Clinical trial NCT02632604: Computerized Cognitive Training for the Elderly
Official title: Computerized Cognitive Training for the Elderly
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: UNKNOWN
Phase: NA
Conditions: Aging
Lead sponsor: Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2015-12-16
Enrollment: 150
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 60
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: CROSSOVER
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of a neuroplasticity-based computerized cognitive training for the elderly

Detailed description: Cognitive impairments are prominent features of aging and are mostly characterized by memory difficulties. Neuroplasticity based computerized cognitive trainings have been emerging for the last two decades and are an attempt to help the elderly population with their impairments.

The aim of this study is to perform a computerized cognitive training to improve attention, concentration, learning, and quality of life in elderly participants. The investigators are interested in testing the differential efficacy between a bottom-up to top-down versus a top-down to bottom-up computerized cognitive training.

The investigators will conduct a 40 hours computerized, adaptable, cognitive training program in participants 60 years of age and above. Participants will come for 1 hour, daily, and perform a bottom-up to top-down or top-down to bottom-up training, or control games for about 2 months. Bottom-up to top-down and top-down to bottom-up exercises are chosen to target cognitive domains such as divided and selective attention, short-term and working memory, orientation skills and social cognition. Cognitive and emotional data will be collected before the training, half way through, and after the training, to assess progress in several aspects of their functioning.

The investigators hypothesize bottom-up to top-down and top-down to bottom-up trainings will be effective as compared to the control games. They also expect that bottom-up to top-down training to be more efficient compared to top-down to bottom-up training because the first targets more basic cognitive functions which then allows triggering higher cognitive functions, reaching optimal cognitive performance levels more rapidly, where as the second may start with a too high demand on cognitive functions, which may compromise participants ability to reach optimal levels of cognitive performance as fast as the first type of training, if they do not have the "bottom-up lever" first. The investigators also hypothesize that both trainings will improve quality of life.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* age above 60 years old; Portuguese as main language (learned before 12 years of age); Mini Mental State Examination above 26 points;

Exclusion Criteria:

* Intellectual Quotient below 70; serious medical or neurological condition preventing from participation in the study; substance abuse (according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders-IV criteria).

Primary outcomes:
measure: Global cognition score change
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Processing speed score change
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
measure: Attention score change
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
measure: Concentration score change
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
measure: Short-term memory score change
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
measure: long-term memory score change
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
measure: learning score change
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
measure: working memory score change
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
measure: Semantic memory score change
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
measure: Cognitive flexibility score change
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
measure: social cognition score change
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
measure: Depression score change
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
measure: Instrumental activity of daily living score change
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
measure: Independence in activities of daily living score change
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
measure: Functional status score change
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
measure: Timed instrumental activities of daily living score change
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
measure: Physical activity score change
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
measure: Praxis score change
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
measure: Episodic memory score change
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
measure: Quality of life score change
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Rio de Janeiro
country: Brazil
facility: Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
state: RJ
Study officials:
affiliation: Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
name: Rogério Panizzutti, M.D, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: