Clinical trial NCT05232526: Imagery in Early Stages of Dementia
Official title: The Effectiveness of Mental Imagery in Motor and Cognitive Rehabilitation in Subjects of Early Stage of Dementia
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: UNKNOWN
Phase: NA
Conditions: Mental Imagery
Dementia of Alzheimer Type
Keywords: Imagery
Exercise
Dementia
Lead sponsor: University of West Attica
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Alzheimer's Association
First posted: 2022-02-10
Enrollment: 105
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 65
Maximum age (years): 95
Standard ages: OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effectiveness of mental imagery (MI) in subjects with early stage of dementia. The hypothesis of the study is that MI will have a beneficial effect in motor, cognitive and emotional state in this clinical population.

Detailed description: Dementia is a disorder that is characterized by a decline in cognition involving one or more cognitive domains (learning and memory, language, executive function, complex attention, perceptual-motor, social cognition). The most common form of dementia in older adults is Alzheimer disease (AD), accounting for 60 to 80 percent of cases.

Mental imagery (MI) is a technique which involves envisioning motor actions without actual execution. MI is considered an effective rehabilitative tool in athletes, Parkinson's disease, and post stroke because it engages the same or similar neural systems as the actual execution of motor actions to improve gait, gait-related, and cognitive functions having as a result improvements in gait speed, stride length, tandem stance, timed up and go, clock drawing and stroop interference.

The recruitment of the population will be carried out by Day Care Centers in Athens Alzheimer Association. A group of elderly patients with early stage of dementia, aged 65 to 95 years, will participate. Information sheet and consent form will be provided to all participants. A randomized intervention study is designed to assess the efficacy of MI as therapeutic strategy for subjects with early stage of dementia and the sample will be randomized to one of the three following study groups: 1. MI and exercise program (intervention group) 2. Only exercise program (control group) 3. Neither MI nor exercise program (2nd control group). Assessment will be obtained in three-time periods: prior to the program, middle of the program and after the program.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* 95 years\<age\>65 years
* Diagnosed early stage of dementia
* Good oral and written speech and to perform orders
* Both sexes
* Ambulatory
* No other health issues in the last month

Exclusion Criteria:

* Late stage of dementia
* Psychiatric problems
* Serious health problems
* Not able to walk

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change is being assessed (Change from Baseline Balance at 12 weeks)
timeFrame: Prior to the 1st week of the program, the 12th week of the program
measure: Change is being assessed (Change from Baseline Stability at 12 weeks)
timeFrame: Prior to the 1st week of the program, the 12th week of the program
measure: Change is being assessed (Change from Baseline Siti-to-stand ability at 12weeks)
timeFrame: Prior to the 1st week of the program, the 12th week of the program
measure: Change is being assessed (Change from Baseline Functional status at 12 weeks)
timeFrame: Prior to the 1st week of the program, the 12th week of the program
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Cognitive ability
timeFrame: Prior to the 1st week of the program, the 6th week of the program, the 12th week of the program
measure: Depression
timeFrame: Prior to the 1st week of the program, the 6th week of the program, the 12th week of the program
measure: Quality of life
timeFrame: Prior to the 6th week of the program, the 6th week of the program, the 12th week of the program
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Athens
country: Greece
facility: University of West Attica
state: Aigaleo
Study officials:
References: