Computer-based Attention Training in Patients With Acquired Brain Injury

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Investigates computer based cognitive rehabilitation and training using the N-back task with a Visual Search task as an active control. The overall purpose is to provide (further) evidence about the efficacy (or lack of efficacy) of the N-back task and to find points of convergence and divergence between patients with acquired brain injury and non-impaired subjects.

Official Title
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Computer-based Attention Training in Patients With Acquired Brain Injury

Conditions
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Brain Injuries

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: N-back
* Behavioral: Visual Search


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion criteria: subjects should be able to do both task at level at the time of recruitment Informed consent (for brain injured patients) training must not interfere with treatment as usual. (for brain injured patients) no symptoms which hinder testing and training. I.e. aphasia, deafness, tetraplegia etc.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 70 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Patient N-back<br>Patients training the N-back task | Behavioral: N-back<br>* The N-back task required patients to monitor a continuous sequence of stimuli (in this experiment audio and visual stimuli). Press a button if the current stimulus is the same as that shown N back in the sequence. N increases if performance is good and decreases if performance is poor. Subjects train for 20 days, 12 blocks a day, 20+N trials per block. That is 240 blocks in total. A minimum of 10 blocks per day counts as a successfully trained day.<br>|
| Active Comparator: Patient Visual Search<br>Patients training the Visual-Search task | Behavioral: Visual Search<br>* The Visual Search task consists of a NxN array of shapes. Press the button if a certain target stimulus is present in this array. N increases if performance is good and decreases if performance is poor. Subjects train for 20 days, 12 blocks a day, 20+N trials per block. That is 240 blocks in total. A minimum of 10 blocks per day counts as a successfully trained day.<br>|
| Experimental: Non-impaired N-back<br>Non-impaired training the N-back task | Behavioral: N-back<br>* The N-back task required patients to monitor a continuous sequence of stimuli (in this experiment audio and visual stimuli). Press a button if the current stimulus is the same as that shown N back in the sequence. N increases if performance is good and decreases if performance is poor. Subjects train for 20 days, 12 blocks a day, 20+N trials per block. That is 240 blocks in total. A minimum of 10 blocks per day counts as a successfully trained day.<br>|
| Active Comparator: Non-impaired Visual Search<br>Non-impaired training the Visual-Search task | Behavioral: Visual Search<br>* The Visual Search task consists of a NxN array of shapes. Press the button if a certain target stimulus is present in this array. N increases if performance is good and decreases if performance is poor. Subjects train for 20 days, 12 blocks a day, 20+N trials per block. That is 240 blocks in total. A minimum of 10 blocks per day counts as a successfully trained day.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change from baseline Raven's advanced progressive matrices at the end of training |  | within five days after 20 full training days has been completed. Expected 3-6 weeks after baseline. | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change from baseline WAIS-III Working Memory Index at the end of training |  | within five days after 20 full training days has been completed. Expected 3-6 weeks after baseline. | 
| Change from baseline WAIS-III Processing Speed Index at the end of training |  | within five days after 20 full training days has been completed. Expected 3-6 weeks after baseline. | 
| Change from baseline Operation Span at the end of training |  | within five days after 20 full training days has been completed. Expected 3-6 weeks after baseline. | 
| Change from baseline Stroop color-text interference at the end of training |  | within five days after 20 full training days has been completed. Expected 3-6 weeks after baseline. | 
| Change from baseline AMPS at the end of training |  | within five days after 20 full training days has been completed. Expected 3-6 weeks after baseline. | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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N-back, Cognitive training, Cognitive rehabilitation, Acquired brain injury, Visual Search, Cognitive transfer