Cognitive Engagement and Aging Mind

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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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.

Detailed Description
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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.

Official Title
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Cognitive Engagement and Aging Mind: A Randomized Control Trial to Determine the Effects of Adaptive Real-time Strategy Game Training on Cognition and Brain Functions of Older Adults

Conditions
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Age-related Cognitive Decline

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Real-time strategy-based videogame training
* Behavioral: Semantic Knowledge training


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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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

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 50 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: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Real-time strategy-based videogame training<br>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. | Behavioral: Real-time strategy-based videogame training<br>* Rise of Nation is a complex strategy-based video game, in which individualized-adaptive feedbacks are constantly given to players based on their performance.<br>|
| Active Comparator: Crystallized intelligence training<br>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. | Behavioral: Semantic Knowledge training<br>* Packages of various cross-word puzzles include word search, word ladder, and word wheel.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Immediate change in the composite score of executive functions | Change in the composite score of executive functions, and its subcomponents, from baseline to post-training. Higher change in score represents better outcome. | 9-11 weeks | 
| Immediate change in the composite score of episodic memory | Change in the composite score of episodic memory from baseline to post-training.Higher change in score represents better outcome. | 9-11 weeks | 
| Immediate change in brain activations during executive functions: multi-tasking | Change in fMRI brain activations from baseline to post-training. | 9-11 weeks | 
| Immediate change in brain activations during executive functions: working memory updating | Change in fMRI brain activations from baseline to post-training. | 9-11 weeks | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Immediate change in the composite score of working memory capacity | Change in the composite score of working memory capacity from baseline to post-training.Higher change in score represents better outcome. | 9-11 weeks | 
| Immediate change in the fluid reasoning measure | Change in the fluid reasoning measure (Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices, a paper and pencil test) from baseline to post-training. Higher change in score represents better outcome. | 9-11 weeks | 
| immediate change in the composite score of cognition | Change in composite score of cognition from baseline to long-term retention. Composite score for overall cognition is summed across composite scores for executive function, processing speed, processing speed, working memory capacity and fluid reasoning. Higher change in score represents better outcome. | 9-11 weeks |