Memory Training and Neural Plasticity (WMTrain)

Working Memory Training and Neural Plasticity in Mild Cognitive Impairment

This study will evaluate the efficacy of working memory training in older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Mild Cognitive Impairment
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Working Memory Training

Detailed Description

Working memory (WM) is the ability to hold information actively in mind and is fundamental for higher-order cognition. This pilot study aims to (1) evaluate the efficacy of WM training in older adults with MCI and (2) understand if and how it works. The study will use behavioral and brain imaging assessments to see whether WM training changes how participants learn and remember information. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) methods will be used. The study will also use cognitive tests and questionnaires to determine whether participants' cognitive abilities change with training. The study will enroll participants with a diagnosis of MCI as well as cognitively intact older adults (healthy controls, HC).

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 30
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Alexandru Iordan, Ph.D; Phone Number: 734-764-2909; Email: adiordan@umich.edu
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Nayiri Sagherian; Phone Number: 734-647-3704; Email: nasagher@umich.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Michigan
    • Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, 48109
      • Recruiting
      • University of Michigan
      • Principal Investigator: Alexandru Iordan, Ph.D
      • Contact: Alexandru Iordan, Ph.D; Phone Number: 734-764-2909; Email: adiordan@umich.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 60 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• MCI Diagnosis
• Right-handedness
• MRI-eligibility for MRI participants

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of other contributing neurological or medical conditions known to affect cognitive functioning
• Significant mental illness
• Sensory impairments that limit ability to participate
• History of alcohol or drug abuse/dependence

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: In-Person, MCI; Participants diagnosed with MCI will undergo 10 sessions of WM training in person.	Behavioral: Working Memory Training; A 10-session working memory (WM) training program
Active Comparator: Online, MCI; Participants diagnosed with MCI will undergo 10 sessions of WM training online.	Behavioral: Working Memory Training; A 10-session working memory (WM) training program
Active Comparator: Online, Healthy; Cognitively intact older adults will undergo 10 sessions of WM training online.	Behavioral: Working Memory Training; A 10-session working memory (WM) training program

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Gains in WM training task performance	Analyses of WM performance for each training session indexed as the mean set-size achieved during each training session for each participant	2 weeks
Changes in brain activation within the WM network	Univariate analyses via fMRI and fNIRS, respectively, using units of brain activation (i.e., contrast estimates)	2 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Changes in criterion (fMRI) WM task performance	Analyses of WM performance indexed as percent accuracy	2 weeks
Changes in functional connectivity within and between canonical brain networks	Graph theory analysis via fMRI and fNIRS, respectively, using measures of connectivity strength (i.e., correlation coefficients)	2 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Michigan
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Alexandru Iordan, Ph.D., University of Michigan

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 7, 2022
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 27, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 13, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): May 19, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): November 20, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 17, 2023
• Last Verified: November 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Training; fMRI; Working Memory
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Neurocognitive Disorders; Cognition Disorders; Cognitive Dysfunction
• Other Study ID Numbers: HUM00199574

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