Applying Speed of Processing Training to Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis (SPTMS)

March 14, 2022 updated by: Nancy Chiaravalloti, Kessler Foundation

Applying Speed of Processing Training (SPT) to Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis

This pilot study will document the efficacy of a behavioral intervention for Processing Speed (PS) in Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Speed of Processing Training (SPT), which has been successful used in the aging population in several studies. This study will (1) apply a treatment protocol for PS impairments, well-validated in aging, to persons with MS with impaired PS, and document its efficacy on standard neuropsychological (NP) tests (2) assess the effectiveness of the intervention utilizing global measures of daily life, including an objective measure (TIADL) (3) examine the long term impact of SPT. This study is unique in that it will be the first to evaluate the efficacy of a highly-manualized structured behavioral treatment for processing speed deficits in persons with MS utilizing the optimal methodology for carrying out such studies, a randomized clinical trial. Given the prevalence of PS deficits in the MS population and the significant impact such deficits have on everyday functioning, public safety, and overall quality of life, the identification of an effective intervention for PS deficits in MS could have a profound impact on the population and society as a whole.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

38

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

  • United States
    • New Jersey
      • West Orange, New Jersey, United States, 07052
        • Kessler Foundation

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 to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusions:

  • diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis
  • fluent in English
  • processing speed impairment (based on evaluation).

Exclusions:

  • currently taking steroids and /or benzodiazepines
  • prior stroke or neurological disease
  • history of significant psychiatric illness (for example, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or psychosis) or a current diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder I or II
  • significant alcohol or drug abuse history

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: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Speed of Processing Training - Group 1
Group 1 will receive speed of processing training immediately following baseline testing. They will have an evaluation immediately following treatment and a long-term follow-up 6 weeks after finishing treatment.
Behavioral: Speed of Processing Training
SPT involves trainer-guided practice of computer-based exercises, including Target Detection (indicating presence or absence of targets, identifying targets, etc.) and Discrimination and Localization (performing same/ different discriminations of targets presented very quickly and followed by a masking pattern) 10, 19, 84. Display speed, ranging from 17 to 500 ms, is the primary manipulation during training, which increases task demands and thus demands on PS itself.
Experimental: Speed of Processing Training - Group 2
Group 2 will receive speed of processing training 6 weeks following baseline testing. They will have an evaluation immediately following treatment and a long-term follow-up 6 weeks after finishing treatment.
Behavioral: Speed of Processing Training
SPT involves trainer-guided practice of computer-based exercises, including Target Detection (indicating presence or absence of targets, identifying targets, etc.) and Discrimination and Localization (performing same/ different discriminations of targets presented very quickly and followed by a masking pattern) 10, 19, 84. Display speed, ranging from 17 to 500 ms, is the primary manipulation during training, which increases task demands and thus demands on PS itself.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in scores on standardized tests of processing speed
Time Frame: Three points in time: Baseline (week 1), immediately following treatment (Group 1 - week 7, Group 2 - week 13), long-term follow-up (Group 1 - week 13, Group 2 - Week 19)
Standardized neuropsychological tests which be used will be used to determine whether there has been a change in speed of processing.
Three points in time: Baseline (week 1), immediately following treatment (Group 1 - week 7, Group 2 - week 13), long-term follow-up (Group 1 - week 13, Group 2 - Week 19)

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Kessler Foundation

Collaborators

National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Nancy Chiaravalloti, PhD, Kessler Foundation

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

November 1, 2011

Primary Completion (Actual)

March 1, 2020

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2021

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 11, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 19, 2013

First Posted (Estimate)

April 24, 2013

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 15, 2022

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 14, 2022

Last Verified

March 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • RG 4607-A-3

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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