NCT05396586

Understanding Individual Differences in Working Memory Training and Transfer in Older Adults

Completed NA Last updated 12 March 2025

What this trial tests

NA trial testing N-back in Cognitive Change in 313 participants. Completed in 5 March 2025.

Timeline

17 March 2022

Primary endpoint
5 March 2025

5 March 2025

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	Northeastern University
Phase	NA
Status	Completed
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	crossover
Masking	double
Primary purpose	basic science
Enrollment	313
Start date	17 March 2022
Primary completion	5 March 2025
Estimated completion	5 March 2025
Sites	2 locations across United States

Drugs / interventions tested

• N-back
• Span
• Multisensory

Conditions studied

• Cognitive Change — all drugs for Cognitive Change →

Sponsor

Northeastern University

Who can join

Adults 50 to 85, any sex, with Cognitive Change. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

The present study investigates how individual differences in cognitive processing contribute to the efficacy of working memory training programs in an older adult population. In a randomized crossover design, different types of working memory training interventions will be evaluated within the same participants.

Adding game-like elements to working memory training programs can increase motivation and engagement, which can increase learning. However this process, termed gamification, adds sensory complexity that can lead to increased mental load and/or distraction in older adults. Investigators hypothesize that gamification of training tasks will be beneficial to some and counterproductive to other participants. The investigators will test two models; the first assumes that participants with difficulty inhibiting distracting information will show better learning and transfer when assigned to non-gamified training, whereas those with more distractor tolerance will show better learning and transfer when assigned to gamified training. The second model states that the outcomes of the intervention will be better predicted by performance on measures of general cognitive ability.

In a separate study, the investigators will compare working memory training that contains rich, multisensory information with a training program that contains only visual information. Here they will also test two models; the first assumes that participants with difficulty binding two stimulus streams will show better learning and transfer when assigned to visual-only working memory training, whereas participants who do not have this difficulty will show better learning and transfer when assigned to multisensory working memory training. The second model states that the outcomes of the intervention will be better predicted by performance on measures of general cognitive ability.

Publications & conference data

No peer-reviewed publications indexed yet for this trial. Completed trials usually publish results within 12-18 months.