The Evolution of Subjective Cognition after Meditation Training and Non-Native Language Training in Older People: A Secondary Analysis of the Three-Arm Age-Well Randomized Controlled Trial

Aging is associated with cognitive changes, even in the absence of brain pathology. This study aimed to determine if meditation training is associated with the perception of cognitive changes in older adults by comparing its effects to active (non-native language training) and passive control groups. One hundred and thirty-four healthy older participants from the “Silver Sante study” were included: 45 in the meditation training group (mean age: 69.09 ± 3.70), 45 in the non-native language training group (mean age: 69.93 ± 4.54) and 44 in the no-intervention group (mean age: 67.61 ± 2.51). Subjective measures of cognition were taken before and after the 18-month intervention (or the no-intervention for the passive control group). Perception of attentional efficiency was assessed using the internal and external subscales of the Attentional Style Questionnaire (ASQ). Perception of cognitive capacities was measured by the Cognitive Difficulties Scale (CDS) and the total score was used in the analysis. Deltas (differences between post-test and pre-test scores) were calculated for the analyses. Generalized mixed effects models controlling for age, gender, education and baseline score showed no between-group differences on the internal score of the ASQ nor on the total score of the CDS. However, there was a significant positive effect of the meditation training on the external score of the ASQ (p<.01, Rsp²=.07) compared to non-native language training and no-intervention groups. This suggests a subjective benefit of meditation practice on the management of distracting information in daily life. This can be explained by training the ability to focus on specific information (e.g., breath) and ignore stimulation from other kinds of stimuli (e.g., noise).