Visual Arts Interventions With Older Adults

Feasibility and Preliminary Effects of a Drawing-based Intervention on Cognition and Wellbeing of Community-Dwelling Adults at Risk for ADRD

The present study investigates the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of a novel visual arts-based intervention in an older adult population. In a randomized controlled design, two arts-based interventions will be evaluated with a group of 50 participants.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Feasibility Study
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Training in observational drawing; Behavioral: Arts engagement through digital galleries

Detailed Description

A two-arm randomized controlled study will be conducted to obtain within-group ratings of feasibility and acceptability, as well as between-group differences in drawing skills after training. In the drawing intervention, participants will learn and train drawing skills through exercises that target attention, perception, and visuospatial reasoning. In the active control condition, participants will navigate virtual art galleries. Both interventions will be completed remotely and at home. Participants will complete in-lab assessment sessions before and after the training.

Each intervention consists of 6 weeks of training for up to 2 hours a week, including up to 1 hour of a self-guided lesson and prompted daily drawing practice adding up to 1 hour in the drawing intervention and 2 1-hour sessions of virtual gallery exploring per week in the arts appreciation intervention. The pre-test is administered within one week of the start of training and the post-test is administered within one week of training completion.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 50
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Mariya Vodyanyk, MA; Phone Number: 608-628-4820; Email: vodyanyk.m@northeastern.edu
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Audrey Carrillo, MA; Email: a.carrillo@northeastern.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Massachusetts
    • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115
      • Recruiting
      • Northeastern University
      • Contact: Audrey Carrillo; Phone Number: 626-482-8091; Email: a.carrillo@northeastern.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 55-85 years of age
• Able to understand and speak English and follow study procedures
• Does not have a psychological or neurological condition that would prevent from being able to give consent to participate
• Less than 2 years of formal visual arts training

Exclusion Criteria:

• Formal diagnosis of dementia or other neurological disease, including Mild Cognitive Impairment
• A final score below 17 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment - Blind (phone) version
• Abnormal visual acuity prohibitive of tablet-based training
• Physical handicap (motor or perceptual) that would impede training procedures
• Medical illness requiring treatment and/or significant absences during the study timeline

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Participatory Arts; Participants will develop drawing skills through learning specific techniques and deliberately engaging cognitive domains such as perception, visuospatial reasoning, attention, and processing speed. The intervention is completed in a hybrid format where lessons are completed online and practice is completed in a sketchbook and drawing things from life. Prompts are provided to guide daily practice sessions. Techniques learned include contour drawing, gesture drawing, negative space drawing.	Behavioral: Training in observational drawing; 6 weeks of online gallery browsing based on different topics; Daily practice drawing from observation with training adding up to 1 hour a week; Documenting progress and reflection writing
Active Comparator: Receptive Arts; Participants will learn about different art periods and browse online galleries. The materials will be available online through a website through which participants will access and browse online galleries. Weekly topics include genres, subjects, or specific mediums. Prompts and vocabulary will accompany the galleries to guide their learning.	Behavioral: Arts engagement through digital galleries; 6 weeks of online gallery browsing based on different topics; 2 hours of weekly activities consist of reading and navigating technology; Reflection writing

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Acceptability - clarity	Perceived clarity on the course content, likert scale 1-5	Throughout training and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Acceptability - engagement	Level of engagement with the course materials, likert scale 1-5	Throughout training and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Acceptability - value	Perceived value of the course content, likert scale 1-5	Throughout training and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Feasibility - completion rate	% of participants who completed both testing sessions	Throughout training and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Feasibility - adherence	% of lessons that participants completed, from 0-6	Throughout training and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Feasibility - frequency	Frequency: times a week that participants completed training, 0-7 for days practiced each week	Throughout training and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Feasibility - attrition	Attrition reason: participants withdrawing will select from one of 5 options or 'other' to record the reason for withdrawing	Throughout training and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Change in Drawing skills	Participants will have 5 minutes to draw a photograph. Accuracy is scored using two methods: angle error at defined points of intersection and a rubric assessing accuracy on global and local features. Both ratings are averaged into a composite z-score, as well as looked at separately.	Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Perception - contour integration	Participants tap on circles of aligned Gabors embedded in a scene of randomly oriented Gabors. A circle will be present for 3 seconds and switch to the next trial if it is not seen. Number of circles spotted, reaction times on spotted circle, and lowest level of alignment will be recorded. Z-scores will be calculated.	Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Change in Perception - visual disembedding	Participants search for a target shape in 3 complex gestalts of overlapping shapes. Participants select the complex shape containing the target. Response times and accuracy are measured. Z-scores will be calculated.	Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Change in Visuospatial Reasoning - construction and memory	Complex Figures Copy and Recall will assess visuospatial construction and memory (10 min). Participants will complete three sets of drawing complex shapes from observation and memory after a block of word learning. Accuracy will be scored using a validated rubric.	Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Change in Visuospatial Reasoning - mental transformation	3D Mental Rotation (3 min) will test mental transformation. Participants will be briefly shown two figures and asked to determine whether the figures are the same or mirror reversed. Mean and SD reaction time per angular disparity and errors per angular disparity will be extracted.	Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Change in Attention	A Rule switch task will measure set shifting. Participants will sort shapes by color or shape. Performance will be calculated as the response times on accurate switch trials.	Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Change in Mindfulness	Participants complete a version Solloway Mindfulness Survey adapted to drawing. The questionnaire includes 30 questions on a 7-point scale on the degree to which engaging in drawing is related to different aspects of mindful attention.	Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Change in Mental Wellbeing	Mental Wellbeing is assessed by the WEMWBS, which includes 14 questions on a 5 point scale about positive mental wellbeing.	Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Daily progress log	Participants will record the time spent and the content practiced during their sessions. The survey includes selecting all the choices that apply, questions on a likert scale, and short response questions.	After every training session (weeks 1-6 of training, up to 7 times a week)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Northeastern University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Susanne Jaeggi, PhD, Northeastern University; Principal Investigator: Aaron Seitz, PhD, Northeastern University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 11, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 15, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): October 17, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 20, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 15, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Healthy Volunteers; Cognition; Learning; Aged; Perception
• Other Study ID Numbers: NU-DS-20241011

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Intervention materials and individual participant data (anonymized)
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: Data will be available persistently at the conclusion of the study.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: There are no access criteria.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No