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Alzheimer DiseaseNCT06444841

Paper-Based and Smartphone-Based Memory Supports

A study testing Digital - Google Calendar and Paper-based - Memory Support System in people with Alzheimer Disease and Dementia, Mild, run by Baylor University at 3 sites in United States.

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

Alzheimer's disease and related dementias lead to marked declines in daily functioning, independence, and quality of life. One of the earliest cognitive changes in these conditions is impairment in prospective memory, or the ability to remember future intentions such as taking medications at a given time. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 50 years and older
What is being tested?
Digital - Google Calendar and Paper-based - Memory Support System
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
200 participants
Where
3 sitesUnited States
Study dates
27 Jun 2024to 30 Sep 2028
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 50 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Demonstrate capacity to consent via structured interview that involves reviewing core study features and probing for understanding of potential benefits/consequences of participating, and understanding that one can withdraw consent at any point, or availability to obtain surrogate consent.
  • Clinical features consistent with a diagnosis of MCI or dementia. For clinic-referred participants, available records will be reviewed to ensure the clinical diagnosis meets published diagnostic guidelines. If there is not sufficient documentation for diagnostic purposes, then semi-structured clinical interview and cognitive screening (see below) will be reviewed by clinical staff.
  • Cognitive status for inclusion will be assessed by Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores of 17-25 (or 12-18 for the telephone version if in-clinic assessment is not feasible). While some studies suggested that these ranges are appropriate across diverse groups, recent work indicates that adjustment of 1-2 points for different demographics improves instrument sensitivity in disadvantaged groups. The latter approach will be taken.
  • Functional status will be assessed via semi-structured interview with the Global Deterioration Scale (GDS), with stage 3 or 4 indicating independence in basic self-maintenance activities.
  • Adequate sensory and motor abilities to utilize a smartphone with accommodation.
  • Availability of a co-participant who sees the participant at least once a month.
  • Co-Participant Inclusion Criteria:
  • The co-participant will need to be over the age of 18, consent to participation, and see the participant at least once per month.

Who cannot join

  • History of serious mental illness including schizophrenia or bipolar disorder that is judged by the clinician to be the primary cause of cognitive decline.
  • Indication of moderate or severe dementia based on clinical documentation, MoCA score, and/or collateral/informant activities of daily living measure during the screening process (GDS score ≥5).
  • Language difficulties significant enough to interfere with the screening procedures.
  • Uncorrected hearing loss, vision loss, or motor dysfunction significant enough to interfere with training.
  • No study partner.
  • At the current time, individuals who do not identify as conversational in English will be excluded from participation.
Show all 9Show fewer
  • Co-Participant Exclusion Criteria:
  • Sees participant less than once per month.
  • At the current time, individuals who do not identify as conversational in English will be excluded from participation.

Trial locations and contacts

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

United States3 sites, 3 recruiting
  • UT Health Austin Comprehensive Memory Center

    Austin, Texas, 78712

    Jared Benge, PhD, 512-495-5285, jared.benge@austin.utexas.edu

    Recruiting
  • Baylor Scott & White Healthcare

    Temple, Texas, 76508

    Michael Scullin

    Not yet recruiting
  • Baylor University

    Waco, Texas, 76798

    Michael Scullin

    Recruiting

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Smartphone-Based Solutions for Prospective Memory in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia

Alzheimer's disease and related dementias lead to marked declines in daily functioning, independence, and quality of life. One of the earliest cognitive changes in these conditions is impairment in prospective memory, or the ability to remember future intentions such as taking medications at a given time. Prior intervention studies that targeted prospective memory used mnemonic strategies or cognitive training, but these approaches resulted in modest gains in clinical populations. By contrast, a Stage I pilot trial indicated that smartphone-based memory aids (reminder apps) can be accepted and used by persons with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia to improve both subjective and objective prospective memory performance. The investigators will now test for efficacy, durability, and generalizability of benefits across diverse samples in a Stage II randomized controlled trial. Some 200 participants with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia will be recruited, half of whom will be from digitally-disadvantaged backgrounds (low socioeconomic status, rural, or historically underrepresented groups). Participants will complete baseline assessments and then be randomly assigned to a smartphone reminder app intervention or an active control condition that uses a paper- based memory support system. Across a 4-week intervention period, participants will complete patient-selected and experimenter-assigned prospective memory assessments and receive booster training sessions to promote self-efficacy with the intervention/control system. Durability of effects will be assessed at 3-month and 6-month follow-up sessions. As a secondary aim, study partners will be simultaneously enrolled to collect informant ratings, track how much study partners assist the participants, and determine whether improving prospective memory in patients improves quality of life in study partners (e.g., by reducing the double to-do list burden of remembering for themselves and for care recipients). As a third aim, the investigators will identify barriers and facilitators to smartphone interventions in digitally-disadvantaged individuals who have historically been underrepresented in technology and dementia research.

