Story at a glance
- Researchers found that mnemonic devices (MST) – using a rhyme or song to remember something – and spaced retrieval training could improve memory as people age.
- Spaced retrieval training is a memory method that gradually increases the amount of time between instances when one is expected to remember something.
- For the study, patients with mild cognitive impairments were randomized to complete either method with both showing positive results
People with a mild cognitive impairment were better able to recall information when using common memory strategies, one of which was popular in grade school, according to a new study.
“Our research shows that we can help people with mild cognitive impairment improve the amount of information they learn and remember; however, different cognitive training approaches engage the brain in distinct ways,” said lead author Benjamin Hampstead, a professor of psychiatry at Michigan Medicine.
Researchers found that mnemonic devices (MST) – using a rhyme or song to remember something – and spaced retrieval training could improve memory as people age. Spaced retrieval training is a memory method that gradually increases the amount of time between instances when one is expected to remember something.
For the study, patients with mild cognitive impairments were randomized to complete either method with both showing positive results. Yet MST training proved to be a more effective strategy over time.
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“Mnemonic strategy training increased activity in brain areas often affected by Alzheimer’s disease, which likely explains why this training approach helped participants remember more information and for longer,” Hampstead continued.
“In contrast, those completing rehearsal-based training showed reduced brain activity, which suggests they were processing the information more efficiently,” he said.
Researchers say that these memory methods will be important strategies to combine with pharmaceutical treatments for neurodegenerative diseases — like Alzheimer’s — in the future.
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