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Cognitive ChangeMCINCT04051918

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

A study testing Piano Training in people with Cognitive Change and Cognitive Impairment, Mild, run by University of Georgia at 1 site in United States.

Unknown status

Status not confirmed. The sponsor has not verified this record for over two years, so it may be out of date.

Official record
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Trial summary

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. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 65 years and older
What is being tested?
Piano Training
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
50 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
7 Oct 2021to 31 Aug 2023
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 65 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • 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
Show all 12Show fewer
  • 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

Who cannot join

  • No previous diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or related dementias
  • No condition that limits movement of the hands or fingers

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • University of Georgia

    Athens, Georgia, 30602

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Robot-Assisted Cognitive Training for Socially Isolated Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment

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.

Read the detailed description

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.

Being tested
Piano Training
Keywords
cognitive training, socially assistive robotics, music learning
Medical subject headings
Cognitive Dysfunction

What participants receive

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

  • Piano TrainingBehavioural

    Cognitive training via music learning

Study groups in NCT04051918
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Socially Assistive Robot InterventionExperimentalPiano training intervention led by a semi-autonomous socially assistive robot
Receives: Behavioral: Piano Training
Content Only InterventionActive comparatorPiano training intervention using the same curriculum displayed on a computer monitor, without the socially assistive robot tutor.
Receives: Behavioral: Piano Training

What is being measured

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

  1. 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

    Measured: 6-months

  2. 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

    Measured: 6-months

  3. Non-Verbal Reasoning Test

    correct responses - commission errors; higher score is better

    Measured: 6-months

  4. Shifting Attention Test

    correct responses - errors; higher is better

    Measured: 6-months

  5. 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)

    Measured: 6-months

  6. Continuous Performance Test

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

    Measured: 6-months

  7. Symbol Digit Coding Test

    SDC Correct Responses >= 20 AND Correct Responses > Errors

    Measured: 6-months

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Technology Acceptance - TAM3

    higher sore = greater acceptance

    Measured: 6-months

  2. DeJong Loneliness Scale

    Higher scores indicate more severe loneliness

    Measured: 6-months

  3. NASA TLX

    Measures workload; higher score = more work

    Measured: 6-months

Timeline

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

  1. First posted9 Aug 2019
  2. Study start7 Oct 2021
  3. Primary completion31 Aug 2023 (estimated)
  4. Study completion31 Aug 2023 (estimated)

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
Basic science
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Single group
Model description
Older adults with mild cognitive impairment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
50 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04051918
Sponsor's protocol ID
PROJECT00000940
Acronym
MCI
Status last verified
Nov 2022
First submitted
8 Aug 2019
Last updated
2 Nov 2022
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No: IPD will not be shared with researchers outside of the study site.

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Piano Training in people with Cognitive Change and Cognitive Impairment, Mild, run by University of Georgia at 1 site in United States.

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 12 inclusion and 2 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: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 2 Nov 2022. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. 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?

Results are not available in the source record.

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?

Verbal Memory Test (time frame: 6-months). The study lists 7 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
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 2 Nov 2022.

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