Being tested
Digital - Google Calendar, Paper-based - Memory Support System
Medical subject headings
Alzheimer Disease, Dementia, Lymphoma, Follicular, Cognitive Dysfunction

What participants receive

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

  • Digital - Google CalendarBehavioural

    Digital calendar apps allow one to digitally "off-load" intentions either by typing them or by speaking them (speech-to-text voice-dictation capabilities). In addition, they deliver automated reminders to perform intended tasks, either at a single time (e.g., Monday at 9 am) or at recurring times (e.g., every night at 8 pm).

  • Paper-based - Memory Support SystemBehavioural

    The Memory Support System is an established paper-based solution for prospective memory functioning. There is considerable evidence in the literature for its utility in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and it has face validity to patients as supporting memory.

Study groups in NCT06444841
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Smartphone-based appExperimentalParticipants will use Google Calendar, an off-the-shelf app that is free and user-friendly, to provide reminders on their smartphone to perform prospective memory tasks at the appropriate time. In the current study, participants will offload their personal and experimentally assigned tasks into the digital calendar with reminders enabled.
Receives: Behavioral: Digital - Google Calendar
Paper-based notebookActive comparatorParticipants will use a Memory Support System, which is an established paper-based calendar and note taking system that can fit into one's pocket. In the current study they will use the system to offload personal and experimentally assigned tasks and notes into the schedule, to-do list, and journal sections of the notebook.
Receives: Behavioral: Paper-based - Memory Support System

What is being measured

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

  1. Objective Prospective Memory Performance

    Participants will need to remember to call the study phone number at both 1) regular times each week (set at baseline for the entire study duration), and 2) irregular times each week (experimenter-assigned times that change).

    Measured: Measured for 6 months

  2. Patient-Centered/Patient-Selected Prospective Memory Performance

    Based on the goal attainment scaling framework; via a structured interview at baseline, the participant and study partner will identify 5-10 activities from the participant's daily routine that require frequent use of prospective memory. At follow-up sessions, participants rate the degree to which each of these personal activities improved or worsened.

    Measured: Measured for 6 months

  3. Caregiving-Related Quality of Life

    Co-participants will complete the Direct Impact of Care (Scales Measuring the Impact of Dementia on Carers - Direct Impact) scale. This scale has 18 items to which the co-participant respond Agree or Disagree, with Agree responses indicating a greater impact of the care they provide on their own lives.

    Measured: Measured for 6 months

Secondary outcomes (19)
  1. Caregiving Cognitive Burden

    The Cognitive Burden of Caregiving Scale (CBCS) is a 14 item scale assessing cognitive burden associated with caregiving, strategy use independence and assistance, and time preoccupation. Items are responded to on a 1-7 likert scale (max score of 98) with higher scores indicating greater cognitive burden.

    Measured: Measured for 6 months

  2. Calendar Use

    Total number of entries for the digital or paper calendar

    Measured: Measured for 6 months

  3. Montreal Cognitive Assessment

    Participants will complete the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), a rapid screening assessment to help detect mild cognitive impairment in numerous cognitive domains (attention and concentration, executive functions, memory, language, visuoconstructional skills, conceptual thinking, calculations, and orientation). Scores range from 0 to 30, with lower scores indicating worse outcomes.

    Measured: Measured during screening and at 6 months

  4. Smartphone Use - Screen Time

    Participants in the digital condition will provide their total minutes of screen time from their phone's settings.

    Measured: Measured for 6 months

  5. Smartphone Use - Notifications

    Participants in the digital condition will provide the total number of notifications they received, found in their phone's settings.

