Brain-Training Treatment for Long COVID in Older Adults

August 12, 2026 updated by: Cutter Lindbergh, UConn Health

Computerized Cognitive Remediation of Long COVID Symptoms in Older Adults

This research is being done to collect preliminary data on the potential of computerized "brain-training" exercises for treating Long COVID symptoms in older adults. The investigators hypothesize that computerized brain-training will be an acceptable and feasible intervention for treating Long COVID symptoms in older adults. The investigators also expect to provide initial evidence that computerized brain-training has potential for improving thinking, mood, and other aspects of everyday functioning in older adults with Long COVID.

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

Some patients who contract coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), especially older adults, show lingering neuropsychiatric symptoms such as cognitive impairment, brain fog, and depression. These neuropsychiatric symptoms-commonly referred to under the umbrella term "Long COVID"-are debilitating and may last for months or even years after viral infection. The purpose of the present study is to help address this public health crisis by determining whether computerized "brain-training" treatment has potential for improving thinking, mood, and other aspects of functioning in older adults with Long COVID. More specifically, the first aim is to determine the acceptability and feasibility of using brain-training treatment in individuals with Long COVID. The second aim is to evaluate for potential efficacy by determining whether brain-training treatment appears to improve cognitive function, mood, and other aspects of daily functioning in Long COVID.

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.
39

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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: Holly Eddy, Ph.D., LMFT-S
  • Phone Number: 860-679-3751
  • Email: eddy@uchc.edu

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Connecticut
      • Farmington, Connecticut, United States, 06030
        • UConn Health

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

55 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • prior history of COVID-19 based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines including a positive laboratory test (e.g., nucleic acid amplification test) or a positive rapid test
  • age ≥ 60 years old
  • current self-reported cognitive symptoms persisting after the acute phase of the illness (i.e., >4 weeks after COVID-19 symptom onset) that cannot be explained by alternative diagnoses
  • evidence of subjective cognitive impairment with a Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Cognitive Function (FACT-Cog) Perceived Cognitive Impairment (PCI) Subscale Score of ≤ 40 and/or endorsing any item on the FACT-Cog PCI Subscale as occurring nearly every day or several times a day
  • Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS) ≥ 27
  • fluent in English
  • off psychiatric medications or on a stable dose for at least 1 month prior to commencing the study with no intention to change dose prior to completion of the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • history of neurological disorder or other medical condition with potential to impair cognitive functioning or interfere with study participation (e.g., epilepsy, stroke, dementia, head trauma followed by persistent neurological deficits or known structural brain abnormalities)
  • prior diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or Mild Neurocognitive Disorder unrelated to the participant's history of COVID-19
  • history of significant psychiatric illness per Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), criteria that may interfere with study participation or confound results (e.g., schizophrenia or other psychotic disorder, bipolar and related disorders, major depressive disorder with psychotic features, personality disorder)
  • history of significant neurodevelopmental condition that may interfere with study participation or confound results (e.g., intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder)
  • alcohol or other substance use disorder within the past 2 years
  • significant sensory or motor impairments (e.g., blindness) that may interfere with the ability to complete neuropsychological measures or engage in the intervention

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: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group 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.
Experimental: Computerized Cognitive Remediation
Other: NeuroFlex (computerized gamified tasks)
The computerized cognitive remediation intervention ("NeuroFlex") consists of a series of gamified tasks (e.g., BrainHQ, Neurogrow, Ultimate Word Master) administered via computer tablet. The intervention provides both "bottom up" training to improve basic processing of sensory stimuli and "top down" training to improve executive functions. Participants will be asked to complete approximately 7.5 hours a week of computer treatment over an approximately 6-week period, for a total of approximately 45 hours of treatment. The treatment will be completed remotely by the participant within their own home or other private location that is most convenient for the participant.

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
Feasibility (proportion of subjects who agree to participate in the offered treatment, complete assigned exercises, and complete the entire treatment regimen)
Time Frame: Our feasibility criteria will be assessed by calculating percentages at the conclusion of the study
Feasibility will be assessed according to the following criteria: 1) at least 80% of eligible subjects offered the treatment agree to participate; 2) subjects will complete at least 80% of assigned treatment exercises; 3) at least 80% of participants who start the treatment will finish it.
Our feasibility criteria will be assessed by calculating percentages at the conclusion of the study
Treatment Acceptability/Adherence Scale (TAAS)
Time Frame: The investigators will evaluate TAAS Total Score at the outset of treatment (expected/anticipated acceptability and adherence) and at post-treatment (6 weeks)
Treatment acceptability and adherence as measured by the TAAS Total Score; higher scores on this self-report measure indicate greater treatment acceptability and adherence
The investigators will evaluate TAAS Total Score at the outset of treatment (expected/anticipated acceptability and adherence) and at post-treatment (6 weeks)
Credibility/Expectancy Questionnaire (CEQ)
Time Frame: The investigators will evaluate CEQ Total Score at the outset of treatment (to assess initial perceptions of treatment credibility) and at post-treatment (6 weeks)
Treatment credibility and expectancy as measured by the CEQ Total Score; higher scores on this self-report measure indicate greater treatment credibility and expectancy
The investigators will evaluate CEQ Total Score at the outset of treatment (to assess initial perceptions of treatment credibility) and at post-treatment (6 weeks)
System Usability Scale (SUS)
Time Frame: The investigators will evaluate SUS Total Score at the outset of treatment (to assess initial perceptions of treatment usability) and at post-treatment (6 weeks)
Usability of the intervention as measured by the SUS Total Score; higher scores on this self-report measure indicate greater perceived usability
The investigators will evaluate SUS Total Score at the outset of treatment (to assess initial perceptions of treatment usability) and at post-treatment (6 weeks)

