Feasibility StudyNCT06645652
Visual Arts Interventions With Older Adults
A study testing Training in observational drawing and Arts engagement through digital galleries in people with Feasibility Study, run by Northeastern University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The present study investigates the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of a novel visual arts-based intervention in an older adult population. In a randomized controlled design, two arts-based interventions will be evaluated with a group of 40 participants. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 55 to 85 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Feasibility Study
- What is being tested?
- Training in observational drawing and Arts engagement through digital galleries
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 40 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 1 Oct 2025to 30 Sep 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 55 to 85 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- 55-85 years of age
- Able to understand and speak English and follow study procedures
- Does not have a psychological or neurological condition that would prevent from being able to give consent to participate
Who cannot join
- Formal diagnosis of dementia or other neurological disease, including Mild Cognitive Impairment
- Abnormal visual acuity prohibitive of tablet-based training
- Physical handicap (motor or perceptual) that would impede training procedures
- Medical illness requiring treatment and/or significant absences during the study timeline
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts, 02115
About this study
Official title: Feasibility and Preliminary Effects of a Drawing-based Intervention on Cognition and Wellbeing of Community-Dwelling Adults at Risk for ADRD
The present study investigates the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of a novel visual arts-based intervention in an older adult population. In a randomized controlled design, two arts-based interventions will be evaluated with a group of 40 participants.
Read the detailed description
A two-arm randomized controlled study will be conducted to obtain within-group ratings of feasibility and acceptability, as well as between-group differences in drawing skills after training. In the drawing intervention, participants will learn and train drawing skills through exercises that target attention, perception, and visuospatial reasoning. In the active control condition, participants will navigate virtual art galleries. Both interventions will be completed remotely and at home. Participants will complete in-lab assessment sessions before and after the training.
Each intervention consists of 6 weeks of training for up to 2 hours a week, including up to 1 hour of a self-guided lesson and prompted daily drawing practice adding up to 1 hour in the drawing intervention and 2 1-hour sessions of virtual gallery exploring per week in the arts appreciation intervention. The pre-test is administered within one week of the start of training and the post-test is administered within one week of training completion.
- Conditions
- Feasibility Study
- Being tested
- Training in observational drawing, Arts engagement through digital galleries
- Keywords
- Cognition, Perception, Aged, Healthy Volunteers, Learning
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Training in observational drawingBehavioural
- Learning about and practicing drawing from observation with training adding up to 2 hours a week
- Documenting progress and reflection writing
Arts engagement through digital galleriesBehavioural
- 6 weeks of online gallery browsing based on different topics
- 2 hours of weekly activities consist of reading and navigating technology
- Reflection writing
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Participatory Arts | Experimental | Participants will develop drawing skills through learning specific techniques and deliberately engaging cognitive domains such as perception, visuospatial reasoning, attention, and processing speed. The intervention is completed in a hybrid format where lessons are completed online and practice is completed in a sketchbook and drawing things from life. Prompts are provided to guide daily practice sessions. Techniques learned include contour drawing, gesture drawing, negative space drawing. Receives: Behavioral: Training in observational drawing |
| Receptive Arts | Active comparator | Participants will learn about different art periods and browse online galleries. The materials will be available online through a website through which participants will access and browse online galleries. Weekly topics include genres, subjects, or specific mediums. Prompts and vocabulary will accompany the galleries to guide their learning. Receives: Behavioral: Arts engagement through digital galleries |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Acceptability - Age appropriateness
Perceived age-appropriateness of the course content, likert scale 0-5
Measured: Throughout training (weeks 1-6 of training)
Acceptability - engagement
Level of engagement with the course materials, likert scale 0-5
Measured: Throughout training (weeks 1-6 of training)
Acceptability - Welcoming
How welcoming participants perceived the activities, likert scale from 0-5
Measured: Throughout training (weeks 1-6 of training)
Feasibility - completion rate
% of participants who completed both testing sessions
Measured: At the post-test 6-8 weeks later
Feasibility - adherence
Number of lessons that participants completed, from 0-6
Measured: At the post-test 6-8 weeks later or when a participant decided to drop out
Feasibility - Frequency
Total number of times participants logged their progress
Measured: Throughout training (weeks 1-6 of training)
Feasibility - Attrition
List of common reasons for drop-out and the number of times a reason was mentioned
Measured: At the post-test 6-8 weeks later or when a participant decided to drop out
Change in Drawing skills
Participants will have 7 minutes to draw a still life from observation. Accuracy is scored using a rubric assessing accuracy on global and local features.
Measured: Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Secondary outcomes (7)
Change in Perception - contour integration
Participants tap on circles of aligned Gabors embedded in a scene of randomly oriented Gabors. A circle will be present for 3 seconds and switch to the next trial if it is not seen. Orientation jitter threshold will be measured.
Measured: Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Change in Perception - visual disembedding
articipants search for a target shape in 3 complex gestalts of overlapping shapes. Participants select the complex shape containing the target. Number of correctly answered trials accuracy are measured.
Measured: Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Change in Visuospatial Reasoning - construction and memory
3D Mental Rotation (3 min) will test mental transformation. Participants will be briefly shown two figures and asked to determine whether the figures are the same or mirror reversed. Number of correctly answered trials accuracy are measured.
Measured: Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Change in Visuospatial Reasoning - mental transformation
3D Mental Rotation (3 min) will test mental transformation. Participants will be briefly shown two figures and asked to determine whether the figures are the same or mirror reversed. Number of correctly answered trials accuracy are measured.
Measured: Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Change in Attention
A cancellation task will measure selective attention. Participants correctly mark as many d's with two marks as they can in a set amount of time. A score of concentration performance is extracted by subtracting the sum of false alarms from the sum of hits.
Measured: Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Change in Mindfulness
Participants complete a version Solloway Mindfulness Survey adapted to drawing. The questionnaire includes 30 questions on a 7-point scale on the degree to which engaging in drawing is related to different aspects of mindful attention.
Measured: Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Change in Mental Wellbeing
Mental Wellbeing is assessed by the WEMWBS, which includes 14 questions on a 5 point scale about positive mental wellbeing.
Measured: Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted17 Oct 2024
- Study start1 Oct 2025
- Primary completion31 Jul 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Sep 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Feasibility StudyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- 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
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Northeastern University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Susanne Jaeggi, PhD, Principal investigator, Northeastern UniversityAaron Seitz, PhD, Principal investigator, Northeastern University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06645652
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- NU-DS-20241011
- Status last verified
- Aug 2026
- First submitted
- 11 Oct 2024
- Last updated
- 7 Aug 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Intervention materials and individual participant data (anonymized)
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 7 Aug 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Feasibility and Preliminary Effects of a Drawing-based Intervention on Cognition and Wellbeing of Community-Dwelling Adults at Risk for ADRD
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06645652
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- NU-DS-20241011
- Conditions
- Feasibility Study
- Keywords
- Cognition, Perception, Aged, Healthy Volunteers, Learning
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Northeastern UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Oct 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Jul 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 Sep 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 17 Oct 2024 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The present study investigates the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of a novel visual arts-based intervention in an older adult population. In a randomized controlled design, two arts-based interventions will be evaluated with a group of 40 participants.
Detailed description
A two-arm randomized controlled study will be conducted to obtain within-group ratings of feasibility and acceptability, as well as between-group differences in drawing skills after training. In the drawing intervention, participants will learn and train drawing skills through exercises that target attention, perception, and visuospatial reasoning. In the active control condition, participants will navigate virtual art galleries. Both interventions will be completed remotely and at home. Participants will complete in-lab assessment sessions before and after the training.
