Executive Function Intervention for Children With Complex Congenital Heart Disease (E-Fit Heart)
2026年7月2日 更新者：Bea Latal
Executive Function Intervention for Children With Complex Congenital Heart Disease: A Randomised Control Study
Children with complex congenital heart disease (cCHD) nowadays survive thanks to medical advances into their teenage years and adulthood. However, many of them have difficulties with so-called executive functions. These include skills such as paying attention, planning, self-control, and flexible thinking, which are very important for school, daily life, and becoming independent. These difficulties are linked to changes in the brain and to a higher level of stress. Previous computer-based training programs on their own have either not been very effective, or the effects were lost soon after.
In this study, the researchers are testing a newly developed, personalized training program called E-Fit. It combines digital cognitive training, individualized online strategy coaching and analog games. The goal is to find out whether this program can improve executive functions in everyday life for 9-to 13-year-old children with complex congenital heart disease.
The study is planed as a randomized controlled trial at the University Children's Hospital Zurich. Children will be assigned either to the training group or to a control group. In addition, the results will be compared with those of a group of healthy children of the same age. The children will visit the University Children's Hospital Zurich three times throughout the whole duration of the study. The first visit will take place before the children start the intervention, the second visit right after the children finished the intervention and the last visit will be 3 months after finishing the intervention. During all these visits neuropsychological assessments, questionnaires, brains scans (MRI) and stress measurements will be collected.
The results are intended to help develop effective support programs for these children, improve their well-being, and better prepare them for transition into adulthood.
研究概览
研究类型
介入性
注册 (估计的)
160
阶段
- 不适用
联系人和位置
本节提供了进行研究的人员的详细联系信息，以及有关进行该研究的地点的信息。
学习联系方式
- 姓名：Prof. Dr. med. Bea Latal
- 电话号码：+41 44 249 63 95
- 邮箱：bea.latal@kispi.uzh.ch
研究联系人备份
- 姓名：Prof. Dr. Ruth O'Gorman Tuura
- 邮箱：ruth.tuura@kispi.uzh.ch
学习地点
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Canton of Zurich
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Zurich、Canton of Zurich、瑞士、8008
- University Children's Hosptial Zurich
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接触：
- Prof. Dr. Ruth O'Gorman Tuura
- 邮箱：ruth.tuura@kispi.uzh.ch
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接触：
- Prof. Dr. med Bea Latal
- 电话号码：+41 44 249 63 95
- 邮箱：bea.latal@kispi.uzh.ch
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参与标准
研究人员寻找符合特定描述的人，称为资格标准。这些标准的一些例子是一个人的一般健康状况或先前的治疗。
资格标准
适合学习的年龄
- 孩子
接受健康志愿者
是的
描述
Inclusion Criteria:
- Children with CHD: Born with CHD; Underwent cardiopulmonary bypass surgery before the age of one; Children with a genetic disorder or syndromal disorder will be included, if standardized IQ testing with WISC-V can be conducted, and self-rated questionnaires can be filled in; Aged 9 years 0 months to 13 years 11 months (at time of recruitment); Oral informed consent by potential participants (all ages) and parents, as well as written informed consent of parents; EF deficits showing in screening (BRIEF-score ≥ 60)
- Healthy Controls: Aged 9 years 0 months to 13 years 11 months (at time of recruitment); Oral informed consent by potential participants (all ages) and parents, as well as written informed consent of parents
Exclusion Criteria:
- Children with CHD: Heart surgery without cardiopulmonary bypass; Children with known large cerebral lesions or injuries, including stroke and severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy with significant neurological sequelae; Insufficient German language skills of the child and parent(s); Attending a separative special educational school (Separative Sonderschulung)
- Healthy Controls: preterm birth (<36 weeks of gestation); diagnosed with a neurological or substantial developmental disorder (e.g., learning disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism spectrum disorder); Insufficient German language skills of the child and parent(s); Attending a separative special educational school (Separative Sonderschulung)
学习计划
本节提供研究计划的详细信息，包括研究的设计方式和研究的衡量标准。
研究是如何设计的？
设计细节
- 主要用途：其他
- 分配：随机化
- 介入模型：并行分配
- 屏蔽：单身的
武器和干预
参与者组/臂 |
干预/治疗 |
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实验性的：Congenital Heart Disease Children Intervention Group
The children in the intervention group will participate in the 12-week long E-Fit intervention to enhance their executive functions.
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The E-Fit Intervention lasts a total of 12 weeks and consists of three parts: strategy coaching, computerized training, and a analog games. For the strategy coaching, the children meet once a week with a member of the study team. During these sessions, they discuss challenges from their everyday lives and work together to find solutions and develop helpful strategies. In the computerized training, the children train three times per week for 20 minutes each time. The games are designed to improve executive functions including working memory, cognitive flexibility, planning and inhibition. In addition, families receive card or board games. They can decide for themselves whether and how often they play these games at home. There are also three coaching sessions with parents, addressing the discussed strategies, as well as challenges faced by children with cCHD. Optionally, teachers will receive an eLearning course. |
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无干预：Congenital Heart Disease Children Control Group
Children in this group will fill in daily activity logs during the 12 week period.
After data collection they will get access to a delayed E-Fit Intervention.
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无干预：Healthy Control Group
Children in this group will fill in daily activity logs during the 12 week period.
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研究衡量的是什么？
主要结果指标
结果测量 |
措施说明 |
大体时间 |
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Changes in executive functions in everyday life from pre-intervention to post-intervention
大体时间：Screening, 3 months
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The primary outcome measure will be assessed at the pre-intervention and post-intervention visit with the Behavior Rating Inventory for Executive Function (BRIEF)
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Screening, 3 months
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次要结果测量
结果测量 |
措施说明 |
大体时间 |
|---|---|---|
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Persisting effects of the E-Fit intervention on executive functions in everyday life, 3 months after the post-intervention visit.
大体时间：Screening, 3 months, 6 months
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The outcome measure will be assessed at each timepoint throughout the study with the Behavior Rating Inventory for Executive Function (BRIEF)
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Screening, 3 months, 6 months
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Resting-state functional connectivity
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Functional connectivity measures using resting state fMRI
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Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Task-based fMRI activation during executive function tasks
大体时间：Baseline
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Brain activity during executive function tasks assessing working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility.
Group differences between children with cCHD and healthy controls will be assessed.
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Baseline
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Training-related changes in task-based fMRI activation
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Change in task-related brain activity from baseline (T0) to post-intervention (T1) and follow-up (T2) following the E-Fit intervention.
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Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Multi-shell diffusion-tensor imaging
大体时间：3 months
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White matter microstructural integrity, neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging assessed using multi-shell diffusion MRI metrics
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3 months
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Myelin Mapping with multiparametric MRI
大体时间：6 months
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Quantitative MRI-derived measures of brain myelination and tissue composition using a relaxometry MRI sequence
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6 months
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Color Word Interference Test (D-KEFS)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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The Color-Word Interference Test from the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) assesses executive functions including processing speed, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility.
Participants complete color naming, word reading, inhibition, and inhibition/switching tasks.
Outcome measures include completion times and errors across conditions.
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Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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Alertness (TAP)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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The Alertness subtest of the Test Battery for Attention Performance (TAP) assesses basic attention and alertness.
Participants respond as quickly as possible to visual stimuli.
Outcome measures include reaction times and reaction time variability.
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Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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Go/No-Go (TAP)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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The TAP Go/No-Go subtest assesses inhibitory control and selective attention.
Participants respond to target stimuli while withholding responses to predefined non-target stimuli.
Outcome measures include reaction times, omission errors, and commission errors.
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Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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Tower Test (D-KEFS)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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The D-KEFS Tower Test assesses planning, problem solving, rule learning, and goal-directed behavior.
Participants move discs across pegs to reproduce predefined tower configurations while following specific rules.
Outcome measures include achievement scores, completion time, and rule violations.
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Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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Trail Making Test (D-KEFS)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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The Trail Making Test from the D-KEFS assesses cognitive flexibility, visual scanning, sequencing, and set-shifting abilities.
Participants connect numbers and letters according to task-specific rules.
Outcome measures include completion time and errors.
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Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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Regensburger Word Fluency Test (RWT)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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The Regensburger Word Fluency Test (RWT) assesses verbal fluency and cognitive flexibility.
The test includes phonemic fluency, semantic fluency, and category-switching conditions.
Participants generate words according to phonemic or semantic criteria and alternate between semantic categories under time constraints.
Outcome measures include the number of correct responses and switching performance.
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Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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Digit Span Backward (WISC-V)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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The Digit Span Backward subtest of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition (WISC-V) assesses verbal working memory.
Participants repeat sequences of numbers in reverse order.
Outcome measures are based on the number of correctly recalled sequences.
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Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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Number-Letter Sequencing (WISC-V)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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The WISC-V Number-Letter Sequencing subtest assesses working memory and mental manipulation of information.
Participants reorder mixed sequences of numbers and letters according to predefined rules.
Outcome measures are based on the number of correctly recalled sequences.
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Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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The Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) assesses risk-taking behavior and decision-making under uncertainty.
Participants inflate a virtual balloon to earn points while balancing potential rewards against the risk of losing accumulated points if the balloon explodes.
Outcome measures include average adjusted pumps and total points earned.
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Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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Design Fluency Test (D-KEFS)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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The Design Fluency Test from the D-KEFS assesses nonverbal fluency, cognitive flexibility, and visual creativity.
Participants generate as many unique designs as possible while following specific task rules.
Outcome measures include the number of correct designs and errors.
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Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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Coding (WISC-V)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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The WISC-V Coding subtest assesses processing speed.
Participants rapidly match symbols to numbers according to a predefined key within a limited time period.
Outcome measures are based on the number of correctly completed items.
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Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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Symbol Search (WISC-V)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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The WISC-V Symbol Search subtest assesses processing speed and visual discrimination.
Participants determine whether target symbols are present among a set of search symbols within a limited time period.
Outcome measures are based on the number of correct responses.
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Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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Digit Span Forward (WISC-V)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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The WISC-V Digit Span Forward subtest assesses auditory attention and immediate verbal recall.
Participants repeat sequences of numbers in the same order as presented.
Outcome measures are based on the number of correctly recalled sequences.
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Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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Pegboard & Beads Task (Zürcher Neuromotorik II)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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The Pegboard & Beads Task from Zürcher Neuromotorik II assesses fine motor skills.
Participants complete tasks requiring precise hand and finger movements.
Outcome measures are based on task performance and completion time.
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Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
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Stress assess by hair cortisol concentrations
大体时间：Baseline, 6 months
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Physiological stress assessed by cortisol concentration measured in 3 cm hair samples
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Baseline, 6 months
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Stress measures using heart rate variability during MRI acquisition
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Stress assessed by heart rate variability derived from pulse oximetry recordings acquired during MRI data collection
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Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Behavior Rating Inventory for Executive Function (BRIEF)
大体时间：3 months, 6 months (follow-up)
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Assesses executive functions in the home environment.
This questionnaire assesses 8 dimensions of behaviour: Inhibitory control, shift, emotional control, initiate, working memory (WM), planning, organization of materials and monitor.
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3 months, 6 months (follow-up)
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Family Relationship Index (FRI)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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The FRI is a self-report measure for parents that provides an overall index of the quality of the family environment, as well as subscores that reflect family cohesion, expressiveness, and conflict.
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Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Short Form-12 (SF-12)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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The SF-12 is a self-report measure for parents that assesses quality of life (QoL) and provides two summary scores, with higher scores indicating higher QoL.
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Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Kidscreen-27
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Assesses the subjective health and well-being of the child from the perspective of a parent.
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Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Kidscreen-10
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Assesses the subjective health and well-being of the child from his/her own perspective.
