Cortés-Álvarez Nadia Yanet, Vuelvas-Olmos César Rubén, Marmolejo-Murillo Leticia Gabriela, Sánchez-Duarte Elizabeth, Lara-Morales Alfredo
Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Division of Natural and Exact Sciences, University of Guanajuato, León 37150, Mexico.
Medical Sciences Program, School of Medicine, University of Colima, Colima 28040, Mexico.
Nurs Rep. 2025 Apr 30;15(5):151. doi: 10.3390/nursrep15050151.
The progressive increase in the aging population highlights the need for interventions aimed at preserving cognitive health and overall well-being in older adults. This study aimed to assess the impact of a structured cognitive training program on psychological well-being, executive function performance, and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor levels (BDNF) in older adults from a Mexican geriatric center. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with a nonequivalent control group was conducted. Thirty-two older adults were assigned either to a cognitive stimulation intervention group or a control group. The intervention consisted of 120 individually structured sessions, each lasting approximately 60 min, delivered five times per week over 24 weeks. Independent neuropsychologists, blinded to group allocation, assessed executive function (BANFE-3), depressive symptoms (Yesavage Geriatric Depression Scale), autonomy in daily living (Barthel Index), and quality of life (WHOQOL-OLD) before and after the intervention. Serum BDNF levels were also measured. The intervention group showed significant improvements in executive function, depressive symptoms, independence in daily activities, and quality of life, while the control group showed no changes. Additionally, the intervention group showed an increase in BDNF expression post-intervention. The cognitive stimulation program effectively improved cognitive performance, emotional well-being, autonomy, and quality of life in older adults. These findings highlight the importance of integrating structured cognitive stimulation into geriatric care. For nursing practice, this underscores the key role nurses can play in delivering cognitive interventions to promote cognitive health, independence, and emotional stability among institutionalized and non-institutionalized older adults.
人口老龄化的不断加剧凸显了采取干预措施以维护老年人认知健康和整体幸福感的必要性。本研究旨在评估一项结构化认知训练计划对墨西哥一家老年医学中心老年人心理健康、执行功能表现以及脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）水平的影响。研究采用了非等效对照组的准实验前后测设计。32名老年人被分配到认知刺激干预组或对照组。干预包括120次个体化的结构化课程，每次课程约60分钟，每周进行5次，共持续24周。在干预前后，由对分组情况不知情的独立神经心理学家评估执行功能（BANFE - 3）、抑郁症状（耶萨维奇老年抑郁量表）、日常生活自理能力（巴氏指数）和生活质量（WHOQOL - OLD）。同时也测量了血清BDNF水平。干预组在执行功能、抑郁症状、日常活动独立性和生活质量方面有显著改善，而对照组则没有变化。此外，干预组在干预后BDNF表达增加。认知刺激计划有效地改善了老年人的认知表现、情绪幸福感、自理能力和生活质量。这些发现凸显了将结构化认知刺激纳入老年护理的重要性。对于护理实践而言，这强调了护士在为机构化和非机构化老年人提供认知干预以促进认知健康、独立性和情绪稳定性方面可以发挥的关键作用。