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
Trail Making Test Part B
Time Frame: The investigators will evaluate change in time (seconds) to complete the Trail Making Test Part B at post-treatment (6 weeks) relative to pre-treatment (baseline)
Set-shifting abilities as measured by time to complete the Trail Making Test Part B in seconds; lower scores indicate better set-shifting performance
The investigators will evaluate change in time (seconds) to complete the Trail Making Test Part B at post-treatment (6 weeks) relative to pre-treatment (baseline)
Montgomery-Asberg Depression Scale (MADRS)
Time Frame: The investigators will evaluate change in Total MADRS Score at post-treatment (6 weeks) relative to pre-treatment (baseline)
Depressive symptoms as measured by the Total MADRS Score; lower scores indicate less depressive symptoms
The investigators will evaluate change in Total MADRS Score at post-treatment (6 weeks) relative to pre-treatment (baseline)
World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS)
Time Frame: The investigators will evaluate change in Total WHODAS Score at post-treatment (6 weeks) relative to pre-treatment (baseline)
Functional disability as measured by the Total WHODAS Score; lower scores indicate less functional disability
The investigators will evaluate change in Total WHODAS Score at post-treatment (6 weeks) relative to pre-treatment (baseline)
Everyday Cognition (ECog)
Time Frame: The investigators will evaluate change in Total ECog Score at post-treatment (6 weeks) relative to pre-treatment (baseline)
Subjective cognitive concerns as measured by the Total ECog Score; lower scores indicate less subjective cognitive concern
The investigators will evaluate change in Total ECog Score at post-treatment (6 weeks) relative to pre-treatment (baseline)
Verbal Fluency
Time Frame: The investigators will evaluate change in total number of words produced at post-treatment (6 weeks) relative to pre-treatment (baseline)
Verbal generativity as measured by the total number of words produced according to pre-specified rules; higher scores indicate better verbal generativity performance
The investigators will evaluate change in total number of words produced at post-treatment (6 weeks) relative to pre-treatment (baseline)
Stroop Color and Word Test
Time Frame: The investigators will evaluate change in total correct responses at post-treatment (6 weeks) relative to pre-treatment (baseline)
Inhibitory control as measured by total correct responses on the inhibition condition of the Stroop Test; higher scores indicate better inhibitory control performance
The investigators will evaluate change in total correct responses at post-treatment (6 weeks) relative to pre-treatment (baseline)
Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS)
Time Frame: The investigators will evaluate change in total FAS Score at post-treatment (6 weeks) relative to pre-treatment (baseline)
Fatigue as measured by the Total FAS Score; lower scores indicate less fatigue
The investigators will evaluate change in total FAS Score at post-treatment (6 weeks) relative to pre-treatment (baseline)
California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT)
Time Frame: The investigators will evaluate change in long delayed free recall at post-treatment (6 weeks) relative to pre-treatment (baseline)
Verbal memory as measured by the total number of words correctly recalled on the long delayed free recall trial; higher scores indicate better episodic memory performance
The investigators will evaluate change in long delayed free recall at post-treatment (6 weeks) relative to pre-treatment (baseline)
Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)
Time Frame: The investigators will evaluate change in physical performance at post-treatment (6 weeks) relative to pre-treatment (baseline)
Physical performance as measured by the Total SPPB Score; higher scores indicate better physical performance.
The investigators will evaluate change in physical performance at post-treatment (6 weeks) relative to pre-treatment (baseline)

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.
UConn Health

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.
National Institute on Aging (NIA)

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: Cutter Lindbergh, Ph.D., UConn Health

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.
April 7, 2023

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 13, 2025

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 13, 2025

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).
January 26, 2023

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.
January 26, 2023

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.
January 30, 2023

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 14, 2026

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 12, 2026

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, 2026

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.
  • 23-089-2
  • Departmental Funds (Other Identifier: UConn Health)
  • P30AG067988 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

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

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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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