Working Memory Functioning in Alzheimer's Disease and Vascular Dementia

NCT06321380 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 38RC23.0381
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 120
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The aim of the present study is to investigate potential cognitive mechanisms contributing to working memory impairment in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. The investigators consider a new hypothesis suggesting that difficulties in mobilizing maintenance strategies of information could explain this working memory deficit. More specifically, the investigators assume that patient groups will have difficulties in employing both refreshing and elaborative strategies during a working memory task (i.e., complex span task), as compared to a control group.

Conditions

Alzheimer Disease; Vascular Dementia; Mixed Dementias

Keywords

Working memory; Alzheimer disease; Vascular dementia; Mixed dementia; Complex span task

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Memory performance in the Working memory task

  Percentage of correct immediate recall, computed with strict serial recall criterion (item identity + correct position) and computed with item recall criterion (item identity only).

  15 minutes

• Processing performance in the Working memory task

  Percentage of correct response in the spatial part of working memory task

  15 minutes

• Reaction time

  Reaction time for each distractor (in ms) in the spatial part of working memory task

  30 minutes

Secondary Outcomes (20)

• Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)

  15 minutes

• Digit span forward WAIS IV (digit number)

  5 minutes

• Digit span forward WAIS IV (standard note)

  5 minutes

• Digit span backward WAIS IV (digit number)

  5 minutes

• Digit span backward WAIS IV (standard note)

  5 minutes

Study Arms (4)

Alzheimer disease

Alzheimer's disease is define on the basis of the medical diagnostic. As part of routine care, they undergo a standardized clinical neuropsychological assessment that evaluates several cognitive functions. For the study and during the day of medical consultations, each patient will perform a working memory task, lasting approximately 30 minutes. If the patient is accompanied by a family member, the investigators ask the latter to complete a questionnaire on patient's daily executive functioning (French version of the Behavior rating inventory of executive function \[BRIEF-A\]).

Behavioral: Complex span task; Diagnostic Test: Clinical neuropsychological assessment

Vascular dementia

Vascular dementia is define on the basis of the medical diagnostic. As part of routine care, they undergo a standardized clinical neuropsychological assessment that evaluates several cognitive functions. For the study and during the day of medical consultations, each patient will perform a working memory task, lasting approximately 30 minutes. If the patient is accompanied by a family member, the investigators ask the latter to complete a questionnaire on patient's daily executive functioning (French version of the Behavior rating inventory of executive function \[BRIEF-A\]).

Behavioral: Complex span task; Diagnostic Test: Clinical neuropsychological assessment

Mixed dementia

Mixed dementia (i.e., Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia) is define on the basis of the medical diagnostic. As part of routine care, they undergo a standardized clinical neuropsychological assessment that evaluates several cognitive functions . For the study and during the day of medical consultations, each patient will perform a working memory task, lasting approximately 30 minutes. If the patient is accompanied by a family member, the investigators ask the latter to complete a questionnaire on patient's daily executive functioning (French version of the Behavior rating inventory of executive function \[BRIEF-A\]).

Behavioral: Complex span task; Diagnostic Test: Clinical neuropsychological assessment

Control group

Control group includes healthy older adults (without cognitive impairment). As patient group, control group will perform the working memory task. However, control group does not undergo the clinical neuropsychological assessment.

Behavioral: Complex span task; Diagnostic Test: Clinical neurospychological assessement

Interventions

Complex span task BEHAVIORAL

The intervention consists in a computerized working memory task. This task follows the design of a complex span task, involving alternation between memorization and processing steps. For each trial, participants have to memorize French words. These words are sequentially displayed on the screen. Between each word, participants perform a processing task consisting in a spatial location task: They have to determine if a shape is at the top or at the bottom of the screen. After each processing episode, participants have a free time (i.e., available time to maintain information in WM). At the end of each trial, participants perform an orally immediate recall. This experimental task involves several conditions in order to manipulate the opportunities for the spontaneous use of refreshing and elaborative strategies.

Also known as: Working memory task

Alzheimer disease; Control group; Mixed dementia; Vascular dementia

Clinical neuropsychological assessment DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

As part of routine care, participants in the patient group undergo a standardized clinical neuropsychological assessment that evaluates several cognitive functions. The investigators hypothesize correlations between working memory performance during the experimental task and the results of neuropsychological tests. Thus, the investigators consider the results to several French versions of neuropsychological tests: * MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination) * "Digit Span Backward" subtest (WAIS-IV) * Stroop Test * Trail Making Test (TMT) * Rappel Libre - Rappel Indicé à 16 items or GERIA-12 * Category fluences * Instrumental Activities of Daily Living and ADL .

