Potenziamento cognitivo nell’early ageing in contesti professionali

[Autom. eng. transl.] Recently the interest of neuropsychology has focused on the effects of mindfulness interventions in enhancing attentional, emotional and cognitive functions, which can be compromised by environmental, biological and psychological factors. In the present research, the effects of a neurocognitive empowerment training consisting of daily mindfulness practices lasting two weeks supported by the use of a wearable device were investigated within a professional context. Specifically, the training was submitted to a sample of 16 professionals over 50 occupying managerial positions, who are often subjected to conditions of high stress and to the performance of services requiring a high cognitive load. To assess the efficacy of the treatment the differences in the electroencephalographic and autonomic activity in resting-state and task / related conditions were investigated in a previous phase (T0), intermediate (T1) and subsequent (T2). neuropsychological, behavioral and psychometric measures of cognitive performance were used. The results of the research showed that the treatment was effective in terms of reduced levels of anxiety and perceived stress and an increase in control processes during cognitive performance. At an electroencephalographic level, an increase in the alpha / beta index was observed, indicating a condition of relaxation and attention focus during cognitive performance. At the autonomic level an increase in cardiac variability has been observed, indicating a greater level of concentration in stressful situations. In light of the results that emerged, mindfulness training proved to be effective in neurocognitive strengthening, proving to be useful in improving the efficiency of cognitive processes and in preventing cognitive impairment due to early aging.