The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of administering a 20-day preoperative cognitive training intervention (Cog-Train) to a widely inclusive sample of cardiac surgical patients.
Cognitive outcomes remain poor after cardiac surgery. Data from the field of cognitive neuroscience suggests that cognitive training, which harnesses the brain's adaptive plasticity to improve, maintain, or restore function in a target area, can be used to strengthen brain resilience and improve cognitive outcomes following challenge. While its effectiveness has been demonstrated in older adults as well as in other (nonsurgical) patient populations, no training intervention like this has ever before been used in any surgical patient in the preoperative period. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of administering a 20-day cognitive training intervention (Cog-Train) to a widely inclusive sample of cardiac surgical patients before their surgery. Data obtained will be used to design a full-scale randomised controlled trial (RCT) on Cog-Train's effectiveness in improving postoperative cognitive outcomes.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
10
Twenty-one days prior to surgery, patients will begin self-administering the intervention using an iPad tablet. This intervention will consist with daily sessions of at least 20 minutes of the Cog-Train task (the task and regimen used to obtain robust effects in previous studies by members of our group). Cog-Train is an n-back task - an adaptive working memory computer game that extends players' working memory capacity by getting progressively more difficult as the player's performance increases.
Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
Training performance gain
Average increase in training task level achieved from first to last training day
Time frame: From 21 days prior to scheduled surgery to 1 day prior to scheduled surgery
Adherence to training regimen
Mean number of training days completed according to instructions
Time frame: From 21 days prior to scheduled surgery to 1 day prior to scheduled surgery
Recruitment and retention
Proportion of patients approached who can do the task and are willing to take part
Time frame: 10 weeks
Satisfaction and acceptability
Self report questionnaire
Time frame: At 1 day prior to scheduled surgery
Side-effects
Side effects and severity reported by patients and proportion of patients who reported side-effects
Time frame: From 21 days prior to scheduled surgery to up to 14 days after surgery
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