Prognostic factors for change in memory test performance after memory training in healthy older adults: a systematic review and outline of statistical challenges

Mandy Roheger; Ann-Kristin Folkerts; Fabian Krohm; Nicole Skoetz; Elke Kalbe

doi:10.1186/s41512-020-0071-8

Prognostic factors for change in memory test performance after memory training in healthy older adults: a systematic review and outline of statistical challenges

Diagn Progn Res. 2020 May 21:4:7. doi: 10.1186/s41512-020-0071-8. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Mandy Roheger¹, Ann-Kristin Folkerts¹, Fabian Krohm¹, Nicole Skoetz², Elke Kalbe¹

Affiliations

¹ 1Department of Medical Psychology | Neuropsychology and Gender Studies & Center for Neuropsychological Diagnostics and Intervention (CeNDI), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Kerpener Str. 68, 50937 Cologne, Germany.
² 2Evidence-Based Oncology, Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Kerpener Str. 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany.

Abstract

Background: The goal is to investigate prognostic factors for change in memory test performance in healthy older adults and to report and discuss the different statistical procedures used for investigating this topic in the literature.

Methods: Prognostic factors were here understood as any measures that were investigated to estimate change in memory test performance. MEDLINE, Web of Science Core Collection, CENTRAL, and PsycInfo were searched up to November 2019. Prognostic factor and prognostic factor finding studies investigating prognostic factors on verbal and non-verbal short- and long-term memory after conducting memory training in healthy older adults were included. Risk of bias was assessed using the QUIPS tool.

Results: Our search yielded 12,974 results. We included 29 studies that address prognostic factors of change in memory test performance, including sociodemographic, (neuro-)psychological, genetic, and biological parameters. Studies showed high variation and methodological shortcomings with regard to the assessment, statistical evaluation, and reporting of the investigated prognostic factors. Included studies used different types of dependent variables (change scores vs. post-test scores) when defining change in memory test performance leading to contradictory results. Age was the only variable investigated throughout most of the studies, showing that older adults benefit more from training when using the change score as the dependent variable.

Conclusion: Overall, there is a need for adequate reporting in studies of prognostic factors for change in memory test performance. Because of inconsistencies and methodological shortcomings in the literature, conclusions regarding prognostic factors remain uncertain. As a tentative conclusion, one may say that the higher the age of the participant, the more profound the improvement in memory test performance will be after memory training.

Trial registration: CRD42019127479.

Keywords: Memory training; Prediction; Prognostic factors; Verbal memory.

Publication types

Review