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Lifestyle Risk ReductionEMuNINCT03382353

EMuNI Project: Multiple Nonpharmacological Interventions

A study testing Nutritional supplementation, Educational training and Counselling on a brain-healthy diet in people with Lifestyle Risk Reduction, run by IRCCS Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli at 2 sites in Italy.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

By 2030, the global prevalence of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is predicted to reach 65.7 million worldwide. Despite extensive research efforts, a cure for AD has not been identified. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 60 to 80 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Lifestyle Risk Reduction
What is being tested?
Nutritional supplementation, Educational training and Counselling on a brain-healthy diet
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
120 participants
Where
2 sitesItaly
Study dates
Jan 2016to Jun 2018
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 60 to 80 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • age between 60 and 80 years;
  • presence of memory complaints

Who cannot join

  • objective cognitive impairment on standard neuropsychological testing;
  • history of psychiatric disorders or current clinically relevant depressive or anxious symptoms;
  • pacemakers, cochlear implant, metal inserts in the head or shoulders

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 1 country.

Italy2 sites
  • IRCCS Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli

    Brescia, 25125

  • Ospedale San Raffaele

    Milan, 20132

Other trials in Italy

About this study

Official title: Efficacy of Multiple Nonpharmacological Interventions in Individuals With Subjective Memory Complaints

By 2030, the global prevalence of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is predicted to reach 65.7 million worldwide. Despite extensive research efforts, a cure for AD has not been identified. Recent studies on non-demented individuals have demonstrated the importance of a healthy lifestyle (physical exercise, healthy diet) and non pharmacological interventions (diet supplements) to delay the onset of the cognitive decline (Vemuri P et al., 2012). Given that AD is a multi-factorial disorder, some multi- component interventions at early stages could be the best strategy currently available to delay the AD onset. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of combined non-pharmacological interventions, at different levels of intensity, on cognitive performance, on basic (hippocampal, brain ventricle volumes and white matter lesions) and advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers (Resting-state Functional MRI, Probabilistic Diffusion Tensor Tractography

Read the detailed description

BACKGROUND Recent evidence showed that aerobic exercise, dietary habits and nutritional supplements consumption seem essential for maintaining good cognitive performances increasing hippocampal volume (HV) in healthy elderly people (Erickson et al., 2011; Bowman et al., 2012). Computerized cognitive trainings are effective in improving cognitive functions of healthy older adults (Lampit et al., 2014). Subjective memory complaint (SMC) individuals showed HV, white matter lesions (WML) and brain ventricle volumes (BVV) at limits of normative population (Cavedo et al., 2012) supporting the hypothesis that they are persons at risk of AD (Sperling et al., 2011). The above non-pharmacological treatments, when separately applied, do not impact on cognition and neuropathological processes of AD. On the contrary, combined treatments, in persons at risk to develop AD, could represent the first line of intervention to delay the onset of cognitive impairment.

SPECIFIC AIMS

  1. To investigate the combined effect of aerobic exercise, dietary habits, nutritional supplements, and cognitive training administered at three different levels of intensity on cognitive performance in subjective memory complaints individuals. The three different intensity levels of nonpharmacological treatments will be organized as follows: (i) No Treatment (NT) will include educational training (sham condition); (ii) Partial Treatment (PT) will include exclusively the consumption of a nutritional supplement and a training for a balanced diet; (iii) Full treatment (FT) will include all above condition plus computerized cognitive training (no sham condition) and aerobic fitness training.
  2. To investigate the effect of the above treatments (NT, PT, FT) on basic markers of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) such as HV, WML and Brain Ventricle Volume (BVV) in subjective memory complaints individuals.
  3. To investigate the effect of NT, PT and FT on advanced MRI markers such as structural brain connectivity and brain resting networks in subjective memory complaints individuals.

HYPHOTESIS AND SIGNIFICANCE An improvement in cognitive performances, basic (HV, WML, BVV) and advanced (structural brain connectivity and brain resting networks) MRI markers will be expected in FT group compared to NT group. Moreover, the investigators hypothesize an effect dependent of the number of combined treatments, thus the PT group is expected to show intermediate results (among NT and FT groups) in the cognitive performances, basic and advanced MRI markers previously described.

Being tested
Nutritional supplementation, Educational training, Counselling on a brain-healthy diet, Physical exercise training, Computerized cognitive training
Keywords
primary prevention, Subjective Cognitive Decline, Neuroimaging, Alzheimer's disease, nonpharmacological interventions, multidomain lifestyle interventions
Medical subject headings
Risk Reduction Behavior, Alzheimer Disease

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Nutritional supplementationDietary supplement

    Daily consumption of Tramiprosate (100 mg) for 1 year

  • Educational trainingBehavioural

    16 educational lessons (twice a week): basic principles of different cognitive domains (e.g. memory, attention, perception) and educational DVD viewing.

  • Counselling on a brain-healthy dietBehavioural

    4 lessons on the principles of Mediterranean Diet lead by a nutritionist, aimed to teach how to include brain-healthy foods in daily diet (e.g. antioxidant, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins). Each participant will receive the educational material presented.

