Social and Cognitive Online Training: the SCOT Project (SCOT)

SCOT: An Online Intervention to Reduce Social Isolation and Promote Cognitive Well-being in the Elderly Population

Social isolation and reduced involvement in cognitive activities are associated with repercussions on cognitive well-being and health status in elderly adults. In particular, loneliness and social isolation represent risk factors in favouring cognitive decline and dementia. The Social Cognition Online Training (SCOT) project aims to evaluate the beneficial effects of an online intervention on social-cognitive functioning in healthy elderly subjects.

A group of participants randomly assigned to a social-cognitive online training through individual cognitive training sessions and group sessions to improve social functioning.

A group of participants randomly assigned to receive an active control intervention to compare performances with the experimental group.

A 8-week social and cognitive online training to improve both cognitive and social functioning, which includes 2 sessions (~45 minutes each) of individual cognitive training through the BrainHQ© program 2020 (BrainHQ© Posit Science) and a psycho-educational group session for each week (24 sessions in total). In the experimental intervention, all activities are focused on enhancing executive functions (working memory, processing speed, inhibitory control etc.) and social cognition abilities (identifying/recognizing facial expressions, styles attribution, drawing conclusions etc.).

A 8-week active control intervention consisting of 2 sessions (~45 minutes each) of cognitive stimulation exercises and a group session for each week (24 sessions in total) during which the various cognitive domains are deepened and the exercises carried out during the week are reviewed all together. The online control intervention has been specifically designed to increase the cognitive involvement of the subjects and to replicate the condition of exposure to social dynamics.

Minimum value: 18; Maximum value: 72; Higher scores mean a worse outcome in terms of perceived loneliness.

Inclusion Criteria: Cognitively healthy subjects aged above 65 years old Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) equivalent score > 1 (Italian normative values) Exclusion Criteria: Diagnosis of dementia, based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, FifthEdition (DSM-V) History of current or previous neuropsychiatric disorders; History of current or previous substance abuse;