Cognitive Engagement and Aging Mind

NCT05924490 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: IRB 12-57
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 58
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of this research is to examine whether and to what extent training of different types of cognitive engagement will improve performance on fluid cognitive abilities that typically decline with age. The research covered by this protocol will use behavioral data that yield response latencies and accuracies of the untrained tasks, and brain activations in fMRI tasks, to test specific hypotheses about neural plasticity and cognitive plasticity from these engagement techniques. Hence, human subjects will be employed in an experiment lasting for 20 hours spanning over 2 months where they will either receive real-time strategy-based videogame training or crystallized intelligence training. In addition, long-term retention data will be obtained after 6 month post-training to investigate any long-term benefits.

Conditions

Age-related Cognitive Decline

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Immediate change in the composite score of executive functions

  Change in the composite score of executive functions, and its subcomponents, from baseline to post-training. Higher change in score represents better outcome.

  9-11 weeks

• Immediate change in the composite score of episodic memory

  Change in the composite score of episodic memory from baseline to post-training.Higher change in score represents better outcome.

  9-11 weeks

• Immediate change in brain activations during executive functions: multi-tasking

  Change in fMRI brain activations from baseline to post-training.

  9-11 weeks

• Immediate change in brain activations during executive functions: working memory updating

  Change in fMRI brain activations from baseline to post-training.

  9-11 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Immediate change in the composite score of working memory capacity

  9-11 weeks

• Immediate change in the fluid reasoning measure

  9-11 weeks

• immediate change in the composite score of cognition

  9-11 weeks

Other Outcomes (1)

• Immediate change in the processing speed construct

  9-11 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Real-time strategy-based videogame training

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants played a real-time strategy-based videogame in laboratory setting, Rise of Nations, for 2 hours a day, two days per week, for 5 weeks.

Behavioral: Real-time strategy-based videogame training

Crystallized intelligence training

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants completed a series of crossword puzzles each week, for 5-6 weeks. Training sessions were completed at the participants' home or area of preference. Participant received a periodic phone call (2 times per week) from research staff to update any notes or details regarding participants' study progress.

Behavioral: Semantic Knowledge training

Interventions

Real-time strategy-based videogame training BEHAVIORAL

Rise of Nation is a complex strategy-based video game, in which individualized-adaptive feedbacks are constantly given to players based on their performance.

Real-time strategy-based videogame training

Semantic Knowledge training BEHAVIORAL

Packages of various cross-word puzzles include word search, word ladder, and word wheel.

Crystallized intelligence training

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 50 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Right-handed
• over 50 Years of Age
• native or fluent English speaker
• not Color-blind
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging eligible
• Mini Mental Status Examination Score \>24

You may not qualify if:

• Left-handed or ambidextrous
• younger than 50
• cannot distinguish colors during color blindness test
• claustrophobia
• metal artifact in body
• over 300 lb
• pacemaker
• MMSE score lower than 24
• history of stroke
• history of substance or alcohol abuse
• currently taking anti-psychotic or anti-depression medication

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The University of Texas at Dallas: lead

Study Sites (1)

The Center for Vital Longevity (UT Dallas)

Dallas, Texas, 75235, United States

Location

Study Officials

• Chandramallika Basak, Ph.D.

  The University of Texas at Dallas

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 7, 2021
• First Posted: June 29, 2023
• Study Start: January 31, 2013
• Primary Completion: April 1, 2018
• Study Completion: October 1, 2018
• Last Updated: June 29, 2023

Record last verified: 2021-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)