AgingACCTNCT04905849
Enhancing Cognitive Control Abilities Using Mobile Technology in a Senior Living Community
A study of Aging and Cognitive Change, run by University of California, San Francisco at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this study is to test the feasibility of launching a personalized digital health assessment and remediation program for the older adults in senior living communities based upon an initial characterization of these abilities. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 50 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Aging, Cognitive Change
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 12 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 1 May 2021to 1 Dec 2022
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view
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 50 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Must be living at a Senior Living Community
- have own iPad and/or smartphone,
- native-English speaker.
- Participation across a spectrum of cognitive abilities is desired for this study, specifically for older adults in a community setting.
Who cannot join
- Do not have any physical or cognitive limitations that would clearly prevent them from utilizing these applications as intended
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
The goal of this study is to test the feasibility of launching a personalized digital health assessment and remediation program for the older adults in senior living communities based upon an initial characterization of these abilities. Evidence of feasibility here using these unique methodological approaches would provide empirical evidence supporting the basis for a larger-scale implementation of such digital health technologies into less controlled senior settings.
- Conditions
- Aging, Cognitive Change
- Being tested
- Adaptive Cognitive Control Trainer (ACCT), Active Control App
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Adaptive Cognitive Control Trainer (ACCT)Behavioural
Module 1: Attention=> This module demands an active scan of the screen in search for a target, much like traditional visual search tasks. Participants quickly identify the direction that a probe target is facing (up, down, left, right), and are aided by the presence of directional cue indicating where the location of the target will appear.
Module 2: Goal Management=> Requires participants to rapidly switch their focus based on distinct rules. Participants are presented with exemplar objects along with a target, and are asked to indicate which exemplar presented is most like the target.
Module 3: Working Memory=> Engages spatial working memory resources similar to the Corsi block task. Participants memorize the location of objects on screen followed by a 5-7 second delay period, with a correct response leading to a greater number of potential targets to be memorized on the next trial (and vice versa).
Active Control AppBehavioural
The app used here is undergoing expectancy-matching at the present time, will be updated with the final app characteristics when completed out of a list of several possibilities
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Adaptive Cognitive Control Trainer (ACCT) | Experimental | There are three modules within the game, each training a different aspect of cognitive control (attention, goal management, working memory): a visual search task for attention abilities, a spatial span task for working memory, and a task switching paradigm for goal management abilities. There are also 3 different levels of difficulty associated with each module; advancing to the next level delivers an advanced challenge that enhances the difficulty in performing the given cognitive task. Participants advance to the next level of difficulty following 6 training sessions occurring over 2 weeks, with the total training experience being 6 weeks of training (3 days/week), with each training session lasting 36 minutes (not including self-paced breaks). Receives: Behavioral: Adaptive Cognitive Control Trainer (ACCT) |
| Active Control Group | Active comparator | An active control application will be used for this arm. The total training experience here will also be for 6 weeks (3 days/week), with each training session lasting ~30 minutes (not including self-paced breaks). Here an app that is matched in terms of expectancy of benefits compared to our training groups will be determined by questioning 100 naïve individuals to predict their expected improvement on each cognitive domain across a multitude of possible applications. Receives: Behavioral: Active Control App |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Number of Participants Who Attempted to Complete the Adaptive Cognitive Evaluation (ACE) From Baseline at 6 Weeks
ACE is a custom mobile cognitive health assessment battery that presents paradigms typically used in standard cognitive neuroscience laboratories. Here the investigators will assess a measure of (1) Attention and (2) Working memory in the ACE software.
Measured: At Baseline and post intervention at the 6 week mark
Secondary outcomes (3)
Mean Performance on the Everyday Cognition Scale (ECog) From Baseline at 6 Weeks
The Everyday Cognition Scale (ECog) measures the ability to perform everyday tasks that demand memory, language, visuospatial abilities, planning, organization, and divided attention. The ECog consists of a global and domain scores for each of the previously described categories, and is scored as follows: 1= better or no change compared to 10 years earlier, 2= questionable/occasionally worse compared to 10 years earlier, 3= consistently a little worse compared to 10 years earlier, 4= consistently much worse compared to 10 years earlier. Thus, the lower the overall score is on this measure at both the global and domain score level, the better one is performing with respect to their cognition.
Measured: At Baseline and post intervention at the 6 week mark
Mean Change on Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) From Baseline at 6 Weeks
The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) assesses participant distractibility. The CFQ score ranges from 0 to 100, with the lower the overall score is on this measure, the better one is performing with respect to their cognition.
Measured: At Baseline and post intervention at the 6 week mark
Mean Change on General Health and Well-being (SF-36) From Baseline at 6 Weeks
The general health and well-being (SF-36) score assesses participant health. The SF-36 score ranges from 0 to 100. The higher the overall score is on this measure, the better one is performing with respect to their health and well-being.
