Mild cognitive impairment in elderly: Efficacy of integrative neurocognitive psychotherapy

The present study aimed to see the efficacy of an integrative neurocognitive psychotherapy customized for five elderly participants (three males and two females), ages varying from 65 years to 75 years, clinically diagnosed with Mild Cognitive impairment (MCI) in an outpatient-based clinic. The participants were assigned a customized neurocognitive psychotherapy package totaling 12 sessions for six months. The intervention programme primarily comprised cognitive training focusing on attention, memory, language, and executive function, along with psycho-education, supportive counseling, and behavioural management. Participants were assessed pre and post-training programmes, as well as a follow-up. The analysis of findings revealed better scores in cognitive functioning and low scores on the depression scale after the intervention. Improvement was found in the cognitive and behavioural functioning of the individuals. Based on the present findings, it may be concluded that a comprehensive neurocognitive psychotherapy intervention, including psycho-education, supportive counseling, cognitive training, and behavioural management, improves cognitive deficits, mood symptoms, and social functioning in MCI clients.