Cognitive deficits are common in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and reduce quality of life, yet they are often overlooked in clinical practice and respond poorly to standard medication. Working memory updating (WMU) training has shown to improve WMU performance and dopaminergic availability in healthy populations. As PD is characterized by dopaminergic depletion, WMU training may represent a promising intervention. This thesis investigated the feasibility, effects, and experience of WMU training in people with PD.

A feasibility study and single-subject study (Study I) indicated that WMU training is feasible, and improvements were observed in cognition, motor function, and functional brain response.

In Study II, 86 people with PD were randomized to 30 sessions of WMU training or active control. Findings demonstrated improvements immediately after training for the WMU group on cognitive tests that share cognitive processes with the training tasks, and these gains were maintained four months after training. Broader cognitive improvements were observed at follow-up, suggesting delayed transfer effects to untrained domains. Self-reported psychological health remained stable.

Study III focused on the experience of cognitive training via semi-structured interviews with 18 people with PD. Three themes were identified: commitment to the training, receiving feedback during training, and inspiration to apply strategies from training to everyday life.

In sum, this thesis provides evidence that WMU training in people with PD is feasible and leads to measurable cognitive benefits. Improvements were observed on tasks that share cognitive processes with the training, and after four months in broader cognitive domains. The findings further indicate that emotional, motivational, and metacognitive processes develop during training and transfer to everyday life. Together, these results suggest that WMU training can enhance aspects of cognitive ability and cognitive efficiency in people with PD.

Cognitive deficits are common in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD), reduce quality of life, and are poorly addressed by medication. This thesis investigated whether working memory updating (WMU) training can represent a promising cognitive intervention for people with PD. Across three studies, including a feasibility study, a randomized controlled trial, and a qualitative study, the thesis examined the feasibility, effects, and experience of WMU training. The results showed that WMU training is feasible and leads to measurable cognitive improvements. Immediate gains were observed on tasks that share cognitive processes with the training, and delayed improvements in broader cognitive domains. Participants also described emotional, motivational, and metacognitive changes during training that supported transfer to everyday life. Together, these findings may suggest that WMU training enhances both cognitive ability and cognitive efficiency in people with PD.