CompletedNot Applicable

Efficacy, Transfer, and Neuro-functional Basis of a Memory Training Targeting Episodic Retrieval in Older Adults.

Canada51 participantsStarted 2023-09-22

Plain-language summary

Aging leads to cognitive changes that affect memory, particularly episodic retrieval. These impairments are detrimental to seniors' quality of life. Cognitive trainings are of great interest to the scientific community because they improve cognition in older people, and produce structural and functional changes likely to provide neuroprotection. Identifying the brain changes induced by cognitive training could therefore provide a better understanding of the neuroplastic processes of the aging brain. Some training programs aim to improve key processes underlying cognitive functioning to lead to transfer, but these most often target working memory or processing speed. Our aim is to understand the brain changes associated with a training program targeting episodic retrieval, and likely to engage a core network for memory, including the anterior hippocampus. 60 healthy older adults will be randomly divided into two groups; one receiving a training based on the Episodic Specificity Induction (ESI) - a manipulation based on a well-established police interviewing technique thought to target and facilitate episodic construction; the other receiving a control training consisting of recalling pairs of words and images. Before and after training, behavioural and brain measures will be taken. Behavioural measures will be taken during recall, recognition, and problem solving tasks. These tasks will be completed once in the ESI condition (after one ESI) and once in the NoESI condition (after a general thoughts interview). Measures of brain activation as well as static and dynamic functional connectivity (SFC \& DFC) will be taken using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during a recognition task. For behavioural measures, higher pre-training performance should be observed in the ESI than in the NoESI condition, and pre-to-post-training improvement should be observed only after the ESI training, especially in the NoESI condition. For brain measures, ESI training should decrease activation of the task network targeted by training, reflecting an increase in efficiency. ESI training should also increase the SFC of the task network and reduce its connectivity with the cognitive control network, suggesting more automated processing. Finally, ESI training should increase DFC by increasing the speed of transition between the networks associated with the two phases of episodic retrieval: the construction phase and the elaboration phase.

Who can participate

Age range

60 Years – 85 Years

Sex

ALL

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AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.

Inclusion Criteria: * French-speaking * Right-handed * Sufficient visual and auditory acuity to undergo neuropsychological tests and to do the interventions. * Sufficient delayed recall score above the education-adjusted cut-offs (≥9 for 16+ years of education; ≥5 for 8-15 years of education; ≥3 for 0-7 years of education) at the Logical Memory test (Wechsler Memory Scale, maximum score 25). Exclusion Criteria: * A score bellow the education-adjusted cut-offs at the MoCA ( \<24 for \>12 years of education; \<23 for = or \<12 years of education) * Answer 'Yes' to the two following questions: "Do you feel like your memory is becoming worse?" "Does this worry you?" (to exclude subjective cognitive decline). * The presence of a disease or injury of the central nervous system: moderate to severe chronic static leukoencephalopathy (including previous traumatic injury), multiple sclerosis, a serious developmental handicap, subdural hematoma (past or current), subarachnoid haemorrhage (past or current), primary cerebral tumour or cerebral metastases, epilepsy (current), dementia or another neurodegenerative disease, and other rarer brain illnesses. * Symptomatic stroke within the previous year. * Alcoholism or substance abuse * History of intracranial surgery. * Major surgery within last 2 months. * General anesthesia in the past 6 months. * Serious comorbid condition that, in the opinion of the study investigator, is likely to result in death within a year. * Major depression or …

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What they're measuring

Changes in the number of correct specific detail recall (nearest transfer outcome)

Timeframe: In the week preceding the start of the intervention (PRE) both in the ESI and the NoESI condition; In the week of the last intervention session (POST) both in the ESI and the NoESI condition

Trial details

NCT IDNCT06110234

SponsorCentre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Geriatrie de Montreal

Sponsor typeOTHER

Study typeINTERVENTIONAL

Primary completion2024-02-29

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