Targeted Physical and Cognitive Activity in a VR Environment - COVID-19 Protocol
Overview
- Phase
- N/A
- Intervention
- Not specified
- Conditions
- Healthy Aging
- Sponsor
- University of Southern California
- Enrollment
- 14
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Mnemonic Similarity Task for visual memory performance - discrimination index
- Status
- Completed
- Last Updated
- 5 years ago
Overview
Brief Summary
The overarching goal of this pilot clinical trial is to use a novel virtual reality (VR)-based intervention that simultaneously engages physical and cognitive activity aimed at improving brain and cognitive outcomes in older adults. Physical activity is a promising lifestyle intervention for mitigating cognitive decline or delaying onset of dementia. However, to fully leverage beneficial brain effects of physical activity, training the brain to learn and engage in a cognitively stimulating environment may be the key to enhanced brain and cognitive outcomes.
Investigators
Judy Pa
Associate Professor of Neurology
University of Southern California
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •50-85 Years Old
- •Able to Walk Without Assistance
- •Fluent in English
- •No Ferromagnetic Metal in Body
- •Able to Participate in Moderate Aerobic Physical Activity
Exclusion Criteria
- •Severe Brain Injury/ Head Trauma
- •Pacemakers or Metal Implants
- •Claustrophobia
- •Contradictions to Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)/ Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Brain Scans
- •Opposition to Blood Draws
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Mnemonic Similarity Task for visual memory performance - discrimination index
Time Frame: 12 weeks
With the study's primary focus on hippocampal function, we will use the Mnemonic Separation Task (MST), a hippocampus-dependent discrimination test of similar objects, as our primary cognitive outcome.
Magnetic Resonance Image (MRI) brain scan of hippocampal volume (cubic mm)
Time Frame: 12 weeks
The hippocampus has been shown to be a selectively vulnerable region in Alzheimer's Disease (AD), and several studies, including our own, identified a dysfunctional brain signal in the hippocampus in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) patients. We propose to examine the effects of exercise on remediating this hyperactive signal exhibited in MCI patients.