Clinical trial NCT06330844: Race-Based Stress and Cognitive Training for MCI
Official title: Race Based Stress and Empowerment Focused Compensatory Cognitive Training for Mild Cognitive Impairment
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Mild Cognitive Impairment
Lead sponsor: Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2024-03-26
Enrollment: 9
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 65
Standard ages: OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: Two groups assignment - One group will complete the original ME-CCT training program. The other group will complete the newly developed RBSE-CCT-MCI.
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: This a two phase project that aims to pilot a new adaptation (Phase 1) of Motivationally Enhanced Compensatory Cognitive Training for Mild Cognitive Impairment (ME-CCT; an originally VA-based cognitive rehabilitation manualized intervention for older adults with MCI, with a focus on the impact of stress on cognitive functioning; that integrates components from the Race Based Stress and Empowerment (RBSE) group for an increased focus on race-based stress and discrimination for racial minority older adults (i.e., RBSEF-CCT-MCI). In a pilot open trial, 75-150 participants will receive group-based intervention for 8 weeks, with 8-10 participants per group.

Following the pilot study, the investigators will complete a randomized controlled trial (RCT) (Phase 2) to compare the efficacy of the RBSEF-CCT-MCI with the ME-CCT. In the RCT, 75-150 participants will be randomized into either 1) The active control group, who will complete the original, ME-CCT training program, or 2) The experimental group, who will complete the newly developed RBSE-CCT-MCI. Both research groups will complete the interventions for 8 weeks, with 8-10 participants per group.

Hypothesis: Participation in this newly developed/updated intervention (i.e., RBSEF-CCT-MCI) will result in improvements in both (a) subjective and (b) objective cognitive functioning, and (c) self-reported mental health symptoms.

Detailed description: African American (AA) individuals are at higher risk for non-normative cognitive decline, particularly due to increased rates of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risk factors. These types of risk factors (e.g., hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, hyperlipidemia, etc.) are independently associated with brain imaging changes, even before potential clinical manifestation of cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease.

When compared to the general aging population, AA adults experience disproportionately higher rates of hypertension as well as both an earlier age of onset and higher concomitant morbidity and mortality from hypertension when compared to any other racial/ethnic group in the US. AA individuals experience greater exposure to specific chronic stressors, such as discrimination and low socioeconomic status, as well as report higher overall levels of stress compared to white individuals. However, racial disparities in hypertension rates persist even after controlling for socioeconomic status. Researchers have failed to demonstrate any risk factors that are biologically unique to AA patients. These findings have led researchers to consider other psychosocial and environmental factors that may explain the observed hypertension disparities, namely, racial discrimination and racial segregation.

AA older adults are not only at higher risk for non-normative cognitive decline due to both semi-direct (i.e., increased risk of cardiovascular/cerebrovascular risk factors, such as HTN), but other factors such as race-related stress may not only exacerbate these risk factors, but also interfere day-to-day with optimal cognitive performance due to overall increased stress and diversion of cognitive resources. Therefore, for AA older adults, there is an increased need not only for interventions that help to compensate for cognitive decline and increase daily functioning, but also an increased need for an intervention to reduce the effects of race-related stressors. The proposed Race-Based Stress and Empowerment Focused Compensatory Cognitive Training for Mild Cognitive Impairment (RBSEF-CCT-MCI) as proposed in this pilot, is one such intervention that would accomplish those aims and has the potential for a significant impact on patient care for AA older adults who could benefit from additional tools and strategies to improve cognitive functioning and increase day-to-day independent functioning.

Of note, original authors of both protocols have granted consent for modifications of their interventions, and the investigators already have a draft of the new protocol.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* The study will be conducted in-person, so they must be able to travel to Rosalind Franklin University.
* The study will initially be limited to participants who self-identify as Black/African American, or who self-identify with other racial/ethnic groups in addition to self-identifying as Black/African-American; however, may be expanded to include participants that identify as Hispanic/Latine.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Participants are ineligible to participate in this study if they are not at least 65 years of age and are not experiencing at least mild cognitive impairment or self-reported cognitive difficulties.
* Participants will also be excluded if they have a diagnosis of dementia (i.e., major neurocognitive disorder), intellectual disability, mild head injury (i.e., concussion) within the last six months, and/or a history of moderate to severe traumatic brain injury.
* Diagnosis of dementia may be from self-report or other medical records, or for participants to fail screening cognitive assessments (i.e., the RBANS) that would suggest they may be at the level of dementia (i.e., major neurocognitive disorder) as ultimately determined by study PI with objective scores less then 2 standard deviations below the mean on the RBANS.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Verbal learning and memory
timeFrame: up to eight weeks
measure: Basic auditory attention and working memory
timeFrame: up to eight weeks
measure: Psychomotor processing speed
timeFrame: up to eight weeks
measure: Psychomotor processing speed; executive functioning
timeFrame: up to eight weeks
measure: Self-report of prospective and retrospective memory
timeFrame: up to eight weeks
measure: Self-report of cognitive concerns
timeFrame: up to eight weeks
measure: The Patient Health Questionnaire-9
timeFrame: up to eight weeks
measure: Self-report symptoms of anxiety
timeFrame: up to eight weeks
measure: Self-reported daily functioning
timeFrame: up to eight weeks
measure: The Racial Microaggressions Scale
timeFrame: up to eight weeks
measure: The Trauma Symptoms of Discrimination Scale
timeFrame: up to eight weeks
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Chicago
country: United States
facility: Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
state: Illinois
Study officials:
affiliation: Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
name: Rachael L Ellison, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
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citation: Cenat JM. Complex Racial Trauma: Evidence, Theory, Assessment, and Treatment. Perspect Psychol Sci. 2023 May;18(3):675-687. doi: 10.1177/17456916221120428. Epub 2022 Oct 26.
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citation: Anazodo UC, Shoemaker JK, Suskin N, Ssali T, Wang DJ, St Lawrence KS. Impaired Cerebrovascular Function in Coronary Artery Disease Patients and Recovery Following Cardiac Rehabilitation. Front Aging Neurosci. 2016 Jan 5;7:224. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2015.00224. eCollection 2015.
citation: Spruill TM, Butler MJ, Thomas SJ, Tajeu GS, Kalinowski J, Castaneda SF, Langford AT, Abdalla M, Blackshear C, Allison M, Ogedegbe G, Sims M, Shimbo D. Association Between High Perceived Stress Over Time and Incident Hypertension in Black Adults: Findings From the Jackson Heart Study. J Am Heart Assoc. 2019 Nov 5;8(21):e012139. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.119.012139. Epub 2019 Oct 16.
citation: Dolezsar CM, McGrath JJ, Herzig AJM, Miller SB. Perceived racial discrimination and hypertension: a comprehensive systematic review. Health Psychol. 2014 Jan;33(1):20-34. doi: 10.1037/a0033718.