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Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-18)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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A self-report measure for adults to assess mental health.
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Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Parenting Stress Index (PSI-4)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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The German version of the Parenting Stress Index (PSI-4).
A self-report measure for adults to assess stress.
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Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Questionnaire for assessing stress and stress coping abilities of children and adolescents (SSKJ 3-8R)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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A self-report questionnaire that assesses stress and stress coping abilities of children and adolescents.
Assessment of subscales stress vulnerability and the stress symptoms and well-being will be done, with higher scores indicating higher stress vulnerability and stress symptoms and well-being.
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Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Resilience Scale (RS-13)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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A self-report for adults that measures a global score for resilience, with a higher score indicating higher resilience.
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Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Resilience scale for children aged 7-10 years (RS-GS)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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A self-report questionnaire that assesses resilience of children aged 7-10 years.
Higher scores indicate higher resilience.
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Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Resilience scale for adolescents (RS-J)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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A self-report questionnaire that assesses resilience of adolescents aged 10-18 years.
Higher scores indicate higher resilience.
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Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Questionnaire assessing personal and social resources of children and adolescents (FRKJ 8-16)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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A self-report questionnaire that assesses personal and social resources of children and adolescents.
Subscales assessed being self-efficacy and self-esteem.
Higher scores indicate better resources.
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Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Conners-3 Parent Short form (Conners 3-P(S))
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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A proxy-questionnaire for children, filled in by their parents that assesses their child's behavior.
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Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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A self-report questionnaire for adults to assess anxiety and depression, mainly anxiety.
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Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL 6-18R)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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A proxy-questionnaire completed by the parents for their child.
The anxious/depressed subscale (CBCL-A/D) will be used to assess symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Higher scores indicate higher anxiety and depression
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Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Youth Self Report (YSR 11-18R)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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A self-report questionnaire completed by the child to assess symptoms of anxiety and depression with the anxious/depressed subscale (YSR-A/D).
Higher scores indicate higher anxiety and depression.
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Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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A self-report questionnaire for adults that assesses depression.
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Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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A proxy-questionnaire filled in by parents for their child.
The SRS assesses social impairment in children.
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Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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A proxy-questionnaire completed by the parents for their child.
The CSHQ assesses sleep quality with 8 subscales regarding sleep habits, sleep problems and fatigue.
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Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale (PDSS)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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A self-report questionnaire for children and assesses sleepiness and fatigue.
Higher scores indicate more acute daytime sleepiness.
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Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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International Trauma Questionnaire for children and adolescents (ITQ-CA)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Available as a self-report questionnaire for children and adolescents and a proxy-report questionnaire for caregivers.
Caregivers will be completing the questionnaire for their children.
The ITQ-CA assesses trauma and trauma related problems.
A higher total score indicates higher trauma related load.
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Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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Pubertal Development Scale (PDS)
大体时间：Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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A self-report questionnaire for children to assess puberty status.
Calculation of an overall gender specific pubertal development score will be done.
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Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
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合作者和调查者
在这里您可以找到参与这项研究的人员和组织。
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研究记录日期
这些日期跟踪向 ClinicalTrials.gov 提交研究记录和摘要结果的进度。研究记录和报告的结果由国家医学图书馆 (NLM) 审查，以确保它们在发布到公共网站之前符合特定的质量控制标准。
研究主要日期
学习开始 (估计的)
2026年8月1日
初级完成 (估计的)
2030年12月1日
研究完成 (估计的)
2030年12月1日
研究注册日期
首次提交
2026年6月11日
首先提交符合 QC 标准的
2026年7月2日
首次发布 (实际的)
2026年7月9日
研究记录更新
最后更新发布 (实际的)
2026年7月9日
上次提交的符合 QC 标准的更新
2026年7月2日
最后验证
2026年7月1日
更多信息
此信息直接从 clinicaltrials.gov 网站检索，没有任何更改。如果您有任何更改、删除或更新研究详细信息的请求，请联系 register@clinicaltrials.gov. clinicaltrials.gov 上实施更改，我们的网站上也会自动更新.