Each intervention consists of 6 weeks of training for up to 2 hours a week, including up to 1 hour of a self-guided lesson and prompted daily drawing practice adding up to 1 hour in the drawing intervention and 2 1-hour sessions of virtual gallery exploring per week in the arts appreciation intervention. The pre-test is administered within one week of the start of training and the post-test is administered within one week of training completion.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Participatory Arts | Experimental | Behavioral: Training in observational drawingParticipants will develop drawing skills through learning specific techniques and deliberately engaging cognitive domains such as perception, visuospatial reasoning, attention, and processing speed. The intervention is completed in a hybrid format where lessons are completed online and practice is completed in a sketchbook and drawing things from life. Prompts are provided to guide daily practice sessions. Techniques learned include contour drawing, gesture drawing, negative space drawing. |
| Receptive Arts | Active comparator | Behavioral: Arts engagement through digital galleriesParticipants will learn about different art periods and browse online galleries. The materials will be available online through a website through which participants will access and browse online galleries. Weekly topics include genres, subjects, or specific mediums. Prompts and vocabulary will accompany the galleries to guide their learning. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 55 to 85 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- 55-85 years of age
- Able to understand and speak English and follow study procedures
- Does not have a psychological or neurological condition that would prevent from being able to give consent to participate
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Formal diagnosis of dementia or other neurological disease, including Mild Cognitive Impairment
- Abnormal visual acuity prohibitive of tablet-based training
- Physical handicap (motor or perceptual) that would impede training procedures
- Medical illness requiring treatment and/or significant absences during the study timeline
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Training in observational drawing* Learning about and practicing drawing from observation with training adding up to 2 hours a week * Documenting progress and reflection writing | Behavioural | Participatory Arts |
| Arts engagement through digital galleries* 6 weeks of online gallery browsing based on different topics * 2 hours of weekly activities consist of reading and navigating technology * Reflection writing | Behavioural | Receptive Arts |
Primary outcome
Acceptability - Age appropriateness
Time frame: Throughout training (weeks 1-6 of training)
Perceived age-appropriateness of the course content, likert scale 0-5
Acceptability - engagement
Time frame: Throughout training (weeks 1-6 of training)
Level of engagement with the course materials, likert scale 0-5
Acceptability - Welcoming
Time frame: Throughout training (weeks 1-6 of training)
How welcoming participants perceived the activities, likert scale from 0-5
Feasibility - completion rate
Time frame: At the post-test 6-8 weeks later
% of participants who completed both testing sessions
Feasibility - adherence
Time frame: At the post-test 6-8 weeks later or when a participant decided to drop out
Number of lessons that participants completed, from 0-6
Feasibility - Frequency
Time frame: Throughout training (weeks 1-6 of training)
Total number of times participants logged their progress
Feasibility - Attrition
Time frame: At the post-test 6-8 weeks later or when a participant decided to drop out
List of common reasons for drop-out and the number of times a reason was mentioned
Change in Drawing skills
Time frame: Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Participants will have 7 minutes to draw a still life from observation. Accuracy is scored using a rubric assessing accuracy on global and local features.
7 secondary outcomes
Change in Perception - contour integration
Time frame: Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Change in Perception - visual disembedding
Time frame: Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Change in Visuospatial Reasoning - construction and memory
Time frame: Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Change in Visuospatial Reasoning - mental transformation
Time frame: Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Change in Attention
Time frame: Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Change in Mindfulness
Time frame: Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Change in Mental Wellbeing
Time frame: Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 7 Aug 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Intervention materials and individual participant data (anonymized)
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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.
Susanne Jaeggi, PhD principal investigator
Northeastern University
Aaron Seitz, PhD principal investigator
Northeastern University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Training in observational drawing and Arts engagement through digital galleries in people with Feasibility Study, run by Northeastern University 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 3 inclusion and 4 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: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 7 Aug 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 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?
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?
Acceptability - Age appropriateness (time frame: Throughout training (weeks 1-6 of training)). The study lists 8 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 7 Aug 2026.