Influence of computer-based cognitive training on mobility in healthy older adults. A systematic review

Background. Mobility is important and often affected in older adults. Mobility is related to cognitive function, which is associated with age-related decline. Computer-based cognitive training (CCT) is increasingly used to treat such cognitive deficits. Whether CCT also has an effect on mobility is not yet clear. Objective. The aim of this systematic review was to identify and evaluate available intervention studies investigating the effect of CCT on mobility-related outcome parameters in healthy older adults. Methods. Studies with CCT interventions with mobility outcome parameters (gait, balance, transfer) as primary outcomes and published up to June 2017 were categorized based on the criteria of the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (AACPDM) and then systematically evaluated. Results. Out of 305 identified studies, 11 CCT studies met the inclusion criteria. The quality of these studies was generally high but definitions and effects of mobility outcome parameters were heterogeneous. The most promising mobility outcome parameters that may be influenced by CCT are step length under dual tasking conditions and gait initiation. Conclusion. The use of CCT may have positive effects on mobility parameters. Further studies focusing on this hypothesis as the primary outcome parameter are needed.