Brain-Computer Interface System for Training Memory and Attention in Elderly

Duke University

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 2

Conditions: Alzheimer's Disease; Mild Cognitive Impairment; Age-Related Cognitive Decline; Dementia

Treatments: Device: Brain-Computer Interface

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02228187

B-14-099

Details and patient eligibility

About

The primary objective is to examine the efficacy of 8-weeks of a locally developed brain-computer interface based system intervention for improving attention and memory in healthy elderly and those with age related cognitive decline. We hypothesize that elderly who have completed the training program will have significant improvement in their attention and memory compared to the controls, based on the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status.

Full description

The world population has reached an unprecedented seven billion, with global population ageing increasing at a greater rate than total population growth. Between 1998 and 2030, the proportion of persons aged 65 years and over in Singapore will grow by about 3% annually compared to 1.0-1.3% in some developed nations. Specific cognitive deficits like inattention, dysexecutive functioning, and processing speed decline may affect a number of quality of life domains. Concurrent with these statistics, the maintenance of the highest possible level of cognitive functioning for as long as possible has become an important goal of aging successfully.

To contribute to the realization of this goal we propose to conduct a wait-list control trial to examine the efficacy of this brain-computer interface based intervention for cognitive enhancement in elderly. This intervention uses a technology which analyzes brain waves captured through an electroencephalogram to determine the participants' state of attention. The training program developed using this patented technology may be useful for individuals who experience difficulty with memory and sustaining their attention.

This intervention may represent one alternative means to enhance cognitive abilities and to slow down cognitive decline in the normal elderly. If demonstrated to be efficacious, this therapy may even help to delay the onset of dementia.

In addition, the rate of cognitive decline during the course of AD is possibly influenced by not only environmental but also genetic factors. To date, several genes, such as apolipoprotein E (APOE) and TOMM40 (translocase of outer mitochondrial membrane 40 homologue), have been identified to be probable genetic risk markers for AD. These genes have been shown to play a role in disease onset as well as rates of cognitive decline. For instance, studies have shown APOEε4 allele carriers to be associated with earlier and faster cognitive decline.

Therefore, we propose to analyse if there is any relationship between the genetic profiles of our participants and their performance in the training program.

There are no published studies that look at how cognitive training may be associated with changes in the metabolism and functional connectivity of the brain. Therefore, our study also aims to carry out functional MRI of the brain before and after training to gain a finer understanding of the changes associated with our BCI-based cognitive training.

Enrollment: 240 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 60 to 80 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age 60-80 years old
• Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) of 0-0.5
• Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) of 24 and above
• Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) of 4 and below
• Chinese Ethnicity
• Literate in English
• Able to travel to study site independently

Exclusion criteria

• Any known neuropsychiatric disorders (such as epilepsy or mental retardation)
• Involvement in another research study (aside from the Singapore Longitudinal Ageing Study)
• Gross hearing, visual or speech impairment that are uncorrected
• Color Blindness
• Intake of the following medications: Rivastigmine, Donepezil, Galantamine or Memantine.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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240 participants in 2 patient groups

BCI Intervention

Active Comparator group

Description:

Subjects will undergo the Brain-Computer Interface Intervention for 24 sessions over the span of 8 weeks. Each session will take 30-minute to complete. The intervention group will undergo the intervention in the first 8 weeks of the trial.

Treatment:

Device: Brain-Computer Interface

Waitlist Control Group

No Intervention group

Description:

The waitlist control will start their 8 week treatment after the completion of the intervention group from week 9 onwards. They will undergo the BCI intervention for 24 sessions over the span of 8 weeks.