Brain-Training Treatment for Long COVID in Older Adults

UConn Health

Status

Enrolling

Conditions

Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome

Treatments

Other: NeuroFlex (computerized gamified tasks)

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

NIH

Identifiers

NCT05705193

P30AG067988 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

23-089-2

Departmental Funds (Other Identifier)

Details and patient eligibility

About

This research is being done to collect preliminary data on the potential of computerized "brain-training" exercises for treating Long COVID symptoms in older adults. The investigators hypothesize that computerized brain-training will be an acceptable and feasible intervention for treating Long COVID symptoms in older adults. The investigators also expect to provide initial evidence that computerized brain-training has potential for improving thinking, mood, and other aspects of everyday functioning in older adults with Long COVID.

Full description

Some patients who contract coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), especially older adults, show lingering neuropsychiatric symptoms such as cognitive impairment, brain fog, and depression. These neuropsychiatric symptoms-commonly referred to under the umbrella term "Long COVID"-are debilitating and may last for months or even years after viral infection. The purpose of the present study is to help address this public health crisis by determining whether computerized "brain-training" treatment has potential for improving thinking, mood, and other aspects of functioning in older adults with Long COVID. More specifically, the first aim is to determine the acceptability and feasibility of using brain-training treatment in individuals with Long COVID. The second aim is to evaluate for potential efficacy by determining whether brain-training treatment appears to improve cognitive function, mood, and other aspects of daily functioning in Long COVID.

Enrollment

40 estimated patients

Sex

All

Ages

60+ years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

prior history of COVID-19 based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines including a positive laboratory test (e.g., nucleic acid amplification test) or a positive rapid test
age ≥ 60 years old
current self-reported cognitive symptoms persisting after the acute phase of the illness (i.e., >4 weeks after COVID-19 symptom onset) that cannot be explained by alternative diagnoses
evidence of subjective cognitive impairment with a Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Cognitive Function (FACT-Cog) Perceived Cognitive Impairment (PCI) Subscale Score of ≤ 40 and/or endorsing any item on the FACT-Cog PCI Subscale as occurring nearly every day or several times a day
Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS) ≥ 27
fluent in English
off psychiatric medications or on a stable dose for at least 1 month prior to commencing the study with no intention to change dose prior to completion of the study.

Exclusion criteria

history of neurological disorder or other medical condition with potential to impair cognitive functioning or interfere with study participation (e.g., epilepsy, stroke, dementia, head trauma followed by persistent neurological deficits or known structural brain abnormalities)
prior diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or Mild Neurocognitive Disorder unrelated to the participant's history of COVID-19
history of significant psychiatric illness per Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), criteria that may interfere with study participation or confound results (e.g., schizophrenia or other psychotic disorder, bipolar and related disorders, major depressive disorder with psychotic features, personality disorder)
history of significant neurodevelopmental condition that may interfere with study participation or confound results (e.g., intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder)
alcohol or other substance use disorder within the past 2 years
significant sensory or motor impairments (e.g., blindness) that may interfere with the ability to complete neuropsychological measures or engage in the intervention