Cognitive Engagement and Aging Mind

The University of Texas System (UT)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Age-related Cognitive Decline

Treatments: Behavioral: Semantic Knowledge training; Behavioral: Real-time strategy-based videogame training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05924490

IRB 12-57

Details and patient eligibility

About

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.

Full description

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 (such as, speed of information processing, working memory capacity, episodic memory, and executive functions). 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 the extent of transfer, if any, and the underlying cognitive constructs that may be trained in the process. 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.

Enrollment: 58 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 50+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 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

Exclusion criteria

• 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

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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58 participants in 2 patient groups

Real-time strategy-based videogame training

Experimental group

Description:

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.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Real-time strategy-based videogame training

Crystallized intelligence training

Active Comparator group

Description:

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.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Semantic Knowledge training