Non-invasive Stimulation Through Nesa and Therapeutic Exercise on Sleep Disturbances on Alzheimer's Disease Patients.

January 27, 2023 updated by: Esther del Carmen Teruel Hernández, Universidad de Murcia

Effect of Non-invasive Stimulation Through Nesa and Therapeutic Exercise on Sleep Disturbances on Alzheimer's Disease Patients. Randomized Multicenter Clinical Trial

The purpose of this study is to know the effectiveness of an adapted therapeutic exercise program and its comparison with non-invasive neuromodulation through the NESA device, and both treatments with a control group, to improve sleep disturbances and cognitive function in patients with dementia, and improves the quality of life of their caregivers.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

Sleep disorders affect 30% of patients with dementia, being a very frequent symptom and appearing above all in the more advanced phases, and contribute to the risk of greater institutionalization, overload, and poorer quality of life for caregivers and abuse of sleep psychoactive drugs. Sleep disturbance is frequent in dementia, appearing especially in the more advanced stages. Non-pharmacological treatments are emerging as procedures of first choice to improve night rest in patients with Alzheimer's disease, however, given that the drugs do not remove the amyloid deposits that are formed or prevent their formation, and they have side effects adverse effects, the need arises to look for other options to improve the functioning of neuronal plasticity.

In Alzheimer's disease, therapeutic exercise has preventive and delayed effects against cognitive deterioration, in addition, it has been associated with changes in the circadian rhythm phases, however, there are no published controlled studies that analyze the isolated effects of exercise on sleep disturbances in patients with dementia.

Likewise, non-invasive neuromodulation through the NESA device consists of an alteration of the nervous activity through the delivery of microcurrents, which leads to a series of neuromodulated responses of the ANS neural cascades that gives rise to variations in the responses. endogenous of those dysfunctional or pathological bioelectrical systems.

Stimulation of the pineal gland through its sympathetic innervation results in the production of melatonin, a synchronizer of the circadian rhythm. In dementia there is a decrease in the level of melatonin, with non-invasive neuromodulation the pineal gland could be stimulated through its sympathetic innervation, resulting in the production of melatonin.

Objective: To know the effectiveness of an adapted therapeutic exercise program and its comparison with non-invasive neuromodulation through the NESA device, and both treatments with a control group, to improve sleep disturbances and cognitive function in patients with dementia. and improves the quality of life of their caregivers.

Methodology: This is a multicenter randomized clinical trial, with 30 patients diagnosed with dementia from two associations in the Region of Murcia for patients with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, divided into three treatment groups, one of whom will receive non-invasive neuromodulation through NESA, another will be treated with therapeutic exercise, and a third control group, whose relatives will be given a brochure with sleep hygiene measures at the beginning of the study. The treatment will last 2 months for the neuromodulation group and 5 months for the therapeutic exercise group.

The measurements of the results are made individually, and under the same conditions for all the patients. These focus on cognitive and sleep variables for the patient with dementia and psychosocial variables to measure the quality of life of the caregiver. Each patient will be evaluated in four moments:

  1. The first assessment before beginning the intervention period (pre-treatment)
  2. The second evaluation in the middle of the treatment.
  3. The third assessment at the end of the intervention period. (post-treatment)
  4. The fourth two months after finishing the intervention. (tracing) The evaluators are masked. To measure the sleep variable, we have used various scales that reveal data on quality, efficiency, and quantity: Pittsburg sleep quality index (PSQI) and test de Epworth. To measure the cognitive variable for the patient with dementia, a scale has been used: Mini-Cognitive Exam Test (MEC). To measure the quality-of-life variable for the caregiver of the patient with dementia, the following scales have been used: Zarit scale and visual analogue scale (EVA).

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

30

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

      • Murcia, Spain, 30100
        • AFAMUR, Association of relatives of Alzheimer's patients
    • Murcia
      • Alcantarilla, Murcia, Spain, 30820
        • AFADE: Association of relatives of Alzheimer's and other dementias

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

  • ADULT
  • OLDER_ADULT
  • CHILD

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • obtaining a medical diagnosis of dementia equal to or greater than mild according to the Reisberg Global Deterioration Scale (GDS)
  • having stable medical and pharmacological conditions, as well as their ability to perform physical activity and follow instructions verbal

Exclusion Criteria:

  • wearing a pacemaker
  • presenting internal bleeding
  • skin with ulcerations
  • acute febrile processes
  • diagnosis of cancer
  • phobia of electricity
  • comorbidity that affects the sleep

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: PARALLEL
  • Masking: SINGLE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: non-invasive neurostimulation experimental group (NEG)
The non-invasive neuromodulation experimental group, made up of 10 participants, are treated 20 sessions with the NXSignal non-invasive neuromodulation device (NESA)
patients receive non-invasive neurostimulation through the Nesa device
EXPERIMENTAL: Experimental group Therapeutic Exercise (TEG)
The experimental group of therapeutic exercise, made up of 10 participants, receives 3 weekly sessions of one hour duration for 16 weeks, and 1 weekly session until week 20, of an adapted program of cardiovascular exercises in a small group format, supervised by a physical therapist.
patients receive adapted therapeutic exercise
SHAM_COMPARATOR: Control group (CG)
The control group, made up of 10 participants, the caregivers receive recommendations about sleep habits through an information brochure.
caregivers receive a brochure with sleep hygiene measures

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in sleep quality
Time Frame: [Time frame: Measurement of change: before treatment (baseline), at two months (mid-treatment), at five months (end of treatment), and at 7 months of treatment (follow-up period)
We want to see if there are improvements in the quality, efficiency, and quantity of sleep. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) will be combined to report changes in the patient's sleep quality.
[Time frame: Measurement of change: before treatment (baseline), at two months (mid-treatment), at five months (end of treatment), and at 7 months of treatment (follow-up period)
Change in cognitive status
Time Frame: [Time frame: Measurement of change: before treatment (baseline), at two months (mid-treatment), at five months (end of treatment), and at 7 months of treatment (follow-up period)
we want to see the cognitive improvement through the Mini-Cognitive Test (Mini-Cognitive Test. Lobo et al. Spanish version of the Mini Examination of the Mental State)
[Time frame: Measurement of change: before treatment (baseline), at two months (mid-treatment), at five months (end of treatment), and at 7 months of treatment (follow-up period)
Change in quality of life
Time Frame: [Time frame: Measurement of change: before treatment (baseline), at two months (mid-treatment), at five months (end of treatment), and at 7 months of treatment (follow-up period)
We want to see if the quality of life of caregivers of patients with dementia improves when their relatives receive treatment. The visual analogue scale (EVA) and the caregiver burden scale (Zarit) will be combined to report changes in the caregiver's quality of life.
[Time frame: Measurement of change: before treatment (baseline), at two months (mid-treatment), at five months (end of treatment), and at 7 months of treatment (follow-up period)

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Esther del Carmen Teruel Hernández, MsC, Universidad de Murcia
  • Study Director: Antonia Gomez-Conesa., Ph. D., Universidad de Murcia
  • Study Director: Jose A. Lopez Pina, Ph.D., Universidad de Murcia
  • Study Director: Sonia Souto Camba, Ph.D., University of A Coruna

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 (ACTUAL)

December 7, 2021

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

June 17, 2022

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

August 22, 2022

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 18, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 27, 2023

First Posted (ACTUAL)

February 8, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ACTUAL)

February 8, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 27, 2023

Last Verified

January 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

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

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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