NCT02632604

Computerized Cognitive Training for the Elderly

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 150 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 60 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of a neuroplasticity-based computerized cognitive training for the elderly

Detailed description

Cognitive impairments are prominent features of aging and are mostly characterized by memory difficulties. Neuroplasticity based computerized cognitive trainings have been emerging for the last two decades and are an attempt to help the elderly population with their impairments. The aim of this study is to perform a computerized cognitive training to improve attention, concentration, learning, and quality of life in elderly participants. The investigators are interested in testing the differential efficacy between a bottom-up to top-down versus a top-down to bottom-up computerized cognitive training. The investigators will conduct a 40 hours computerized, adaptable, cognitive training program in participants 60 years of age and above. Participants will come for 1 hour, daily, and perform a bottom-up to top-down or top-down to bottom-up training, or control games for about 2 months. Bottom-up to top-down and top-down to bottom-up exercises are chosen to target cognitive domains such as divided and selective attention, short-term and working memory, orientation skills and social cognition. Cognitive and emotional data will be collected before the training, half way through, and after the training, to assess progress in several aspects of their functioning. The investigators hypothesize bottom-up to top-down and top-down to bottom-up trainings will be effective as compared to the control games. They also expect that bottom-up to top-down training to be more efficient compared to top-down to bottom-up training because the first targets more basic cognitive functions which then allows triggering higher cognitive functions, reaching optimal cognitive performance levels more rapidly, where as the second may start with a too high demand on cognitive functions, which may compromise participants ability to reach optimal levels of cognitive performance as fast as the first type of training, if they do not have the "bottom-up lever" first. The investigators also hypothesize that both trainings will improve quality of life.

Conditions

• Aging

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Computerized cognitive training	40 hours of a computerized cognitive training, given 1 hour daily
BEHAVIORAL	Computer games

Timeline

• Start date: 2014-01-01
• Primary completion: 2018-12-01
• Completion: 2019-12-01
• First posted: 2015-12-16
• Last updated: 2018-01-17

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Brazil