    Measured: Measured for 6 months

  6. Smartphone Use - Pickups

    Participants in the digital condition will provide the total number of pickups/unlocks of their phone, found in their phone's settings.

    Measured: Measured for 6 months

  7. Smartphone Use - Apps

    Participants in the digital condition will provide their most used apps, found in their phone's settings.

    Measured: Measured for 6 months

  8. Smartphone Use - Google Calendar

    Participants in the digital condition will provide the total amount of time they spent using Google Calendar, found in their phone's settings.

    Measured: Measured for 6 months

  9. Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire - Subjective Memory Functioning

    The 21-item Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire uses a 5-point scale ran to assess the frequency of retrospective and prospective memory failures, such as forgetting to take a pill.

    Measured: Measured for 6 months

  10. Modified Functional Activities Questionnaire

    Co-Participants will complete a modified instrumental activities of daily living scale to assess participants' ability to independently complete activities of daily living, such as preparing meals or making purchases with analog and digital approaches. The 6-point scale ranges from Normal to Dependent and includes Not Applicable/Unknown response options, with greater scores indicating a greater need of assistance.

    Measured: Measured for 6 months

  11. Neuro-QoL - Depression

    Participants will complete the Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders (Neuro-QOL) subscale for depression. The subscale has 8 items that are rated from Never to Always. The subscale total score range from 8 (minimum) to 40 (maximum), with lower scores indicating better outcomes.

    Measured: Measured for 6 months

  12. Insomnia Severity Index

    The 7-item Insomnia Severity Index asks participants to rate the severity of both nighttime and daytime components of their insomnia, with higher scores indicating worse outcomes.

    Measured: Measured for 6 months

  13. Everyday Cognition

    The Everyday Cognition (ECOG-12) questionnaire uses a 5-point scale to assess the participant's ability to perform certain everyday tasks, such as remembering the current date, rated from "I perform the task much worse than 10 years ago" to "There has been no change in my ability compared to 10 years ago."

    Measured: Measured for 6 months

  14. General Life Satisfaction

    The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Toolbox General Life Satisfaction questionnaire uses a 7-point scale to assess participants' sense of fulfillment with their lives, with lower scores indicating greater life satisfaction.

    Measured: Measured for 6 months

  15. Coping Self-Efficacy

    The Coping Self-Efficacy questionnaire uses an 11-point scale - ranging from 0, cannot do at all, to 10, certain can do - assessing the participant's confidence in solving personal or emotional problems.

    Measured: Measured for 6 months

  16. Follow-Up Qualitative Interview

    Study personnel will conduct semi-structured qualitative interviews with dyads to determine the most helpful, challenging, interesting, and important themes from their experience using their memory strategy.

    Measured: Measured at 6 months

  17. Training/Booster Duration

    Number of minutes to complete smartphone/memory notebook training

    Measured: Measured for 1 month (throughout intervention period)

  18. Self Reported Memory Strategy Use

    Self report scale of frequency of using different memory strategies ranging from Never to All the Time, with greater scores indicating more frequent calendar and journal use.

    Measured: Measured for 6 months

  19. Self Reported Current Treatments

    Self report usage of pharmacological, cognitive, and group therapies.

    Measured: Measured for 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 posted6 Jun 2024
  2. Study start27 Jun 2024
  3. Primary completion30 Sep 2028 (estimated)
  4. Study completion30 Sep 2028 (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
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
200 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06444841
Sponsor's protocol ID
STUDY00004527
Other IDs
1R01AG082783-01
Status last verified
Jul 2024
First submitted
21 May 2024
Last updated
9 Jul 2024
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: The investigators will use the repository provided by the Global Alzheimer's Association Interactive Network (GAAIN), depositing data within 9 months of publication.

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Digital - Google Calendar and Paper-based - Memory Support System in people with Alzheimer Disease and Dementia, Mild, run by Baylor University at 3 sites 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 8 inclusion and 9 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 9 Jul 2024. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 3 sites 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?

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 Michael Scullin, PhD (254-710-2251, michael_scullin@baylor.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Objective Prospective Memory Performance (time frame: Measured for 6 months). The study lists 3 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 9 Jul 2024.

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Paper-Based and Smartphone-Based Memory Supports | AzTrials