Development and Evaluation of a Cognitive Rehabilitation Program for Persons With Multiple Sclerosis

December 24, 2013 updated by: Eynat Shevil, Tel Aviv University

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive neurological disease that affects over 2.5 million people worldwide. Up to 50% of persons with MS (PwMS) will experience some form of cognitive impairment as a result of the disease including disturbances in memory, attention, concentration, information processing, and executive functions such as problem solving, and self-monitoring. MS-related cognitive impairments negatively affect many aspects of functioning and independent participation in everyday life. Thus, PwMS who experience cognitive impairments face a wide array of recurring barriers that pose grave challenges to carrying out everyday activities while trying to maintain multiple life roles and as they age.

Management of cognitive symptoms can be addressed through rehabilitation which has the potential to reduce disability, prevent complications of the disease, and enhance participation, independence, and quality of life. Considering the high frequency of cognitive impairments in MS and their significant, complex impact on functioning and independence, it is critical that cognitive interventions be an essential component of MS rehabilitation.

The overarching goal of this study is to develop and test a self-management, group-based cognitive rehabilitation program designed specifically for PwMS.

Study Overview

Status

Unknown

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

50

Phase

  • 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

  • Israel
      • Petah Tikva, Israel, 49100
        • Rabin Medical Center, Multiple Sclerosis Clinic

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of MS
  • 18 years of age or older
  • Self-report of cognitive difficulties

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Exacerbation of symptoms in past 3 months
  • History of TBI, CVA, epilepsy, Psychiatric condition, drug/alcohol abuse

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: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Control group
Behavioral: Control intervention
8-week group program that is not specifically directed to management of cognitive impairments.
Experimental: Cognitive intervention group
Cognitive rehabilitation program designed to be tested in this study
Behavioral: Self-management cognitive rehabilitation group intervention
8-week cognitive rehabilitation program facilitated by an occupational therapist. Program goals include increased knowledge of cognitive impairments in multiple sclerosis, increased self-efficacy to manage cognitive changes and increased use of cognitive compensatory strategies.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Cognitive strategy use
Time Frame: pre intervention, post intervention, 3,6,12 month followup
pre intervention, post intervention, 3,6,12 month followup

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Cognitive self-efficacy
Time Frame: pre-intervention, post intervention, 3,6,12 month followup
pre-intervention, post intervention, 3,6,12 month followup

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Tel Aviv University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Eynat Shevil, PhD, Tel Aviv University

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

February 1, 2011

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

December 1, 2014

Study Completion (Anticipated)

December 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 24, 2011

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 24, 2011

First Posted (Estimate)

February 25, 2011

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

December 25, 2013

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 24, 2013

Last Verified

December 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • MSCogRehab
  • PIRG03-GA-2008-230959 (Other Grant/Funding Number: European Commission FP7 Marie Curie IRG)

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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