Table 1.

Inclusion and exclusion criteria used in the trial

Inclusion criteria 1.Age 70 years or older 2.CDR = 0 or 0.5 3.Sufficient vision and hearing to engage in conversation by personal computer system. 4.Sufficient English language skills to complete all testing. 5.General health status that will not interfere with ability to complete longitudinal study. Conditions that will likely lead to this problem are listed in the following in the study exclusions list. Exclusion criteria 1.Plan to start taking new classes, traveling which requires more than two nights of stay away, or having significant social events such as a family wedding or a family reunion, during the scheduled prevention trial. 2.Diseases associated with dementia such as AD, ischemic vascular dementia, normal pressure hydrocephalus, or Parkinson's disease. 3.Significant disease of the central nervous system such as brain tumor, seizure disorder, subdural hematoma, cranial arteritis. 4.Current (within the last 2 years) alcohol or substance abuse 5.Current major depression, schizophrenia, or other major psychiatric disorder 6.Unstable or significantly symptomatic cardiovascular disease such as coronary artery disease with frequent angina, or congestive heart failure with shortness of breath at rest. 7.Active systemic cancer within 5 years of study entry. 8.Illness that requires >1 visit per month to a clinician. 9.Progressive vision loss (age-related macular degeneration already beginning to significantly degrade vision). 10.Need for oxygen supplementation for adequate function. 11. Medications: A. Frequent use of high doses of analgesics. B. Sedative medications except for those used occasionally for sleep (use limited to no more than twice per week). C. Applicable to CDR = 0.5 group only: subjects on unstable dosing of cholinesterase inhibitors (need to be stable dosing for 2 months).

Abbreviations: CDR, Clinical Dementia Rating; AD, Alzheimer's disease.