Imaging biomarker of beta‐amyloid pathology limits cognitive plasticity in healthy aging: A multi‐center intervention study

Description

Brain training can still sharpen thinking late in life, but not everyone gains equally. Gérard Bischof, Tim Fellerhoff, Kathrin Giehl, and Alexander Drzezga asked whether hidden amyloid buildup, the protein deposit tied to Alzheimer's disease, limits those gains. Seventy six healthy older adults, average age about 68, completed twelve hour long training sessions targeting memory, attention, speed, and executive skills, and brain scans measured each person's amyloid load.

People with more amyloid improved less during training, even after accounting for age, education, and intelligence. They also kept less of their transfer gains three months later, though immediate transfer to new tasks showed no amyloid link. The results suggest that silent protein pathology quietly caps the brain's ability to benefit from practice, so future training programs may need to reckon with brain health, not just effort.

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Source: https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC11716874