Speed of Processing Training to Improve Cognitive Functioning and Driving Performance in Head and Neck Cancer Survivors

July 29, 2026 updated by: Hon K. Yuen, PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham
The goal of the study is to understand how well cognitive training improves reaction time in people with head and neck cancer (HNC). Aim 1. Evaluate the preliminary clinical effectiveness of a 10-week home- and video game-based SOPT on cognitive functioning and driving performance in HNC survivors. This study will include completing five questionnaires and simulated driving in a simulator at two different times, 10 weeks of participating in 2 sessions per week of video-game cognitive training at home and being interviewed once at the end of the 10-week training.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

If participants agree to participate in the study by signing the informed consent, participants will be randomly assigned (similar to flipping a coin) to one of the two video game cognitive exercise groups. The only difference between these two groups is the intensity of training on reaction time to video game events.

participants will complete questionnaires (socio-demographic information, four short cognitive assessments) and a driving assessment using a high-fidelity motion-based virtual reality driving simulator in the UAB Driver Simulation Lab at baseline. After completing the baseline cognitive and driving evaluations, participants will receive an electronic tablet loaded with access to the assigned video game program and a workbook with instructions and explanations. A staff member will assist participants in logging in, demonstrate the video game cognitive exercises, and show participants how to play a trial game session.

At home, participants will complete 30-minute video game-based cognitive exercises twice weekly for 10 weeks (20 sessions, totaling 10 hours). The software will automatically record the actual session duration. One week after the baseline appointment, the staff will contact participants to address any technical problems. The staff will then contact participants monthly to monitor progress and answer study-related questions.

After the 10-week video game cognitive exercise program, participants will be invited to the UAB Driver Simulation Lab to complete the four short cognitive assessments and a driving assessment as participants did 10 weeks ago.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

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 Contact

  • Name: Hon Yuen
  • Phone Number: 12059346301
  • Email: yuen@uab.edu

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

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

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • confirmed HNC diagnosis
  • aged ≥ 18 years of all racial, ethnic, and sex/gender categories
  • ≥ 6 months post radiation or chemoradiation
  • self-reported CRCI, defined as a score of ≥ 60 in the FACT-Cog Perceived Cognitive Impairment subscale
  • thyroid-stimulating hormone levels within normal limits
  • visual acuity of at least 20/40 using a Snellen eye chart
  • functional peripheral vision as indicated by the confrontation field test
  • functional hearing sufficient to engage in daily conversation in English for ≥ 15 minutes
  • intact lower extremity function (Rapid Pace Walk test ≤ 9 sec)
  • stable home internet
  • sufficient English proficiency to read and understand informed consent materials

Exclusion Criteria:

  • significant neurologic or psychiatric comorbidities, including psychotic disorders, bipolar disorders, Alzheimer's disease or related dementias, developmental disorders, seizure disorders, vestibular disorders, prior brain tumor or brain surgery, or poorly controlled metabolic disease
  • current use of antipsychotic or mood-stabilizing medications due to potential effects on driving performance
  • anticipated life expectancy of < 6 months based on physician prognosis.

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: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Speed of Processing Training
The training is the game-based cognitive exercises that involve the speed and accuracy of visual information processing and enhance divided attention between central and peripheral stimuli and among peripheral stimuli when distractors are present.
The training is the game-based cognitive exercises that involve the speed and accuracy of visual information processing and enhance divided attention between central and peripheral stimuli and among peripheral stimuli when distractors are present.
Sham Comparator: Home-Based Sham Training
The sham condition includes five interactive video game activities that are self-paced, non-adaptive, and not designed to affect processing speed.
The sham condition includes five interactive video game activities that are self-paced, non-adaptive, and not designed to affect processing speed.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Useful Field of View
Time Frame: change from baseline in speed of processing at 10 weeks
Useful Field of View (UFOV) examines visual attention and memory that require rapid recognition and response to simultaneous demands in both the central and peripheral visual fields. The test consists of four increasingly complex subtests. In each subtest, stimulus presentations ranging from 17-500 milliseconds are displayed to determine the speed at which visual information is processed. In each subtest, a double staircase method is used to determine the presentation speed at which participants correctly complete the task 75% of the time. Lower scores (fewer milliseconds to correctly perceive the target) reflect faster SOP.
change from baseline in speed of processing at 10 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Hon Yuen, University of Alabama at Birmingham

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 (Estimated)

September 3, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 26, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 29, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

July 31, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 31, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 29, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IRB-300017007
  • UAB (Other Identifier: UAB)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Adhering to laws like HIPAA or GDPR, which strictly prohibit the unauthorize distribution of personally identifiable information

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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