Cognitive Activation Therapy for MCI: A Randomized Control Study (FarbMCI2012)

Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest

Status and phase: Unknown; Phase 1

Conditions: Mild Cognitive Impairment

Treatments: Behavioral: Waitlist Control / Home-based training; Behavioral: Cogntive Activation Training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01641328

RRI_Farb_001

Details and patient eligibility

About

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) describes an initial phase of cognitive decline, usually among older adults, in which a person notices a decline in attention or memory, and performs worse than normal on cognitive tests of such. People with MCI are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease or related dementia than others their same age, and so MCI is thought of as an early warning sign of progressive cognitive decline.

While some forms of MCI may be brought about by purely genetic causes, other cases may be due to a withdrawal of cognitive engagement with the world. In these cases, a rigorous program of cognitive training may be beneficial, halting or reversing symptom progression.

The current study will evaluate a multifaceted cognitive activation program on older adults with MCI. This group program is intensive, running for 10 weeks, 3 times per week, for a total of 100 hours of training. Training consists of meditation exercises for broad attention activation, Tai Chi exercises to integrate cognition with body awareness, and cognitive training through computerized attention, memory, and problem solving exercise.

Subjective impressions and objective measures of cognitive ability will be measured before and after the intervention. The investigators will also examine effects on mood and levels of daily function. Results will be compared to a waitlisted control group. The control group will subsequently be entered into a home-based version of the program for 10 weeks, with assessment before and after training, to look at the importance of the group meeting dynamic in promoting cognitive change.

Enrollment: 30 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 50+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Subjective complaint about decline in memory or attention
• > 1 deviation below age-norm performance on memory or attention tasks
• Independence in daily living
• English speaking

Exclusion criteria

• Neurological disorders (including aphasias) or reversible causes of dementia (e.g., hypothyroidism or B12 deficiency)
• Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) score < 24
• Clinical mood disorder such as depression or anxiety
• Other serious medical conditions that preclude participation in the program

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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30 participants in 2 patient groups

Waitlist Control / Home-based training

Active Comparator group

Description:

This group will serve as a waitlist control group while the active group is performing training. Following assessment at the end of the active group period, this group will begin home-based training and will be assessed at the end of that 10 week period.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Waitlist Control / Home-based training

Cognitive Activation Group

Experimental group

Description:

This group will attend the 3/week group intervention meetings over 10 weeks.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Cogntive Activation Training