Targeted Physical and Cognitive Activity in a VR Environment - COVID-19 Protocol
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Completed
- Enrollment
- 14
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Mnemonic Similarity Task for visual memory performance - discrimination index
Study 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.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Na
- Intervention Model
- Single Group
- Primary Purpose
- Other
- Masking
- None
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 50 Years to 85 Years (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
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
Arms & Interventions
Combined, simultaneous physical and cognitive activity
The combined physical and cognitive activity VR arm will participate in our customized spatial navigation program that increases difficulty and length per trial over time. As described in the Game Design section, each session will consist of 5 trials. The first trial will be a long-delay free recall condition from the previous day's path. The next 4 trials will consist of learning, cued recall, and free recall. This VR-based spatial navigation program has been tested in our feasibility trial for safety and tolerability in older adults.
Intervention: Physical and Cognitive Activity (Behavioral)
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.
Secondary Outcomes
No secondary outcomes reported
Investigators
Judy Pa
Associate Professor of Neurology
University of Southern California