Alzheimer disease; Mixed dementia; Vascular dementia

Clinical neurospychological assessement DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Participants in the control group undergo 2 tests clinical that evaluate cognitive functioning. The investigators consider the results to French versions of these neuropsychological tests: * MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination; ) * "Digit Span Backward" subtest (WAIS-IV)

Control group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 65 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The population of this study will consist of patients performing a neuropsychological assessment at Grenoble-Alpes University Hospital. These patients consult because of cognitive disorders. The patients are dividied into these three subgroups according to their medical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, or mixed dementia (diagnostic criteria : Dubois et al. (2021) for Alzheimer's disease; VASCOG diagnostic criteria : Sachdev et al., 2015 for vascular dementia; and diagnostic criteria : DSM-V (APA, 2013) for mixed dementia due to Alzheimer and vascular etiology). The population of this study will also include healthy participants (carers/visitors of patients at the Gerontology centre or volunteers at Gerontology centre).

You may qualify if:

• For patient and control groups: Adults ≥ 65 years of age
• For patient and control groups: Native French speaker
• For patient and control groups: Vision for easy reading
• For patient and control groups: Hearing for easy instruction understanding
• For patient and control groups: Back span ≥ 3 during the "Digit Span Backward" subtest (WAIS-IV)
• For patient and control groups: Formulation of the non-opposition to participate in this study
• For patient group only: Consultation in Grenoble University Hospital (Centre de Gérontologie Sud - Gerontology center) for clinical neuropsychological assessment due to suspected cognitive impairment
• For patient group only: Diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, or mixed dementia (i.e., Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia)
• For patient group only: Have undergone a neuropsychological assessment at the day clinic, less than 6 months old.
• For patient group only: Have obtained a medical opinion stating that there is no contraindication to participate in this study and no concurrent pathology that could impair the patient's cognitive abilities.
• For patient group only: Absence of praxis and language disorders thath might prevent the carrying out of the experimental task.
• For patient group only: MMSE score between 18 and 25 included
• For control group only: External visitor/carer of a patient/resident of Grenoble University Hospital or volunteers at Grenoble University Hospital.
• For control group only: MMSE score ≥ 26

You may not qualify if:

• For patient and control groups: People under guardianship or deprived of their freedom
• For patient and control groups: Diagnosis of severe psychiatric disorders
• For patient and control groups: Suspicion of pathologies related to alcohol dependence
• For patient and control groups: No French social security coverage
• For patient and control groups: Refusal to voluntarily participate in this study
• For patient and control groups: People covered by articles L1121-5 to L1121-8 of the French Public Health Code
• For patient group only: Suspicion of another neurodegenerative disease, such as fronto-temporal dementia, Parkinson's disease, Lewy body disease.
• For patient group only: Clinical neuropsychological assessment did not reveal any cognitive impairment.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University Hospital, Grenoble: lead
• University Grenoble Alps: collaborator
• Université Savoie Mont Blanc: collaborator
• Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France: collaborator
• Laboratoire de Psychologie et NeuroCognition: collaborator

Related Publications (27)

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  PMID: 29557069 BACKGROUND

• Belleville S, Chertkow H, Gauthier S. Working memory and control of attention in persons with Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment. Neuropsychology. 2007 Jul;21(4):458-69. doi: 10.1037/0894-4105.21.4.458.

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• Camos V, Johnson M, Loaiza V, Portrat S, Souza A, Vergauwe E. What is attentional refreshing in working memory? Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2018 Jul;1424(1):19-32. doi: 10.1111/nyas.13616. Epub 2018 Mar 15.

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• Conway AR, Kane MJ, Bunting MF, Hambrick DZ, Wilhelm O, Engle RW. Working memory span tasks: A methodological review and user's guide. Psychon Bull Rev. 2005 Oct;12(5):769-86. doi: 10.3758/bf03196772.

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• Zheng C, Zhang RS, Wan T, Zhao JS. Topological Alterations of Working Memory Impairment in Aged Patients With Vascular Dementia. Front Aging Neurosci. 2021 Oct 4;13:741445. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.741445. eCollection 2021.

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• Logie, R., Camos, V., & Cowan, N. Working memory: State of the science. Oxford University Press. (2020).

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MeSH Terms

Conditions

Alzheimer Disease; Dementia, Vascular; Mixed Dementias

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Dementia; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Tauopathies; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Neurocognitive Disorders; Mental Disorders; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Intracranial Arteriosclerosis; Intracranial Arterial Diseases; Leukoencephalopathies; Arteriosclerosis; Arterial Occlusive Diseases; Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases

Study Officials

• Benoit Lemaire

  Laboratoire de Psychologie et NeuroCognition

  STUDY CHAIR

• Sophie Portrat

  Laboratoire de Psychologie et NeuroCognition

  STUDY CHAIR

Central Study Contacts

Amelie Bichon

CONTACT

0476728161; abichon@chu-grenoble.fr

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: CASE CONTROL
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Target Duration: 1 Day
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 5, 2024
• First Posted: March 20, 2024
• Study Start: April 1, 2024
• Primary Completion: September 1, 2025
• Study Completion: October 1, 2025
• Last Updated: March 20, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share