Executive functions are highly sensitive to the effects of aging and
other conditions affecting frontal lobe function. Yet there are few
validated interventions specifically designed to address executive
functions, and, to our knowledge, none validated in a healthy aging
sample. As part of a large-scale cognitive rehabilitation randomized trial
in 49 healthy older adults, a modified Goal Management Training program
was included to address the real-life deficits caused by executive
dysfunction. This program emphasized periodic suspension of ongoing
activity to establish goal hierarchies and monitor behavioral output.
Tabletop simulated real-life tasks (SRLTs) were developed to measure the
processes targeted by this intervention. Participants were randomized to
two groups, one of which received the intervention immediately and the
other of which was wait-listed prior to rehabilitation. Results indicated
improvements in SRLT performance and self-rated executive deficits
coinciding with the training in both groups. These gains were maintained
at long-term follow-up. Future research will assess the specificity of
these effects in patient groups (JINS, 2007, 13,
143–152.)