Cognitive Training and Dual-task Ability

Cognitive Training and Dual-task Ability in Older Adults

The first goal of this study is to examine the extent to which the inclusion of dual-task practice to standard balance rehabilitation results in greater benefits to dual-task ability. The second goal of this study is to examine the extent to which the addition of cognitive training following balance rehabilitation results in greater benefits to dual-task ability.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Gait Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Balance rehabilitation + dual-tasking; Behavioral: Standard balance rehabilitation; Behavioral: Cognitive training (speed of processing); Behavioral: Cognitive training (general cognition)

Detailed Description

Historically, degradation of balance control in older adults has been attributed to impairments of the motor and/or sensory systems. As a result, therapy has focused on motor and sensory impairments. However, evidence suggests that an impaired ability to allocate attentional resources to balance during dual-task situations is a powerful predictor of falls. Despite this fact, few studies have examined whether interventions can improve older adults' dual-task ability. The goal of this study is to develop effective interventions to improve ability to allocate attention to balance and gait under dual-task conditions.

Older adults (n = 44) who have been referred to physical therapy (PT) for gait or balance impairments who have dual-task impairment will be randomized to receive either standard balance rehabilitation or balance rehabilitation with dual-task practice. Following PT, subjects will receive cognitive training (CT), either speed of processing or generalized cognitive training. Primary outcomes are ability to walk while performing four different cognitive tasks of varying difficulty. Assessment will occur at baseline, post-PT, post-CT.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 34
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Georgia
    • Decatur, Georgia, United States, 30033
      • Atlanta VA Medical and Rehab Center, Decatur, GA
  • Tennessee
    • Mountain Home, Tennessee, United States, 37684
      • Mountain Home VA Medical Center James H. Quillen VA Medical Center, Mountain Home, TN

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 60 years to 89 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Inclusion criteria include:
• > 60 years of age
• documented balance or mobility problems
• dual-task impairment (timed up and go with subtraction task > 15 s)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Exclusion criteria include:
• cognitive impairment (> 2 errors on Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire41)
• progressive medical issues that would impact mobility (e.g., Parkinson's disease).

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Balance rehabilitation + dual-tasking; Balance rehabilitation will involve a structured framework of balance activities that require increasing levels of complexity and multimodal stimuli and response demands with the addition of cognitive tasks, (e.g., counting backwards or reciting lists) to be added when the participant can safely perform the primary balance or gait task.	Behavioral: Balance rehabilitation + dual-tasking; Balance rehabilitation will involve a structured framework of balance activities that require increasing levels of complexity and multimodal stimuli and response demands with the addition of cognitive tasks, (e.g., counting backwards or reciting lists) to be added when the participant
Active Comparator: Standard balance rehabilitation; Standard balance rehabilitation will involve a structured framework of balance activities that require increasing levels of complexity and multimodal stimuli and response demands.	Behavioral: Standard balance rehabilitation; Standard balance rehabilitation will involve a structured framework of balance activities that require increasing levels of complexity and multimodal stimuli and response demands.
Experimental: Cognitive training (speed of processing); Speed of processing cognitive training involves systematically increasing the complexity of visual tasks. Task demands are increased by reducing stimulus duration, adding visual or auditory distractors, increasing number of concurrent tasks or increasing the visual field.	Behavioral: Cognitive training (speed of processing); Speed of processing cognitive training involves systematically increasing the complexity of visual tasks. Task demands are increased by reducing stimulus duration, adding visual or auditory distractors, increasing number of concurrent tasks or increasing the visual field.
Active Comparator: Cognitive training (general cognition); General cognitive training involves systematic training of 14 key cognitive abilities, including visual scanning, response time, eye-hand coordination, spatial perception, and working memory. Initial starting point is determined by the software using baseline evaluation.	Behavioral: Cognitive training (general cognition); General cognitive training involves systematic training of 14 key cognitive abilities, including visual scanning, response time, eye-hand coordination, spatial perception, and working memory. Initial starting point is determined by the software using baseline evaluation.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change Scores in Timed up and go With Cognitive Task	Timed up and go test (TUG) has three conditions: no secondary task (TUG), cognitive (TUGc) and manual dual-tasks (TUG-m). Time to complete the task with the cognitive task was recorded as a primary outcome measure. Time greater than 15 s for TUG-c indicates impaired dual-task ability.	baseline and 6 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change Scores in Walk While Talk Test With Verbal Fluency Task	The walk while talk (WWT) test involves walking at preferred speed while performing a verbal fluency task.	baseline and 6 weeks
Change Scores in Dynamic Gait Index	Dynamic Gait Index (DGI) assesses gait under 8 conditions and has excellent interrater as well as test-retest reliability. Each of the 8 conditions is scored on a scale from 0 (indicating severe impairment) to 3 (indicating normal ability). The total score is used for statistical analysis with a maximum score of 24 and a minimum score of 0 with a higher score indicating better performance. A total DGI score less than 20 out of 24 indicates fall risk.	baseline and 6 weeks
Change Scores in Sensory Organization Test (SOT)	SOT is organized into a series of 6 conditions of increasing difficulty: 3 involve a firm surface with eyes open, eyes closed and with vision sway-referenced and 3 involve a sway-referenced surface with eyes open, eyes closed, and with vision sway-referenced. SOT has good reliability and differentiates fallers and nonfallers. The SOT composite score is used for statistical analysis with a maximum score of 100 (indicating perfect stability) and a minimum score of 0 (indicating severe instability). Higher scores indicate better performance (i.e., greater postural stability) and SOT composite scores less than 38 out of 100 indicate fall risk.	baseline and 6 weeks
Change Scores in Preferred Gait Speed	Subjects walk at their preferred speed and time to walk 6 m is recorded.	baseline and 6 weeks
Change Scores in Activities-specific Balance-related Confidence	Subjects' decreased confidence in a variety of situations will be measured using the Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale which has good test-retest reliability. Sixteen activities are each assessed on a scale ranging from 0 to 100, where higher scores indicate greater confidence in performing the activity. Item scores are averaged to arrive at a final score, where average scores <67% indicate a greater fall risk.	baseline and 6 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: July 1, 2013
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 1, 2015
• Study Completion (Actual): September 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 19, 2013
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 3, 2013
• First Posted (Estimate): July 10, 2013

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 19, 2017
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 5, 2017
• Last Verified: April 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: gait disorder; attention; aged or aged 80 and over
• Other Study ID Numbers: E7614-P

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No