. 2010 Jul-Sep;4(3):222–231. doi: 10.1590/S1980-57642010DN40300011

Table 2.

Description of the variables analyzed in the specific intervention studies.

Reference Objective	Method			Results
Reference Objective	Sample	Neuropsychological assessment	Intervention	Results
Study ³³ (Buschkuehl et al., 2008)	(a) Type and age: Healthy older adults, mean age of 80.1. (b) Groups: Experimental group (WM training, n=13), control group (physical training, n=19). (c) Inclusion criteria: absence of acute heart, psychiatric, or debilitating problems; arthrosis problems; independent and healthy elderly adults.	(a) Functions and abilities: WM, episodic memory. (b) Frequency: Pre- and post-intervention, with 1 year follow-up; the same battery was administered.	(a) Design: single-case with multiple-baseline-across behavior with a control group. (b) Type of rehabilitation: training of WM storage and processing components; specific cognitive retraining of the central executive and phonological loop. (c) Theoretical framework: WM model (Baddeley, 1986, 1998). (d) Procedures: Eight different tasks; [i] reconstruction of words from oral spelling, [ii] reconstruction of words from oral spelling with a letter omitted, [iii] oral spelling, [iv] odd or even number of letters in a word, [v] reconstitution of words from syllables, [vi] alphabetizing, [vii] word sorting in alphabetical order, [viii] acronyms. (e) Duration: 6 months, 1 h training sessions three days per week	• Experimental group showed overall increased visual WM performance and, to a lesser degree, visual episodic memory performance. • No differences between groups in the 1 year follow-up.
To investigate the effect of WM training on WM and episodic memory performance
Study ³⁴ (Duval et al., 2008)	(a) Type and age: A case of a 23-year-old, right-handed student, bilingual (French) at an academy of music. (b) Deficits: WM impairment as a result of cerebral tumor surgery on his left temporal lobe.	a) Functions and abilities: memory, language, constructional praxis, intellectual abilities, attention, executive functions. (b) Frequency: Four assessments with the same tests: pre-evaluation, intermediate, post-immediate, and post 3 months.	a) Design: case report, multiple baselines. (b) Type of rehabilitation: cognitive program (training of three WM subcomponents; central executive) complemented by an ecological approach. (c) Theoretical framework: non-passive storage by slave systems (Emerson and Miyake, 2003), complemented by an ecological approach (WM model; Baddeley, 1986). d) Procedures: [i] cognitive rehabilitation (exercises divided into three subprograms: central executive, visual sketchpad, and phonological loop), [ii] ecological rehabilitation (analyses of scenarios and simulations of real-life situations). (e) Duration: 6 months, 90 min sessions four times per week.	• Effectiveness for all three WM components. • Generalization to everyday life, and effects were maintained after 3 months.
To describe and evaluate a program of neuropsychological rehabilitation.
Study ²⁰ (Serino et al., 2007)	(a) Type and age: Traumatic brain injury patients with severe WM deficits, with ages ranging from 16 to 57 years. (b) Group: Experimental group, n=9. (c) Inclusion criteria:≥6 months post-injury; no other neurological disease, no emotional or psychiatric disturbances or communication problems	(a) Functions and abilities: processing speed, sustained and divided attention, WM, long-term memory, executive functions, psychosocial abilities, everyday functioning. (b) Frequency: Three assessments with different versions of the same instruments. One at admission, another after General Stimulation Training and the last at the end of WM training.	(a) Design: pilot study with pre and post-intervention assessment. (b) Type of rehabilitation: General Stimulation Training (low executive demand) followed by WM training. (c) Theoretical framework: WM model (Baddeley, 1986, 2003). (d) Procedures: Three WM tasks; [i] repeated applications of the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT, central executive), and two other tasks from PASAT; [ii] months task ; and [iii] words task. (e) Duration: 2 months (1 month for each intervention phase), four sessions per week.	• WM training was effective in recovering central executive impairments. • Some cognitive functions dependent on the central executive improved. • Everyday life functioning improved. • Significant improvement in WM, divided attention, executive functions, and long-term memory, but not in processing speed or sustained attention.
To investigate the efficacy of a rehabilitation program (WM training) on WM and other cognitive functions dependent on this component system, such as divided attention, executive functions, and long-term memory; to verify whether the improvement generalizes to everyday activities.
Study ³⁹ (Vallat et al., 2005)	(a) Type and age: A case of a 53-year-old right-handed male high school graduate computer scientist.Control group: (n=10) that matched the case's age and education background; this control group performed all therapy tasks with a ceiling effect. (b) Deficits: aphasia and WM central executive and phonological loop impairment as a result of a stroke; complaints of difficulties in everyday tasks.	(a) Functions and abilities: oral language, attention, verbal and visual long-term memory. (b) Frequency: Two pre- and one post-intervention assessment sessions, with similar outcome measures and parallel versions of some tests.	(a) Design: single-case with multiple-baseline-across-behavior with a control group. (b) Type of rehabilitation: training of WM storage and processing components; specific cognitive retraining of the central executive and phonological loop. (c) Theoretical framework: WM model (Baddeley, 1986, 1998). (d) Procedures: Eight different tasks; [i] reconstruction of words from oral spelling, [ii] reconstruction of words from oral spelling with a letter omitted, [iii] oral spelling, [iv] odd or even number of letters in a word, [v] reconstitution of words from syllables, [vi] alphabetizing, [vii] word sorting in alphabetical order, [viii] acronyms. (e) Duration: 6 months, 1 h training sessions three days per week	• Case's forward digit span improved significantly compared with matched controls. • Central executive and phonological store components of WM significantly improved after rehabilitation. • Significant decrease in daily difficulties; return to full-time job at same position as before stroke.
To assess the efficacy and specificity of WM rehabilitation, focusing mainly on central executive and phonological loop.
Study ²³ (Westerberg et al., 2007)	(a) Type and age: Stroke patients with ages ranging from 34 to 55 years. (b) Groups: Experimental group (trained, n=9), control group (untrained, n=9). (c) Inclusion criteria: time post-onset between 12 and 36 months; access to internet connection at home; self-reported deficits in attention. (d) Exclusion criteria: IQ < 70, motor or perceptual handicap that would prevent use of computer, medication changes during the study period, major depression, known history of alcohol abuse or illicit drugs.	(a) Functions and abilities: WM, attention, reasoning and problem-solving, declarative memory, inhibition, learning. (b) Frequency: Pre- and post-intervention sessions with the same assessment battery.	(a) Design: randomized pilot study. (b) Type of rehabilitation: computerized training on various WM tasks. (c) Theoretical framework: not reported. (d) Procedures: complete training on a computer at home and daily internet report to a server at the hospital. (e) Tasks employed: [i] reproducing a light sequence in a visuo-spatial grid, [ii] indicating numbers in reverse order, [ii] identifying letter positions in a sequence, [iv] identifying a letter sequence in pseudo words, [v] finding mismatched letters, [vi] reproducing a light sequence in a rotated grid, [vii] reproducing a light sequence in a three-dimensional visuo-spatial grid. (f) Duration: 5 weeks, 40 min sessions 5 days per week, 90 trials per day.	• Statistically significant training effects on non-trained tests for WM and attention. • Significant decrease in symptoms of cognitive problems in daily living. • Some evidence that 1 to 3 years after stroke, intensive training can improve an individual's WM and attention performance.
To examine the effects of WM training in adult patients with stroke.