Omega 3 Oil: Aging-Related Cognitive Decline

A validated assessment for fine motor skills, the 9-HPT involves having a participant move 9 pegs individually from starting position to 9 separate peg-holes, as quickly as possible, and to immediately return the 9 pegs to the starting position upon filling the final peg-hole. This is performed separately for each hand. The score is the time (seconds/milliseconds) that it takes to complete the task, recorded separately for dominant and non-dominant hands. The minimum detectable change is 2.6 seconds for the dominant hand and 1.3 seconds for the non-dominant hand.

The MoCA evaluates frontal-executive functions (e.g., verbal abstraction and mental calculation), language (e.g., confrontation naming, phonemic fluency), orientation (e.g., person, place, date, day of the week, and time), visuospatial construction (e.g., simple figure copy), divided visual attention, and immediate and delayed memory of unstructured information. MoCA scores range from 0-30 possible points; 26 or greater is considered to reflect normal cognitive status.

The T25FW is a clinical tool that evaluates patients for quantitative mobility and leg function performance test in a timed, 25-foot walk. Scoring for this task is the average number of steps (from first step to the first heel-strike after the finish line) and time taken (seconds/milliseconds) of two trials. Minimally clinically important difference (MCID) is 20% improvement in time taken and/or number of steps taken to complete.

The T25FW is a clinical tool that evaluates patients for quantitative mobility and leg function performance test in a timed, 25-foot walk. Scoring for this task is the average number of steps (from first step to the first heel-strike after the finish line) of two trials. Minimally clinically important difference (MCID) is 20% improvement in number of steps taken to complete.

The 30-second chair stand involves recording the number of times that a person can complete a full stand in 30 seconds. This measure assesses functional lower extremity strength in older adults. The participant is instructed to complete as many full stands as possible within 30 seconds, starting in a seated position in the middle of an armless chair. The participant is instructed to fully sit between each stand. The tester silently counts the completion of each correct stand, and the score is the total number of stands within 30 seconds. The minimum clinically important difference (MCID) is 2 full stands per 30 second testing.

The Quick Dementia Rating Scale (QDRS) is an interview-based tool administered by study officials to participants' caregivers used to obtain observations from a consistent source. The QDRS form consists of 10 categorical questions (5 cognitive, 5 functional), each with 5 detailed options depicting the level of impairment as either 0 (normal), 0.5 (mild/inconsistent impairment), 1 (mild/consistent impairment), 2 (moderate impairment), or 3 (severe impairment). Based on the conversion table outlined in Dr. James Galvin's research (2015), total QDRS scores were converted to Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale levels ranging from 0 (normal aging), 0.5 (mild cognitive impairment), 1 (mild dementia), 2 (moderate dementia), and 3 (severe dementia).

GThe GRC consists of a single likert-scale ranging from "-5" (very much worse) to "0" (neutral/no change) to "5" (very much better). The GRC is obtained in an interview format to assess a patient's perceived change in status following a treatment. A score that is at least 2 or greater is considered to indicate clinically significant change.

The T25FW is a clinical tool that evaluates patients for quantitative mobility and leg function performance test in a timed, 25-foot walk. Scoring for this task is the average time to complete walk (in seconds/milliseconds) (from first step to the first heel-strike after the finish line) of two trials. Minimally clinically important difference (MCID) is 20% improvement in time taken to complete.