. the eventual changes in cognition and in brain activation on Magnetic Resonance Imaging) are still largely unknown. Therefore, this study aims to verify the effects of memory training (name-face association) in 15 healthy elders with CCL- A. We will request the participants with CCL-A to submit to a Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) in order to improve the accuracy of the diagnosis. Training will be conducted in 8 sessions (two per week) during one month. To assess the effects, we will use cognitive instruments and RM exams before and after the intervention. Also, one month after the conclusion of the training patients will again be submitted to cognitive tests. (AU)