NCT05602220

Heart Rate and Breathing Effects on Attention and Memory

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 91 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Southern California · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 50 Years – 70 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

In the current study, we will examine how daily paced breathing affects plasma amyloid beta levels and the rate of learning in older adults. Healthy adults aged 50-70 who meet all eligibility criteria will be invited to this study. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the two conditions: 1) Daily memory and attention training followed by a paced breathing protocol designed to increase relaxation or 2) Daily memory and attention training followed by a paced breathing protocol to increase alertness. Participants will be asked to complete pre and post intervention cognitive testing online, engage in 10 weeks of daily brain training (starting Week 2) and 9 weeks of paced breathing (starting Week 3) at home. They will also be asked to come in for lab visits on Weeks 2, 7 and 12 to provide blood and urine samples to assess amyloid beta levels and to complete magnetic resonance imaging scans to assess perivascular space volume.

Conditions

• Aging
• Alzheimer Disease
• Age-related Cognitive Decline

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Brain training	Participants will play a few brain training games using an online interface each day. These games train attention, memory and other cognitive functions.
BEHAVIORAL	Paced breathing	After completing brain training, they will then immediately do one 15-minute session of paced breathing, followed by a second 15-min session of paced breathing later in the day. During the paced breathing sessions, participants will clip a pulse monitor to their ear lobe and try to inhale and exhale in synchrony with a ball that moves up and down on the screen. They will receive heart rate biofeedback regarding whether they are achieving their relaxation/alertness goal.

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-01-11
• Primary completion: 2023-11-06
• Completion: 2023-11-13
• First posted: 2022-11-02
• Last updated: 2026-01-09
• Results posted: 2026-01-09

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States