Reducing Risk for Alzheimer's Disease in High-Risk Women Through Yogic Meditation Training

February 6, 2024 updated by: Helen Lavretsky, MD, University of California, Los Angeles
The purpose of this pilot study will be to test whether Kundalini yoga (KY) and Kirtan Kriya (KK) yogic meditation is superior to Memory Enhancement Training (MET) for improving cognitive functioning, health (including cardiovascular factors), and mood in women with high AD risk.

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

Overall, the investigators anticipate recruiting 100 women (50 or older) with MCI and high Alzheimer's disease risk. Subjects will either receive: (1) MET class for 60 minutes per week; or (2) Kundalini yoga and "Kirtan Kriya" meditation class for 60 minutes per week. Assessments will be completed immediately after the interventions at 6 and 12 weeks and follow-up visits at week 24 and 48 to monitor the overall benefit of the intervention.

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.
100

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
      • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90095
        • UCLA Semel Institute

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

50 years to 90 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Amnestic MCI, as defined by a Clinical Dementia Rating Scale score of .5.

  2. High cardiovascular risk defined as at least one of the following:

    • 7.5 percentile risk or higher using ASCVD risk calculator
    • Myocardial Infarction more than 6 months ago
    • Diabetes
    • Taking medication for blood pressure > 140/90 blood pressure
    • Taking medication for lyperlipidemia LDL >160
  3. Sufficient English proficiency and the 8th grade or higher reading level as determined by the word reading subtest of the Wide Range Achievement Test-IV (this criterion is necessary in order to ensure ability to participate in MET, which involves reading and writing and has a Flesch-Kinkaid school equivalency of 7th grade)
  4. Capacity to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. History of psychosis, bipolar disorder, alcohol/ drug dependence, or neurological disorder
  2. Recent (within three months) surgery, anticipated surgery within next year, or unstable medical condition
  3. Any disability preventing participation in MET or KK+KY (e.g., severe visual or hearing impairment)
  4. Insufficient English proficiency to participate in either MET or KK+KY
  5. Diagnosis of dementia
  6. Mini Mental Health Examination score of 23 or below
  7. Currently taking any psychoactive medication
  8. Participation in a psychotherapy that involves cognitive training
  9. Practice of Kundalini Yoga or Kirtan Kriya within the past year
  10. Myocardial Infarction within the past 6 months

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: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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.
Active Comparator: Memory Training
Group memory training will be administered for amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI)
Behavioral: Memory Training
Participants will attend a weekly memory training class for 12 weeks as well as receive daily memory homework (12 minute duration) for the 12 weeks.
Experimental: Kundalini yoga and meditation
Participants will engage in weekly yoga classes and daily 12 minute meditation
Behavioral: Kundalini yoga and meditation
Participants will participate in a 60 minute yoga and meditation session weekly for 12 weeks and will be assigned a daily Kirtan Kriya meditation (12 minute duration) for 12 weeks.

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 in Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT) Total Recall Score
Time Frame: Measured at Baseline and Week 24
Verbal memory was measured with the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT) total recall scores. The HVLT form contains 12 nouns, four words each from one of three semantic categories (e.g., precious gems, articles of clothing, vegetables, etc.), to be learned over the course of three learning trials. When scoring the HVLT, the three learning trials are combined to calculate a total recall score. Total scores range from 0-36 with higher scores indicating better outcome.
Measured at Baseline and Week 24
Change in Delayed Recall Cognitive Domain Scores
Time Frame: Measured at Baseline and Week 24

Delayed Recall Cognitive Domain score was constructed from: HVLT Delayed Recall, Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test [30-minute Delayed Recall], WMS-IV Logical Memory II Delayed Recall.

Raw scores were transformed to z-scores (with a mean of 0 and standard deviation of 1) for each test score of interest across all participants. A z-score of 0 represents the sample mean. These z-scores were then averaged to produce a Delayed Recall Cognitive Domain score. Higher Delayed Recall Cognitive Domain scores are indicative of better performance.
Measured at Baseline and Week 24
Change in Executive Function Cognitive Domain Scores
Time Frame: Measured at Baseline and Week 24

Executive Function Cognitive Domain score was constructed from:

Trail Making Test A and B, Stroop Interference [Golden version] and FAS.

Raw scores were transformed to z-scores (with a mean of 0 and standard deviation of 1) for each test score of interest across all participants. A z-score of 0 represents the sample mean. These z-scores were then averaged to produce an Executive Function Cognitive Domain score. Higher Executive Function Cognitive Domain scores are indicative of better performance.
Measured at Baseline and Week 24

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 in Memory Functioning Questionnaire (MFQ) Scale
Time Frame: Measured at Baseline and Week 24, change from baseline to week 24 is reported.
Secondary outcome measures included the Memory Functioning Questionnaire (MFQ), a self-assessment scale. The MFQ is a scale that assesses subjective memory complaints. We will use the following MFQ subscales: General Frequency of Forgetting (MFQ factor 1), Seriousness of Forgetting (MFQ factor 2), and Retrospective Functions (MSQ factor 3). Each item is scored from 1 to 7 with higher scores indicating a higher level of perceived memory functioning. MSQ factor 1 (33 items) ranges from 7 to 231, MFQ factor 2 (18 items) ranges from 7-126 and MSQ factor 3 (5 items) ranges from 7 to 35.
Measured at Baseline and Week 24, change from baseline to week 24 is reported.
Change in Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36-Item Health Survey (SF-36)
Time Frame: Measured at Baseline and Week 24, change from baseline to week 24 is reported.
Health-Related quality of life will be determined using the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36-Item Health Survey (SF-36) which comprises 8 scales: physical functioning, role limitations - physical, role limitations - emotional, energy, emotional well-being, social functioning, pain, and general health. Scales are scored from 0 to 100 with higher scores indicating higher quality of life.
Measured at Baseline and Week 24, change from baseline to week 24 is reported.

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.
University of California, Los Angeles

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.
Alzheimer's Research and Prevention Foundation (ARPF)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Helen Lavretsky, MS, MD, UCLA Semel Institute

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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 (Actual)

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.
May 1, 2018

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.
January 8, 2021

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.
February 1, 2021

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).
April 11, 2018

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.
April 18, 2018

First Posted (Actual)

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.
April 20, 2018

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.
February 8, 2024

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.
February 6, 2024

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.
February 1, 2024

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.
  • 17-001876

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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