Measured: At Baseline and post intervention at the 6 week mark
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted28 May 2021
- Study start1 May 2021
- Primary completion1 Oct 2022
- Study completion1 Dec 2022
Why it stopped: COVID-19 pandemic prevented the participating senior centers from recruiting as originally stipulated
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Other trials for AgingStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of California, San FranciscoThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Sequential
- Masking
- Triple blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 12 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, San Francisco
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Aging (NIA)
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Joaquin Anguera, Ph.D., Principal investigator, UC San Francisco
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04905849
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- R21AG058896
- Other IDs
- R21AG058896
- Acronym
- ACCT
- Status last verified
- Jun 2025
- First submitted
- 24 May 2021
- Last updated
- 3 Jul 2025
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 3 Jul 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Enhancing Cognitive Control Abilities Using Mobile Technology in a Senior Living Community
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04905849
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- ACCT / R21AG058896
- Conditions
- Aging, Cognitive Change
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- TerminatedReason stopped: COVID-19 pandemic prevented the participating senior centers from recruiting as originally stipulated
- Enrolment
- 12 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, San FranciscoUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Aging (NIA)
- Study start
- 1 May 2021 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Oct 2022 (actual)
- Study completion
- 1 Dec 2022 (actual)
- First posted
- 28 May 2021 (actual)
- Results
- Posted 3 Jul 2025
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this study is to test the feasibility of launching a personalized digital health assessment and remediation program for the older adults in senior living communities based upon an initial characterization of these abilities. Evidence of feasibility here using these unique methodological approaches would provide empirical evidence supporting the basis for a larger-scale implementation of such digital health technologies into less controlled senior settings.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Sequential
- Masking
- Triple blind (participant, investigator, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Adaptive Cognitive Control Trainer (ACCT) | Experimental | Behavioral: Adaptive Cognitive Control Trainer (ACCT)There are three modules within the game, each training a different aspect of cognitive control (attention, goal management, working memory): a visual search task for attention abilities, a spatial span task for working memory, and a task switching paradigm for goal management abilities. There are also 3 different levels of difficulty associated with each module; advancing to the next level delivers an advanced challenge that enhances the difficulty in performing the given cognitive task. Participants advance to the next level of difficulty following 6 training sessions occurring over 2 weeks, with the total training experience being 6 weeks of training (3 days/week), with each training session lasting 36 minutes (not including self-paced breaks). |
| Active Control Group | Active comparator | Behavioral: Active Control AppAn active control application will be used for this arm. The total training experience here will also be for 6 weeks (3 days/week), with each training session lasting ~30 minutes (not including self-paced breaks). Here an app that is matched in terms of expectancy of benefits compared to our training groups will be determined by questioning 100 naïve individuals to predict their expected improvement on each cognitive domain across a multitude of possible applications. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 50 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Must be living at a Senior Living Community
- have own iPad and/or smartphone,
- native-English speaker.
- Participation across a spectrum of cognitive abilities is desired for this study, specifically for older adults in a community setting.
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Do not have any physical or cognitive limitations that would clearly prevent them from utilizing these applications as intended
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Adaptive Cognitive Control Trainer (ACCT)Module 1: Attention=> This module demands an active scan of the screen in search for a target, much like traditional visual search tasks. Participants quickly identify the direction that a probe target is facing (up, down, left, right), and are aided by the presence of directional cue indicating where the location of the target will appear. Module 2: Goal Management=> Requires participants to rapidly switch their focus based on distinct rules. Participants are presented with exemplar objects along with a target, and are asked to indicate which exemplar presented is most like the target. Module 3: Working Memory=> Engages spatial working memory resources similar to the Corsi block task. Participants memorize the location of objects on screen followed by a 5-7 second delay period, with a correct response leading to a greater number of potential targets to be memorized on the next trial (and vice versa). | Behavioural | Adaptive Cognitive Control Trainer (ACCT) |
| Active Control AppThe app used here is undergoing expectancy-matching at the present time, will be updated with the final app characteristics when completed out of a list of several possibilities | Behavioural | Active Control Group |
Primary outcome
Number of Participants Who Attempted to Complete the Adaptive Cognitive Evaluation (ACE) From Baseline at 6 Weeks
Time frame: At Baseline and post intervention at the 6 week mark
ACE is a custom mobile cognitive health assessment battery that presents paradigms typically used in standard cognitive neuroscience laboratories. Here the investigators will assess a measure of (1) Attention and (2) Working memory in the ACE software.
3 secondary outcomes
Mean Performance on the Everyday Cognition Scale (ECog) From Baseline at 6 Weeks
Time frame: At Baseline and post intervention at the 6 week mark
Mean Change on Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) From Baseline at 6 Weeks
Time frame: At Baseline and post intervention at the 6 week mark
Mean Change on General Health and Well-being (SF-36) From Baseline at 6 Weeks
Time frame: At Baseline and post intervention at the 6 week mark
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 3 Jul 2025.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
Related trials for Aging
RecruitingObservational study
Amyloid PET Imaging in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging
Aging
Not yet recruitingPhase 2
Effects of Switch to Doravirine/Islatravir vs. Continued Antiretroviral Therapy on Biomarkers of Aging Among Virologically Suppressed People With HIV
Epigenetic Aging
Not yet recruitingObservational study
China Healthy Aging and Fitness Longitudinal Study
Physical Fitness, Aging
Not yet recruiting
Effects of Different Amounts of Plyometric Exercise Without Jumping in Physically Inactive Older Adults
Sedentary Behavior / Physical Inactivity, Aging
RecruitingObservational study
Brain Activity During Complex Walking in People With Atypical Parkinsonian Syndromes
Gait Disorders, Neurologic, Atypical Parkinson Disease
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Joaquin Anguera, Ph.D. principal investigator
UC San Francisco
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study of Aging and Cognitive Change, run by University of California, San Francisco 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 4 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: stopped early, as of the sponsor's last update on 3 Jul 2025. 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?
Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 3 Jul 2025). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.
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?
Number of Participants Who Attempted to Complete the Adaptive Cognitive Evaluation (ACE) From Baseline at 6 Weeks (time frame: At Baseline and post intervention at the 6 week mark). 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 3 Jul 2025; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 27 Oct 2026.