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Postoperative Cognitive DeclineINCORENCT04493996

Increasing Preoperative Cognitive Reserve to Prevent Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction in Cardiac Surgical Patients

A study testing Cognitive training in people with Postoperative Cognitive Decline and Postoperative Delirium, run by Heart and Brain Research Group, Germany at 1 site in Germany.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

Postoperative delirium (POD) and postoperative cognitive decline (POCD) can be observed after cardiosurgical interventions. Taken together, these postoperative neurocognitive dysfunctions contribute to increased morbidity and mortality and higher economic costs. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
What is being tested?
Cognitive training
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
100 participants
Where
1 siteGermany
Study dates
14 Aug 2020to Mar 2026
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

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 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Elective cardiac surgery (coronary artery bypass surgery, aortic or mitral valve replacement/reconstruction, or combination surgery) with standardized extracorporeal circulation
  • A sufficiently good knowledge of German is necessary as cognitive training and neuropsychological tests are language-dependent

Who cannot join

  • History of stroke and preexisting psychiatric or neurological disorders that may impair the neuropsychological performance

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Marius Butz, Dipl.-Psych. contact

+496032 996 5812

m.butz@kerckhoff-klinik.de

Martin Jünemann, Dr.med,M.Sc. contact

+49641 98558917

Martin.Juenemann@neuro.med.uni-giessen.de

Germany1 site, 1 recruiting
  • Department of Cardiac Surgery, Kerckhoff-Klinik GmbH

    Bad Nauheim, 61231

    Marius Butz, +496032 996 5812, m.butz@kerckhoff-klinik.de

    Recruiting

Other trials in Germany

About this study

Official title: Increasing Preoperative Cognitive Reserve to Prevent Postoperative Delirium and Postoperative Cognitive Decline in Cardiac Surgical Patients. A Randomized Controlled Trial on Cognitive Training

Postoperative delirium (POD) and postoperative cognitive decline (POCD) can be observed after cardiosurgical interventions. Taken together, these postoperative neurocognitive dysfunctions contribute to increased morbidity and mortality and higher economic costs. Preoperative risk factors of postoperative neurocognitive dysfunctions, such as decreased neuropsychometric performance or decreased cognitive daily activities, can be interpreted as reduced cognitive reserve. The aim of this study is to build up cognitive reserves to protect against the development of POD and POCD through preoperative, home-based, cognitive training.

Read the detailed description

The planned research project is a monocentric, 2-arm randomized controlled intervention study involving 100 patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery with extracorporeal circulation. Patients will be assigned to a training group or control group. The intervention involves a standardized, paper-and-pencil-based cognitive training that will be performed by the patients at home for approximately 40 minutes per day over a preoperative period of 2-3 weeks. The control group will receive neither cognitive training nor a placebo intervention. A detailed assessment of psychological functions will be performed approximately 2-3 weeks before the start of training, at the end of the training, during hospitalization, at discharge from the acute clinic, and 3 months after surgery. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the interventional effect of preoperative cognitive training on the incidence of POD during the stay in the acute clinic, the incidence of POCD at the time of discharge from the acute clinic, and 3 months after surgery. Secondary objectives are to determine the training effect on objective cognitive functions before the surgery and subjective cognitive functions, as well as health-related quality of life 3 months after surgery.

Being tested
Cognitive training
Keywords
Cardiac Surgery, Postoperative Cognitive Decline, Postoperative Delirium, Cognitive Training, Cognitive Reserve, Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction
Medical subject headings
Postoperative Cognitive Complications, Emergence Delirium

What participants receive

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

  • Cognitive trainingBehavioural

    The cognitive training involves a standardized, paper-and-pencil-based cognitive training that will be performed by the patients at home for approximately 40 minutes per day over a preoperative period of 2-3 weeks

Study groups in NCT04493996
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Cognitive training groupExperimentalNot described
Receives: Behavioral: Cognitive training
Control groupNo interventionNot described

What is being measured

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

  1. Number of participants with postoperative cognitive decline at 3 months after surgery, defined as a decrease between pre- and postoperative examinations of one standard deviation in at least 20% of all objective neuropsychological parameters

    The objective neuropsychological parameters measure cognitive domains like Immediate memory span, free recall, recognition memory, selective attention, working memory, inhibition and word fluency. These cognitive domains will be measured with the following instruments: "Verbaler Lern- und Merkfähigkeitstest" (VLMT), "Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised" (BVMT-R), "Trail Making Test A/B" (TMT), "Letter Number Span Test" (LNS), "Regensburger Wortflüssigkeits-Test" (RWT), and "Syndrom-Kurz Test" (SKT-7).

    Measured: Immediately pre-training to 3 month post-surgery

  2. Number of participants with postoperative cognitive decline at the time of discharge from the acute clinic, defined as a decrease between the pre- and postoperative examinations of one standard deviation measured with the "Montreal Cognitive Assessment"

    The "Montreal Cognitive Assessment" (MOCA) is a screening procedure for general cognitive function.

    Measured: Immediately pre-training to approximately 1 week post-surgery

  3. Number of participants with postoperative delirium during the stay in the intensive care unit as assessed using the "Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist" (ICDSC)

    Postoperative delirium is defined as the occurrence of at least one delirious episode during a stay in the intensive care unit. The "Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist" (ICDSC) record the clinical symptoms of consciousness, attention, orientation, hallucinations, psychomotor retardation or agitation, speech, and changing symptoms by observing behavior and asking concrete questions to the patient.

    Measured: Immediately post-surgery to approximately 1-2 days post-surgery

  4. Number of participants with postoperative delirium during the stay on normal ward as assessed using the "Confusion Assessment Method" (3D-CAM)

    Postoperative delirium is defined as the occurrence of at least one delirious episode during a stay in an intensive care unit or normal ward. The "Confusion Assessment Method" (3D-CAM) record the clinical symptoms of consciousness, attention, orientation, hallucinations, psychomotor retardation or agitation, speech, and changing symptoms by observing behavior and asking concrete questions to the patient.

    Measured: Approximately 1 week (Immediately post-intensive care unit to approximately 1 week post-intensive care unit)

Secondary outcomes (13)
  1. Change from baseline cognitive failures in everyday life at 3 months after surgery as assessed using the "Cognitive Failures Questionnaire" (CFQ)

    The "Cognitive Failures Questionnaire" (CFQ) measure the frequency of failures in daily living in terms of memory, attention, action, and perception.

    Measured: Immediately pre-training to 3 month post-surgery

  2. Change from baseline health-related quality of life at 3 months after surgery as assessed using the "36-Item Short Form Health Survey" (SF36)

    The "36-Item Short Form Health Survey" (SF36) includes 36 questions covering 8 health-related factors: vitality, physical functioning, bodily pain, general health perception, physical role function, emotional role function, social role functioning, and mental health.

    Measured: Immediately pre-training to 3 month post-surgery

  3. Change from baseline visual immediate memory span at the end of cognitive training as assessed using the "Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised" (BVMT-R)

    In the "Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised" (BVMT-R), the patient is shown six geometric figures for 10 seconds on a DIN A4 sheet of paper, which are to be drawn directly afterward. This procedure is repeated with the same figures in a total of three learning trials. The figures are to be freely replicated in a time-delayed episode with following recognition help.

    Measured: Immediately pre-training to approximately 2-3 weeks post-training

  4. Change from baseline visual free recall at the end of cognitive training as assessed using the "Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised" (BVMT-R)

    In the "Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised" (BVMT-R), the patient is shown six geometric figures for 10 seconds on a DIN A4 sheet of paper, which are to be drawn directly afterward. This procedure is repeated with the same figures in a total of three learning trials. The figures are to be freely replicated in a time-delayed episode with following recognition help.

    Measured: Immediately pre-training to approximately 2-3 weeks post-training

  5. Change from baseline visual recognition memory at the end of cognitive training as assessed using the "Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised" (BVMT-R)

    In the "Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised" (BVMT-R), the patient is shown six geometric figures for 10 seconds on a DIN A4 sheet of paper, which are to be drawn directly afterward. This procedure is repeated with the same figures in a total of three learning trials. The figures are to be freely replicated in a time-delayed episode with following recognition help.

