Background: Dementia is a debilitating and devastating disease impacting the individuals, their families, and the health care system. According to the World Health Organization the dementia epidemic could overwhelm the global health care system and undermine social and economic development. Currently, no curative treatment for dementia exists despite immense research activity. The cognitive and functional impairment in dementia, especially Alzheimer's disease (AD), develop slowly decades before clinical signs emerge. This knowledge has led to the recognition of a prodromal period of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), between normal cognition and dementia. This is at present the earliest stage for intervention in dementia; even a short delay in dementia progression will have a large impact on global economy and health care. Objectives: In this clinical multicenter study, we aim to investigate the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of working memory training in MCI. To identify high responders to training analysis of genetic markers, relative's stress and craniospinal clearance will be performed. Participants and methods: This study is a blinded, randomized and controlled trail that will include 213 participants, diagnosed with MCI, included from five Norwegian Memory clinics in four health care regions. The groups will be randomized to either two training periods, one training period or active control. The intervention is computerized working memory training. Neuropsychological status, activities of daily living (ADL), and relative stress and quality of life will be assessed at baseline and 3, 6, 12 ,24 and 48 months after training. Structural MRI will be performed at baseline, and 3 and 6 months after training. For participants in the REACT MCI glymphatics substudy craniospinal clearance will be measured at baseline. A cost-utility analysis will be performed to evaluate if the working memory training is more cost-effective compared to the active control group in the MCI phase, taking a societal perspective.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
205
COGMED RM program (Pearson Inc., UK)
Solitaire
Sørlandet Sykehus Arendal
Arendal, Norway
NKS Olaviken Alderspsykiatriske sykehus - Hukommelsesklinikk
Bergen, Norway
N.K.S. Kløveråsen
Bodø, Norway
Oslo Universitetssykehus Ullevål
Oslo, Norway
St. Olavs Hospital
Trondheim, Norway
Working memory training is superior to active control measured by spatial span backwards at 6 months
Time frame: From enrollment until 6 months
Reduced function in the glymphatic system is associated with reduced working memory training effect measured by CT evaluated craniospinal clearance
Craniospinal clearance will be evaluated with a single CT image scan at level with the foramen magnum.
Time frame: Enrollment to 12 months
Working memory training impact quality of life measure in the participants as compared to active control measured by EuroQOL5D-5L after 12 months.
Time frame: Enrollment to12 months
Working memory training prolongs the MCI phase as compared to active controls
We consider the participants as having dementia when they no longer rapport intact activities of daily living and in addition display reduction of 1.5 standard deviation on test score on two tests on three or more cognitive domains.
Time frame: Enrollment to 48 months
The effect of working memory training is dose related measured by spatial span backwards after 6 months
Time frame: Enrollment to 6 months
Allelic variations in predefined genetic markes influence training effects after 3 months measured by spatial span backwards.
Allelic variations of LMX1a, APOE, AQP4 and/or COMT have in previous publications shown variable impact on working memory training. A statistical model combining these genes will be fitted for this investigation
Time frame: Enrollment to 3 months
Workin memory training reduces relatives stress scores as compared to relatives stress scores in the active control group after 12 months
Relatives stress score (RSS) is a validated scale measuring the stress for relatives
Time frame: Enrollment to 12 months
Working memory training reduces QALY associated cost as compared to active controls at 24 months.
The generic outcome in the analysis is QALYs (Quality adjusted life years) derived from the instrument EQ-5D 5L. The second outcome is production loss of the relatives and patients associated with MCI through the progression of dementia The health economic analysis will include following costs: 1) intervention related costs 2) direct costs/health care costs, mainly related to use of health care services, including primary, secondary and tertiary care and health services 3) indirect costs, including work absence for the patients and the relatives of the patients (i.e., productivity loss). Data will be collected through a self-report measures (EQ-5D 5L), and from the Norwegian patient registry.
Time frame: Enrollment to 24 months
Working memory training reduces QALY associated cost as compared to active controls at 48 months.
The generic outcome in the analysis is QALYs (Quality adjusted life years) derived from the instrument EQ-5D 5L. The second outcome is production loss of the relatives and patients associated with MCI through the progression of dementia The health economic analysis will include following costs: 1) intervention related costs 2) direct costs/health care costs, mainly related to use of health care services, including primary, secondary and tertiary care and health services 3) indirect costs, including work absence for the patients and the relatives of the patients (i.e., productivity loss). Data will be collected through a self-report measures (EQ-5D 5L), and from the Norwegian patient registry.
Time frame: enrollment to 48 months
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