Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Mainz, Untere Zahlbacher Str. 8, Mainz, Germany.
Hum Brain Mapp. 2014 Jan;35(1):309-18. doi: 10.1002/hbm.22177. Epub 2012 Sep 11.
Although cognitive training usually improves cognitive test performance, the capability to transfer these training gains into respective or functionally related cognitive domains varies significantly. Since most studies demonstrate rather limited transfer effects in older adults, aging might be an important factor in transfer capability differences. This study investigated the transfer capability of logical reasoning training gains to a measure of Fluid Intelligence (Gf) in relation to age, general intelligence, and brain structural integrity as measured by diffusion tensor imaging. In a group of 41 highly educated healthy elderly, 71% demonstrated successful transfer immediately after a 4-week training session (i.e. short-term transfer). In a subgroup of 22% of subjects transfer maintained over a 3-month follow-up period (i.e. long-term transfer). While short-term transfer was not related to structural integrity, long-term transfer was associated with increased structural integrity in corpus and genu of the corpus callosum. Since callosal structural integrity was also related to age (in the present and foregoing studies), previously observed associations between age and transfer might be moderated by the structural integrity. Surprisingly, age was not directly associated with transfer in this study which could be explained by the multi-dependency of the structural integrity (modulating factors beside age, e.g. genetics). In this highly educated sample, general intelligence was not related to transfer suggesting that high intelligence is not sufficient for transfer in normal aging. Further studies are needed to reveal the interaction of transfer, age, and structural integrity and delineate mechanisms of age-dependent transfer capabilities.
虽然认知训练通常可以提高认知测试成绩，但将这些训练收益转移到相应或功能相关的认知领域的能力差异很大。由于大多数研究表明老年人的转移效果相当有限，因此衰老可能是转移能力差异的一个重要因素。本研究调查了逻辑推理训练收益对流体智力（Gf）的转移能力与年龄、一般智力和扩散张量成像测量的脑结构完整性的关系。在一组 41 名受过高等教育的健康老年人中，71%的人在 4 周的训练后立即表现出成功的转移（即短期转移）。在 22%的受试者亚组中，转移在 3 个月的随访期间保持（即长期转移）。虽然短期转移与结构完整性无关，但长期转移与胼胝体体部和膝部的结构完整性增加有关。由于胼胝体的结构完整性也与年龄有关（在本研究和之前的研究中），因此之前观察到的年龄与转移之间的关联可能受到结构完整性的调节。令人惊讶的是，在这项研究中，年龄与转移没有直接相关，这可以用结构完整性的多依赖性来解释（除了年龄之外的调节因素，例如遗传）。在这个受过高等教育的样本中，一般智力与转移无关，这表明高智力不足以在正常衰老中进行转移。需要进一步的研究来揭示转移、年龄和结构完整性的相互作用，并阐明年龄相关转移能力的机制。