    Measured: Immediately pre-training to approximately 2-3 weeks post-training

  6. Change from baseline verbal immediate memory span at the end of cognitive training as assessed using the "Verbaler Lern- und Merkfähigkeitstest" (VLMT)

    In the "Verbaler Lern- und Merkfähigkeitstest" (VLMT), a list of words is learned over five learning trials, which, after a interference word list, is to be remembered directly and with a delay of about 20 minutes. With subsequent recognition help, the verbal discrimination ability is measured.

    Measured: Immediately pre-training to approximately 2-3 weeks post-training

  7. Change from baseline verbal free recall at the end of cognitive training as assessed using the "Verbaler Lern- und Merkfähigkeitstest" (VLMT)

    In the "Verbaler Lern- und Merkfähigkeitstest" (VLMT), a list of words is learned over five learning trials, which, after a interference word list, is to be remembered directly and with a delay of about 20 minutes. With subsequent recognition help, the verbal discrimination ability is measured.

    Measured: Immediately pre-training to approximately 2-3 weeks post-training

  8. Change from baseline verbal recognition memory at the end of cognitive training as assessed using the "Verbaler Lern- und Merkfähigkeitstest" (VLMT)

    In the "Verbaler Lern- und Merkfähigkeitstest" (VLMT), a list of words is learned over five learning trials, which, after a interference word list, is to be remembered directly and with a delay of about 20 minutes. With subsequent recognition help, the verbal discrimination ability is measured.

    Measured: Immediately pre-training to approximately 2-3 weeks post-training

  9. Change from baseline selective attention at the end of cognitive training as assessed using the "Trail Making Test A" (TMT)

    In the "Trail Making Test A" (TMT-A), the patient has to connect numbers in ascending order on a test sheet as fast as possible.

    Measured: Immediately pre-training to approximately 2-3 weeks post-training

  10. Change from baseline verbal working memory at the end of cognitive training as assessed using the "Letter Number Span Test" (LNS)

    In the "Letter Number Span Test" (LNS), the patient is supposed to rearrange a mixed sequence of letters and numbers through mental reorganization in such a way that first all numbers and then all letters are to be named in ascending order.

    Measured: Immediately pre-training to approximately 2-3 weeks post-training

  11. Change from baseline cognitive flexibility at the end of cognitive training as assessed using the "Trail Making Test B" (TMT)

    With the "Trail Making Test B" (TMT-B), the patient's task is to connect numbers and letters alternately in ascending order.

    Measured: Immediately pre-training to approximately 2-3 weeks post-training

  12. Change from baseline inhibition at the end of cognitive training as assessed using the "Syndrom-Kurz Test" (SKT-7)

    In the "Syndrom-Kurz Test" (SKT-7), the patient has to rename a series of letters (e.g., "A" instead of "B," and vice versa).

    Measured: Immediately pre-training to approximately 2-3 weeks post-training

  13. Change from baseline word fluency at the end of cognitive training as assessed using the "Regensburger Wortflüssigkeits-Test" (RWT)

    In the "Regensburger Wortflüssigkeits-Test" (RWT), the patient has to name in one minute as many words as possible from a certain category.

    Measured: Immediately pre-training to approximately 2-3 weeks post-training

Timeline

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

  1. First posted31 Jul 2020
  2. Study start14 Aug 2020
  3. Primary completionMar 2026 (estimated)
  4. Study completionMar 2026 (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
Prevention
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
100 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04493996
Sponsor's protocol ID
48/20
Acronym
INCORE
Status last verified
Feb 2026
First submitted
21 Jul 2020
Last updated
17 Feb 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Cognitive training in people with Postoperative Cognitive Decline and Postoperative Delirium, run by Heart and Brain Research Group, Germany at 1 site in Germany.

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 1 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 17 Feb 2026. 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 Germany. 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?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

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

Contact Marius Butz, Dipl.-Psych. (+496032 996 5812, m.butz@kerckhoff-klinik.de), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Number of participants with postoperative cognitive decline at 3 months after surgery, defined as a decrease between pre- and postoperative examinations of one standard deviation in at least 20% of all objective neuropsychological parameters (time frame: Immediately pre-training to 3 month post-surgery). The study lists 4 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 17 Feb 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 27 Oct 2026.

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