Structure Learning Training and Cognitive Flexibility

Nanyang Technological University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Healthy

Treatments: Behavioral: Structure Learning Training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05611788

IRB-2021-03-058

Details and patient eligibility

About

The overarching aim of the project is to assess whether structure learning is an effective tool to train and improve cognitive flexibility and whether this is transferable to learning and other cognitive skills. The investigators will employ a multi-modal approach that combine both cognitive-behavioural and neuroimaging measures to examine how functional brain activations and/or cognitive performances are affected when participants go through a structure learning training paradigm relative to a working memory training paradigm (active control) or a no-training paradigm (passive control).

Full description

Cognitive flexibility is critical for humans to perform complex tasks and ensures that humans exhibit appropriate behaviour in response to changing environments. Successful implementation of cognitive flexibility involves several sub-domains within executive functions. Prior researches on cognitive flexibility has portrayed it as various aspects of human cognition ranging from a cognitive skill related to set-shifting, or a by-product of cognitive processes, to part of the cognitive system. The operationalization of cognitive flexibility has been particularly difficult due to its multi-faceted nature. Current flexibility interventions and neuroimaging studies examining cognitive flexibility commonly utilise tasks that taps on to executive functions such as task-set switching or the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) task. Although effective, one concern related to using these tasks is that it does not tap merely into cognitive flexibility but also activate other executive functions such as inhibition and working memory. Hence, this reduces the precision and specificity of these tasks as training tools. The present project proposed structure learning as a more fundamental and apt training approach. It involves seeking patterns in the stochastic presentations of stimuli, without the need for explicit feedback and is in itself a basic building block for cognitive flexibility.

In the educational context, structure learning is analogous to patterning, a crucial cognitive ability that underpins mathematical and reading skills. Prior research has demonstrated a close relationship between pattern understanding and cognitive flexibility. Hence, structure learning training could potentially be beneficial in improving one's cognitive flexibility. Furthermore, emerging evidence has demonstrated that domain-general training of structure learning skills produced learning that transfer well beyond the learning task. However, there is a paucity in studies that examined whether structure learning training per se could produce generalisable improvements in cognitive flexibility. The present study aims to address this gap by examining if structure learning training, relative to working memory training and having no training, could produce changes in neural markers that relate to potential gains in cognitive flexibility.

Enrollment: 108 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 55 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Healthy volunteer (male of female) between 18 and 55 years who gave written informed consent to participate

Exclusion criteria

• Current and/or prior history of learning disabilities
• Current and/or prior history of neurological disorder
• Current and/or prior history of psychiatric disorder
• Current and/or prior history of cardiovascular disorder
• Predominantly left-handed
• Contraindications for MRI (e.g., pacemakers, implanted pumps, metal objects in the body)
• Claustrophobic
• Pregnancy (females)
• Lactation (females)
• Pronounced visual or auditory impairments

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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108 participants in 2 patient groups

Structure Learning Training

Experimental group

Description:

The intervention group will receive structure learning training that tap on their ability to extract patterns from prior stimuli presentations to make predictions. Participants will be presented with visual sequences of symbols determined by frequency statistics and upon mastery, more complex context-based statistics. No feedback will be provided and participants are trained in an adaptive manner

Treatment:

Behavioral: Structure Learning Training

Passive Control

No Intervention group

Description:

The passive control group will not receive any intervention but will receive the same pre-post cognitive-behavioural and neuroimaging intervention assessments.