Age-related Longitudinal Changes in Aviator Performance

Our overall goal has been twofold: 1) to evaluate whether there are significant age-related changes in flight simulator performance near age 60, and 2) to assess whether there is an alternative model that can explain longitudinal flight simulator performance on the basis of measures of cognitive function and expertise.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Memory Impairment

Detailed Description

Our overall goal has been twofold: 1) to evaluate whether there are significant age-related changes in flight simulator performance near age 60, and 2) to assess whether there is an alternative model that can explain longitudinal flight simulator performance on the basis of measures of cognitive function and expertise. Such a model might be able to predict change in aviator performance better than what could be predicted by chronological age alone.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 139

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Palo Alto, California, United States, 94304
      • VA Palo Alto Health Care System

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 45 years to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

healthy older pilots holding active airplane license

Description

Inclusion Criteria:1) licensed aircraft pilot 2) 45 to 70 years of age 3) at least 100 hours of total flight experience 4) current FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) medical certificate of class III or higher

Exclusion Criteria:1) taking psychotropic medications 2) taking other medications with arousal or sedative effects

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Pilots; No intervention; observational study

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Aviation-related performance over time.	Participants "fly" in our computerized flight simulator and perform a set of brief tasks designed to measure reaction time and attention span. The study is longitudinal, collecting information about aviation-related performance over time. There is an initial training period, followed by annual visits. During the training period participants learn how to "fly" the simulator, and performance on certain standard maneuvers will be measured during a maximum of 6 simulated flights. At each annual visit, participants fly two 75-minute simulated flights and may be asked to perform up to four holding patterns and instrument landings.	longitudinal

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Stanford University
• Collaborators: National Institutes of Health (NIH); National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: January 1, 2006
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 1, 2014
• Study Completion (Actual): December 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 31, 2011
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 31, 2011
• First Posted (Estimate): June 2, 2011

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): December 6, 2016
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 5, 2016
• Last Verified: December 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Memory; Aviation
• Other Study ID Numbers: SU-06302009-2940; R37AG012713 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)