Interventions in Mathematics and Cognitive Skills

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Behavior; Cognitive Dysfunction; Cognitive Delay, Mild; Cognitive Abnormality; Neuroscience; Specific Learning Disorder, With Impairment in Mathematics; Behavior, Child; Neuronal Plasticity; Cognition Disorder; Cognitive Change
• Interventions: Other: Interventions in Mathematics and Cognitive Skills - Experimental; Other: Interventions in Mathematics and Cognitive Skills - Active Comparator

• Registration Number: NCT05201534
• Lead Sponsor: Stanford University

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to investigate neurocognitive mechanisms underlying response to intervention aimed at enhancing, and remediating weaknesses in, numerical skills in children, including those with mathematical learning disabilities (MLD).

Detailed Description

The purpose of this study is to investigate neurocognitive mechanisms underlying response to intervention aimed at enhancing, and remediating weaknesses in, numerical skills in children, including those with mathematical learning disabilities (MLD).

To achieve this goal, investigators will use a theoretically-motivated integrated symbolic/non-symbolic (iSNS) intervention with a randomized controlled design to enhance cross-format mapping between symbolic and nonsymbolic representations of quantities. The investigators will develop innovative computational models to investigate individual differences in latent cognitive processes and brain plasticity that contribute to learning, long-term retention, and transfer in children.

The investigators will assess performance in several areas and investigate cognitive and neural mechanisms that support numerical skill acquisition in children with differing levels of math learning abilities.

Basic Information
|
Recruitment & Eligibility
|
Study & Design
|
Trial Locations

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2022-01-07
• Study First Submitted QC: 2022-01-07
• Study First Posted: 2022-01-21
• Study Start: 2023-05-05
• Status Verified: 2024-09
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-09-26
• Last Update Posted: 2024-09-30
• Primary Completion: 2026-06-30
• Study Completion: 2026-06-30

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 180

Inclusion Criteria

1. Elementary school aged children starting from first grade (6-12 years old)
2. IQ: Participants with a Full Scale IQ > 70 on the Wechsler Abbreviated Scle of Intelligence (WASI-II).
3. Identification of Mathematical Learning Disabilities: Scores below the 35th percentile percentile on symbolic number processing test in Numeracy Screener and two or more Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-IV) math subtests
4. Identification of typically developing children: Scores at or above the 35th percentile percentile on symbolic number processing test in Numeracy Screener and all WIAT-IV math subtests
5. Normal or corrected-to-normal vision and no hearing impairments
6. Inclusion in MRI scan session: Right-handed

Read More

Exclusion Criteria

1. History of neurological or psychiatric disorder (i.e., schizophrenia, psychosis, depression, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.)
2. History of trauma involving head injury
3. Consistent psychiatric medications
4. Exclusion from MRI scan session: No major contraindication for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - braces, metal implants, pacemakers, vascular stents, metallic ear tubes, consistent exposure to metal, claustrophobia)

Read More

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Integrative Symbolic Non-Symbolic (iSNS) Training	Interventions in Mathematics and Cognitive Skills - Experimental	Integrative symbolic non-symbolic (iSNS) training: Over a period of 6 weeks, participants will complete activities that progressively strengthen the mapping of symbolic numerical representations to non-symbolic numerical quantities and enhance fluency in symbolic numerical skills.
Active Comparator: Active Control Intervention (Working Memory Training)	Interventions in Mathematics and Cognitive Skills - Active Comparator	Active control intervention: Over a period of 6 weeks, participants will complete activities that enhance short-term storage and maintenance of visuospatial or verbal information.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change from baseline in symbolic number comparison task performance (reaction time)	Baseline and post-intervention (after 6 weeks)	Performance will be measured by children's reaction time (milliseconds) on symbolic number comparison task
Change from baseline in symbolic number comparison task performance (accuracy)	Baseline and post-intervention (after 6 weeks)	Performance will be measured by children's accuracy (% trials correct) on symbolic number comparison task
Change from baseline in non-symbolic number comparison task performance (reaction time)	Baseline and post-intervention (after 6 weeks)	Performance will be measured by children's reaction time (milliseconds) on non-symbolic number comparison task
Change from baseline in non-symbolic number comparison task performance (accuracy)	Baseline and post-intervention (after 6 weeks)	Performance will be measured by children's accuracy (% trials correct) on non-symbolic number comparison task
Change from baseline in latent cognitive measures of symbolic number comparison task performance (drift rate)	Baseline and post-intervention (after 6 weeks)	Latent cognitive processing will be measured by drift rate from children's symbolic number comparison task performance
Change from baseline in latent cognitive measures of symbolic number comparison task performance (post-error adjustment)	Baseline and post-intervention (after 6 weeks)	Latent cognitive processing will be measured by post-error adjustment from children's symbolic number comparison task performance
Change from baseline in latent cognitive measures of non-symbolic number comparison task performance (drift rate)	Baseline and post-intervention (after 6 weeks)	Latent cognitive processing will be measured by drift rate from children's non-symbolic number comparison task performance
Change from baseline in latent cognitive measures of non-symbolic number comparison task performance (post-error adjustment)	Baseline and post-intervention (after 6 weeks)	Latent cognitive processing will be measured by post-error adjustment from children's non-symbolic number comparison task performance
Change from baseline in brain activation during symbolic number comparison task performance	Baseline and post-intervention (after 6 weeks)	Neural activity will be measured during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) symbolic number comparison task. Data will consist of beta values from individual subject contrast maps for Near vs Far contrast from the whole-brain GLM fMRI analysis.
Change from baseline in brain activation during non-symbolic number comparison task performance	Baseline and post-intervention (after 6 weeks)	Neural activity will be measured during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) non-symbolic number comparison task. Data will consist of beta values from individual subject contrast maps for Near vs Far contrast from the whole-brain general linear model (GLM) fMRI analysis.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change from baseline in symbolic addition task performance (reaction time)	Baseline and post-intervention (after 6 weeks)	Performance will be measured by children's reaction time (milliseconds) on symbolic addition task
Change from baseline in symbolic addition task performance (accuracy)	Baseline and post-intervention (after 6 weeks)	Performance will be measured by children's accuracy (% trials correct) on symbolic addition task

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Stanford Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience Laboratory; 🇺🇸 Palo Alto, California, United States