cognitive treatments using computers , which began with memory training , are being widely 
 used these days1 .
computer - assisted 
 cognitive rehabilitation has advantages , in that it provides personalized treatment based on 
 a subject s neuropsychological pattern to stimulate impaired areas2 .
a computer - assisted cognitive rehabilitation training 
 program consists of exercises focused on visual reaction , visual scanning , attention , 
 information processing speed , memory , and problem solving .
these exercises can not only 
 provide flexibility and adjustment within a treatment regimen , but may also shorten 
 treatment time .
they also provide a means for objectively measuring subject s performance as 
 well as providing instant feedback3 .
the 
 causes of decreasing cognitive information processing speeds among the elderly include the 
 decrease in the number of brain cells , the weakening of motor nerve cells , and a decrease in 
 general activity4 .
cognitive dysfunction 
 begins with memory decline and is accompanied by miscalculation , disorientation , 
 misjudgment , and comprehension disability , all of which greatly affect daily life5 . balance is the ability to maintain the body s center of gravity within the support base 
 with minimal sway6 .
the sensory process 
 undertaken during balancing refers to the interaction among the somatic senses , including 
 proprioception , visual sense , and stereotactic input from the vestibular system7 .
one study of cognition and balance reported 
 that the reduction of balance ability due to aging is associated with cognitive 
 function8 .
furthermore , in a study of 
 senses and balance , with patients divided into different age groups , colledge et al.9 reported that the reduction of balance 
 ability with aging was associated with the slowing of central information processing 
 speed . with the above in mind
, this study was conducted to investigate the effects of 
 computer - assisted cognitive rehabilitation training on cognition and balance ability , an 
 area closely related to daily living activities of the elderly , and to present a therapeutic 
 program for reduced cognitive function and a safe therapeutic approach for elderly people 
 who have difficulty engaging in physical exercise .
thirty typical elderly people between the ages of 65 and 80 were randomly assigned to a 
 computer - assisted cognitive rehabilitation training group of 15 subjects or a control group 
 of 15 subjects .
a description of the purpose and methods of the study was provided to all 
 the participants , and the experiments were conducted after the participants had read and 
 signed an informed consent form .
general characteristics of the subjectssex ( n)age ( yr)height ( cm)weight ( kg)training group ( n=15)male : 6 female : 972.8  3.8160.3  7.359.6  8.9control group ( n=15)male : 7 female : 871.7  5.6160.3  8.161.8  9.3mean  sd . the intervention used by the computer - assisted cognitive rehabilitation group was the 
 visual interruption training found in the rehacom program and the visual construction 
 ability program of the attention training program .
the subjects performed these exercises 
 for 30 minutes per session , three sessions per week , for six weeks . for measurement 
 purposes , their cognitive function was measured using the korean version of the mini mental 
 state examination ( mmse - k ) , and their static balance was measured with the balance 
 measurement system , biorescue ap 153 ( rmingenierie , france ) .
data analyses were undertaken 
 using the independent t - test to analyze the characteristics of the subjects and the 
 differences between the two groups .
this was done using spss 12.0 for windows . in order to 
 compare the foot pressure training before and after the program ,
the mmse - k scores and balance ability at the start and end of the intervention are shown in 
 table 2table 2 .
comparison of variables between pre- and post - intervention in each groupvariabletraining groupcontrol groupmmse - k ( score)*pre26.0  2.226.1  1.6post29.3  0.7 * 26.6  1.8sway area ( mm)*pre65.6  7.066.5  35.0post43.8  31.3 * 62.9  27.2sway path length ( mm)*pre28.3  5.929.2  5.9post23.8  2.0 * 27.5  5.5mean  sd .
the mmse - k , sway area and sway path length of the training group had 
 significantly improved after the intervention , compared with their respective values before 
 the intervention ( p<0.05 ) .
however , the values of the control group were not 
 significantly different ( p>0.05 ) . a comparison of the variable between the training group 
 and the control group after the training showed a significant difference ( p<0.05 ) ( table 2 ) .
the cognitive function of the elderly plays a key role in the independent performance of 
 functional activities including daily living abilities10 .
the evaluation and treatment of the reduced cognitive function of 
 typical elderly people due to normal aging , and the cognitive damage due to neurological 
 diseases such as dementia , is critical for the maintenance of independent living and the 
 quality of life of elderly people .
damage to a person s attention , concentration , and memory 
 affect his or her problem - solving and inference abilities11 .
in general , clinical therapies for the cognitive functions of the elderly include 
 psychological approaches such as music therapy and reminiscence therapy , cognitive aids to 
 compensate for cognitive impairment and computer - assisted cognitive rehabilitation 
 training12 .
the effects of 
 computer - assisted cognitive rehabilitation training programs used in clinical settings for 
 cognitive rehabilitation of brain - injury patients , the elderly , and dementia patients have 
 been confirmed in many studies12 , 13 . according to gunther et al.14 ,
some of the effects that appear 
 immediately after computer - assisted cognitive rehabilitation training continue even after 
 five months , and they proposed the use of computer - assisted cognitive rehabilitation 
 programs to treat and prevent cognitive defects among the elderly . on the other hand , chen 
 et al.15 reported that the application of 
 a computer - assisted cognitive rehabilitation program achieved significant improvement in 
 various cognitive areas of traumatic brain - injury patients , but no difference was found in a 
 control group which received a traditional therapy . in this study , a six - week - long computer - assisted cognitive rehabilitation training program 
 was carried out using elderly subjects , and its effects on the subjects cognition and 
 balance were investigated . the mmse - k score for the period of treatment showed significant 
 differences in the training group , but not in the control group . to sustain the ability to 
 balance , an appropriate response to environmental changes
needs be followed instantaneously , 
 and a proper response can be made possible by quick information processing abilities9 , which heavily rely on selective attention . 

for this reason , the sway area and distance also decreased significantly in the training 
 group , but not in the control group . based on these results ,
we conclude that a 
 computer - assisted cognitive rehabilitation program can be used as a therapeutic approach 
 restoring the cognitive functions and balance abilities of elderly people who have 
 limitations on their physical activities due to aging .
furthermore , this approach can be 
 used as an alternative clinical program for preventing the decline of cognitive function of , 
 and falls by , the elderly .
   [ purpose ] the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a six - week - long 
 computer - assisted cognitive rehabilitation training program on the improvement of 
 cognition and balance abilities of the elderly . 
 [ subjects ] thirty healthy elderly people , 
 aged 65 to 80 , were randomly assigned either to the training group ( n=15 ) or the control 
 group ( n=15 ) . [ methods ] cognitive functions 
 were evaluated using mmse - k , and the biorescue 
 ap 153 ( rmingenierie , france ) was used to examine subjects changes in static balance . 
 
 [ results ] the mmse - k score showed a significant change over the course of the treatment 
 period in the training group , but not in the control group . 
 the sway area and sway path 
 length decreased significantly in the training group , but it did not show any changes in 
 the control group . [ 
 conclusion ] computer - assisted cognitive rehabilitation training is an 
 effective intervention method for the improvement of the cognition and balance abilities 
 of the elderly . 
INTRODUCTION
SUBJECTS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION