Effect of 3D-MOT training on the execution of manual dexterity skills in a population of older adults with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia

Abstract

Computerized cognitive training tools are an alternative to preventive treatments related to cognitive impairment and aging. In this study, the transfer of 3D multiple object tracking (3D-MOT) training on manual dexterity concerning fine and gross motor skills in 38 elderly participants, half of them with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and the other half with mild dementia (MD) was explored. A total of 36 sessions of the 3D-MOT training program were administered to the subjects. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test was used to assess the baseline cognitive status of the participants. Two batteries of manual motor skills (GPT and MMDT) were applied before and after the 3D-MOT training program. The results showed an interaction effect of training and improvement in manual dexterity tests, from the first training session until the fifteenth session, and after this range of sessions, the interaction effect was lost. However, the training effect continued to the end of the thirty-six-session program. The experimental results show the effect of cognitive training on the improvement of motor skills in older adults. This type of intervention could have a broad impact on the aging population in terms of their attention, executive functions, and therefore, their quality of life.

Keywords:

• Cognitive training
• manual dexterity
• mild cognitive impairment
• mild dementia
• multiple objects tracking

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all the participants for their time and cooperation. We also wish to thank Marco Polo Colín García, Flor del Carmen Cortés Ortegón, Dulce A. Alcántara López, and A. Karen Olin López for their valuable assistance in carrying out this project.

Disclosure statement

J.F. was the Chief Science Officer of CogniSens Athletics Inc., who produced the commercial version of the 3D-MOT used in this study. Prior to the completion of this work, J.E.L. was a researcher associate at the same company. In this capacity, both authors hold shares in the company.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by NRC, discovery grant.