Effectiveness of Brain Potential Stimulation Program on Cognitive Function in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Long-term Follow-up Study
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Mild cognitive impairment is common among older adults and a significant risk factor for future dementia. Cognitive stimulation activities may help promote and maintain cognitive function and delay cognitive decline.
OBJECTIVES: To compare cognitive function scores among older adults with mild cognitive impairment before intervention baseline, after a 2-week intervention, and at 3- and 6-month follow-ups.
METHODS: This quasi-experimental study used a one-group pretest-posttest design with long-term follow-up. The sample included 30 older adults with mild cognitive impairment from the catchment area of Phai Lom Sub-district Health Promoting Hospital, Lap Lae District, Uttaradit Province, who met the inclusion criteria assessed by the MoCA, TGDS-15, and ADL scales. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and the MMSE-Thai 2002 to assess cognitive function. The cognitive stimulation program "Challenge Your Mind," developed based on the concept of Spector et al., covered all six cognitive domains and was delivered over 2 weeks, 3 times per week, with 45-60 minutes per session. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA with Bonferroni-corrected post hoc tests.
RESULTS: Cognitive function scores differed significantly across time points (F=28.64, p<0.001). Mean scores rose from 16.8±3.4 at baseline to 21.3±3.8 after the 2-week intervention and remained significantly higher than baseline at the 3-month (20.7±3.9) and 6-month (19.9±4.1) follow-ups. The program demonstrated a large effect size (partial eta squared=0.50).
CONCLUSIONS: The "Tha Khwam Khit" (Challenge Your Mind) program effectively improved and sustained cognitive function among older adults with mild cognitive impairment for up to 6 months. It can be applied in healthcare settings and communities to prevent and delay dementia. However, because this study used a one-group pretest-posttest design without a control group, along with purposive sampling and a relatively small sample size, further studies with a control group and larger sample size are warranted to confirm the effectiveness of this innovation before broader application.
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