  • Physical exercise trainingBehavioural

    80 sessions of physical exercise supervised by a Fitness Training Expert with the aim of achieving 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week

  • Computerized cognitive trainingBehavioural

    16 cognitive training sessions (twice a week) supervised by a psychologist, aimed to improve Attention, Processing speed, Memory, Social skills and Intelligence using BrainHQ (www.brainhq.com).

Study groups in NCT03382353
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
No Treatment (NT)Active comparatorEducational training
Receives: Behavioral: Educational training
Partial Treatment (PT)ExperimentalNutritional supplementation \& Counselling on a brain-healthy diet
Receives: Dietary Supplement: Nutritional supplementation; Behavioral: Counselling on a brain-healthy diet
Full Treatment (FT)ExperimentalNutritional supplementation \& Counselling on a brain-healthy diet \& Physical exercise training \& Computerized cognitive training
Receives: Dietary Supplement: Nutritional supplementation; Behavioral: Counselling on a brain-healthy diet; Behavioral: Physical exercise training; Behavioral: Computerized cognitive training

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Cognitive functions

    Neuropsychological test performances

    Measured: 12 months

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Basic imaging marker 1

    Hippocampal volumes

    Measured: 12 months

  2. Basic imaging marker 2

    White matter hyperintensities volumes

    Measured: 12 months

  3. Basic imaging marker 3

    Brain ventricle volumes

    Measured: 12 months

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted22 Dec 2017
  2. Study startJan 2016
  3. Primary completionJun 2017
  4. Study completionJun 2018

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
120 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03382353
Sponsor's protocol ID
GR-2011-02350494
Acronym
EMuNI
Status last verified
Sep 2021
First submitted
9 Dec 2017
Last updated
14 Sep 2021
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Undecided

Publications

  • Bowman GL, Silbert LC, Howieson D, Dodge HH, Traber MG, Frei B, Kaye JA, Shannon J, Quinn JF. Nutrient biomarker patterns, cognitive function, and MRI measures of brain aging. Neurology. 2012 Jan 24;78(4):241-9. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e3182436598. Epub 2011 Dec 28.

    PubMed 22205763
  • Cavedo E, Galluzzi S, Pievani M, Boccardi M, Frisoni GB. Norms for imaging markers of brain reserve. J Alzheimers Dis. 2012;31(3):623-33. doi: 10.3233/JAD-2012-111817.

    PubMed 22672878
  • Erickson KI, Voss MW, Prakash RS, Basak C, Szabo A, Chaddock L, Kim JS, Heo S, Alves H, White SM, Wojcicki TR, Mailey E, Vieira VJ, Martin SA, Pence BD, Woods JA, McAuley E, Kramer AF. Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Feb 15;108(7):3017-22. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1015950108. Epub 2011 Jan 31.

    PubMed 21282661
  • Lampit A, Hallock H, Valenzuela M. Computerized cognitive training in cognitively healthy older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of effect modifiers. PLoS Med. 2014 Nov 18;11(11):e1001756. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001756. eCollection 2014 Nov.

    PubMed 25405755
  • Sperling RA, Aisen PS, Beckett LA, Bennett DA, Craft S, Fagan AM, Iwatsubo T, Jack CR Jr, Kaye J, Montine TJ, Park DC, Reiman EM, Rowe CC, Siemers E, Stern Y, Yaffe K, Carrillo MC, Thies B, Morrison-Bogorad M, Wagster MV, Phelps CH. Toward defining the preclinical stages of Alzheimer's disease: recommendations from the National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer's Association workgroups on diagnostic guidelines for Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimers Dement. 2011 May;7(3):280-92. doi: 10.1016/j.jalz.2011.03.003. Epub 2011 Apr 21.

    PubMed 21514248
  • Vemuri P, Lesnick TG, Przybelski SA, Knopman DS, Roberts RO, Lowe VJ, Kantarci K, Senjem ML, Gunter JL, Boeve BF, Petersen RC, Jack CR Jr. Effect of lifestyle activities on Alzheimer disease biomarkers and cognition. Ann Neurol. 2012 Nov;72(5):730-8. doi: 10.1002/ana.23665.

    PubMed 23280791
  • Rolandi E, Dodich A, Mandelli S, Canessa N, Ferrari C, Ribaldi F, Munaretto G, Ambrosi C, Gasparotti R, Violi D, Iannaccone S, Marcone A, Falini A, Frisoni GB, Galluzzi S, Cerami C, Cavedo E. Targeting brain health in subjective cognitive decline: insights from a multidomain randomized controlled trial. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2025 May 14;37(1):151. doi: 10.1007/s40520-025-03062-z.

    PubMed 40366507

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Nutritional supplementation, Educational training and Counselling on a brain-healthy diet in people with Lifestyle Risk Reduction, run by IRCCS Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli at 2 sites in Italy.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 14 Sep 2021. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites in Italy. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Cognitive functions (time frame: 12 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03382353, which also lists 7 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 14 Sep 2021.

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