Robot-assisted Cognitive Training for Lonely Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)

N/AUnknownNCT04051918

University of Georgia50 enrolled

Overview

This study will use a socially assistive robot to deliver cognitive training in the form of a music (piano) learning intervention to socially isolated older adults with mild cognitive impairment.

Cognitive training has been shown in past research to improve cognitive function in older adults with and without mild cognitive impairment. Music learning has been previously shown to be a particularly effective form of cognitive training: in addition to the cognitive demands of learning notation, hand positioning, coordination and timing, those who engage in music learning also benefit from emotional connection to the music and social engagement with a music teacher. Not all older adults are able to access music lessons. Older adults who are homebound, live in rural areas and do not have access to reliable transportation (or a monthly income with sufficient funds for recurring payments for lessons) are unlikely to be able to access these benefits. Socially assistive robots that can deliver both education and companionship on an ongoing basis within the home environment may be a viable solution to these limitations. The purpose of this study is to deliver cognitive training in the form of a music (piano) learning intervention to older adults who are socially isolated, and who may be able to benefit from the cognitive training aspects of the intervention. A socially assistive robot will deliver the intervention.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Cognitive Change Cognitive Impairment, Mild Aging

Interventions

Piano TrainingBEHAVIORAL

Cognitive training via music learning

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 65 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Be able to speak, read and write in English with a high degree of fluency * Cumulative music learning experience \< 3 years * Able to sit upright for two hours at a time * Able to see images on a screen at a distance of approximately 20 inches * Must have independent transportation to and from the Institute of Gerontology, weekly, for 27 weeks * No hearing impairment beyond what is correctable via hearing aid * Must have a safe location in the home to store and use an 88-key keyboard + stand and piano bench * No more than mildly cognitively impaired: global deterioration scale no higher than 2-3; Clinical Dementia Rating Scale no higher than 0.5 (sum of boxes) * Must have a close companion, family member or loved one who can attend the first and last visit * Must be capable of providing informed consent (based on responses to questions on study purpose, tasks, benefits, incentives and risks). * Must have a computer or tablet that is connected to broadband internet, to be used three times over the course of the study * Must have access to an e-mail account that can be checked three times during the study Exclusion criteria: * No previous diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or related dementias * No condition that limits movement of the hands or fingers

Locations (1)

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Verbal Memory Test

Correct hits + Correct passes + Correct hits after 30-minute delay + Correct passes after 30-minute delay; higher score is better; items remembered from a word list that also contains distractors

Time frame: 6-months

Visual Memory Test

Correct hits + Correct passes + Correct hits after 30-minute delay + Correct passes after 30-minute delay; higher score is better; images remembered from an image list that also contains distractors

Time frame: 6-months

Non-Verbal Reasoning Test

correct responses - commission errors; higher score is better

Time frame: 6-months

Shifting Attention Test

correct responses - errors; higher is better

Time frame: 6-months

Stroop Test

\[Simple RT \< (Complex RT Correct \*0.1)+Complex RT Correct\] AND \[Complex RT Correct \< ( Stroop RT Correct \*0.1)+Stroop RT Correct\] AND (Complex Correct \> Complex Errors) AND (Stroop Correct \> Stroop Errors)

Time frame: 6-months

Continuous Performance Test

CPT Correct Responses \>= 30 AND CPT Correct Responses \> CPT Commission Errors

Time frame: 6-months

Symbol Digit Coding Test

SDC Correct Responses \>= 20 AND Correct Responses \> Errors

Time frame: 6-months

Secondary Outcomes

Technology Acceptance - TAM3

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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