Brain Training in Preterm Children at Risk for Inattention, Hyperactivity, and Executive Function Impairment

August 2, 2019 updated by: Irene M. Loe, MD, Stanford University

Randomized Controlled Trial of Executive Function Training in Preterm Children at Risk for Inattention, Hyperactivity and Executive Function Impairment

The purpose of this study is to determine if different forms of child-friendly, computer-based puzzles and games ("brain training") targeting executive function (EF) skills (i.e., thinking, problem-solving) result in improvements in EF in preschool children at risk for EF problems due to premature birth. The investigators hypothesize that children receiving active "brain training" will show greater improvements in EF and related skills immediately after treatment than children receiving passive "brain training." The investigators are also interested in whether any improvements in EF and related skills occur or are maintained at 3 and 6 months after completion of brain training.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Detailed description:

  • Investigators will talk to you by telephone to determine if your child might be eligible for the study.
  • Children complete two baseline testing sessions to evaluate executive function (EF) and related skills
  • Parents complete a packet of information, including questionnaires about the child's behavior, EF, and functional skills.
  • After completion of the baseline testing, we will inform you of eligibility for the "Brain Training" phase.
  • During "Brain Training" children play online computer games for 25-30 minutes/day (can range from 15-45 minutes/day depending on your child's attention, training version received, number and length of breaks needed), 5 days a week, for 5-7 weeks to complete a total of 25 sessions.
  • Children return for 3 more time points, immediately after the completion of "Brain Training" (1 session), and also at 3 months (1 session) and 6 months (2 sessions) after completion of "Brain Training."

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
57

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • California
      • Stanford, California, United States, 94305
        • Stanford University School of Medicine

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

4 years to 5 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 4 or 5 years
  • Born prematurely at <33 weeks gestation
  • Able to comprehend task instructions
  • EF impairment on standardized questionnaire (t-score of 60 or greater) or EF battery (lower quartile)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Major neurosensory impairment (i.e., blind, deaf) or technology dependence (i.e., ventilator dependent) that interferes with testing
  • Genetic syndrome
  • Inability to comprehend task instructions

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Active Brain Training
The children in this arm receive one type of "Brain Training" with online computer games that actively matches their skill level.
Behavioral: Brain Training (Active)
Online computer games targeting attention, EF, and problem-solving match the child's skill level.
Experimental: Passive Brain Training
The children in this arm receive one type of "Brain Training" with online computer games that are at a consistent skill level.
Behavioral: Brain Training (Passive)
Online computer games targeting attention, EF, and problem solving are set to a consistent level.
Other: Cross-over
Following completion of the 6-month follow-up sessions after completion of "Brain Training", each group is allowed to cross-over to the other arm of "Brain Training" (open-label extension).
Behavioral: Brain Training (Active or Passive)
Online computer games targeting attention, EF, and problem-solving either match the child's level or are set to a consistent level depending on which version the child has already completed.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change from baseline on Executive Function Composite Measure at 2 months
Time Frame: 2 months
EF composite measured post "Brain Training."
2 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change from baseline on Executive Function Composite Measure at 5 months
Time Frame: 5 months
EF composite measured 3-months post "Brain Training" and 5 months from baseline
5 months
Change from baseline on Executive Function Composite Measure at 8 months
Time Frame: 8 months
EF composite measured 6-months post "Brain Training" and 8 months from baseline
8 months
Change from baseline on Early Academic Skills Measures at 8 months
Time Frame: 8 months
Composite scores from standardized measures of pre-academic skills and early literacy and numeracy measures at 6-months post "Brain Training" and 8 months from baseline
8 months
Change from 8-month Executive Function Composite Measure at 10 months (cross over groups)
Time Frame: 2 months
Children who cross-over to the other "Brain Training" intervention arm after the 8 month follow-up visit, will be re-assessed at the completion of the alternate version of "Brain Training"
2 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Stanford University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
October 1, 2015

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 1, 2018

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 30, 2018

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
October 26, 2015

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 26, 2015

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 27, 2015

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 6, 2019

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 2, 2019

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 30874
  • K23HD071971 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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