FE-SaLiR: Function Improvement Exercise
Disability PhysicalCognitive ImpairmentAs complementary and alternative medicines in both Chinese and Western populations, Wu Qin Xi (the Five Animal Play) and Ba Duan Jin (the Eight Pieces of Brocade) have demonstrated small to medium effects on the improvement of various physical, cognitive, and quality of life measures. The purpose of this proposed study is to develop a culturally tailored, low-cost exercise program, "Function Improvement Exercises for Older Sedentary Community-Dwelling Latino Residents (FE-SaLiR)", to improve physical and cognitive functions and quality of life in older Latino adults in a non-clinical community setting. This will be the first study to combine Wu Qin Xi and Ba Duan Jin in non-Chinese population. The study has three specific aims: Following the community-based participatory research model (CBPR), the research team, community health advocates and senior program participants will co-adapt Wu Qin Xi and Ba Duan Jin and co-design the content and delivery form of FE-SaLiR (Phase 1). To conduct a three-arm pragmatic controlled trial to test the feasibility and acceptability of FE-SaLiR in older sedentary community-dwelling Latino residents (Phase 2). To generate the estimates of effect size and retention from the pilot study data that will be used to conduct the power estimation of a large RCT that will compare the effectiveness of FE-SaLiR with other types of exercises in an NIH RO1 grant application. FE-SaLiR Phase 1 was delivered from August 2019 to November 2019. FE-SaLiR Phase 2 started recruiting participants by invitation in January 2020; the exercise program started in February 2020.
Effect of Hearing Loss and Vestibular Decline on Cognitive Function in Older Subjects
Hearing LossSensorineural3 moreThe world population has been growing and aging dramatically, with a rising prevalence of dementia. Worldwide, around 50 million people have dementia, with 10 million new cases added every year. Despite the epidemic scale of dementia, until now no cure or disease-modifying therapy has been identified. Therefore, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized dementia as a public health priority. Several large studies have demonstrated that hearing impairment is associated with a greater risk of cognitive impairment. Hearing rehabilitation could potentially provide a disease-modifying therapy to delay cognitive decline. Although auditory behavioral research has not yet revealed a reliable indicator of early cognitive impairment, cortical-evoked auditory potentials (CAEP) have shown promising evidence as a non-invasive way to identify early-stage cognitive impairment. The peripheral vestibular apparatus is located in the inner ear and codes rotation and translation of the head to preserve a stable view. Increasing evidence suggests that bilateral vestibular function loss, also known as bilateral vestibulopathy (BVP), leads to hippocampal atrophy and reduced spatial cognitive skills, as well as structural and functional alterations in parieto-insular and parieto-temporal regions. Many studies have demonstrated that vestibular function declines with age. Vestibular dysfunction can be linked to reduced topographical orientation and memory and has been suggested as a risk factor to AD, due to increased risk of falling and deficits in activities of daily life (ADL). Our first aim is to study the effect of SNHL and vestibular decline on CAEP, spatial and non-spatial cognitive functioning and trajectories in cognitively healthy older subjects, as well as patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD. Our second aim is to study if MRI brain volume changes can be observed in the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and auditory and vestibular key regions in these populations and correlate with CAEP and cognitive functioning. The expected outcome is important to society because it will provide data from a cognitive assessment protocol adapted for a potentially hearing-impaired population, objective outcome measures (incl. CAEP and MRI brain volume changes) to identify older subjects with SNHL and BVP at risk for cognitive decline, and will support screening and interventional studies to assess the impact of rehabilitation on slowing down cognitive decline.
Optimizing Function and Independence Through iHI-FIVES
Functional ImpairmentCognitive ImpairmentOptimizing Function and Independence Through iHI-FIVES aims to implement the iHI-FIVES caregiver skills training program at 8 VAMC sites in a stepped- wedge design and evaluate caregiver and patient outcomes before and after the program is implemented, as well as the efficacy of a usual vs enhanced implementation design.
Psychosocial Intervention for Older HIV+ Adults With HAND
HIV/AIDSAging3 moreCTNPT 029 will test the feasibility and acceptability of cognitive remediation group therapy in older adults living with HIV who have been diagnosed with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND). The cognitive remediation therapy will include tablet-based cognitive training and mindfulness-based stress reduction sessions.
Non-Pharmacological Treatments and Cognitive Impairment (NPT-CI2019)
Cognitive ImpairmentThe prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases is expected to increase over the next years, in parallel with the aging of the world population. Therefore, it is important to identify new methods to prevent, delay or stop the neurodegenerative waterfall responsible for dementia conversion. To date, there is no fully proven pharmacological treatment for cognitive impairment and the available pharmacological armamentariums have limited efficacy because consist in symptomatic drugs with adverse side effects. On this point, non-pharmacological intervention may represent adjunctive therapy to medications in order to prevent or delay the onset of the cognitive deficits or dementia. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a combined treatment protocol associating a Computerized cognitive training (CoRe) with non-invasive brain stimulation techniques: the transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) or the repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS). Patients with mild dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) are enrolled and randomly assigned to the experimental group (CoRe + anodic tDCS/rTMS) or control group (CoRe + sham tDCS/ sham rTMS). All patients are evaluated before (T0) and after (T1) treatment with an exhaustive neuropsychological assessment. Furthermore, follow-up visits are scheduled 6 months (T2) and 12 months (T3) after the end of the treatment.
Simultaneous Recumbent Cycling and Cognitive Training
DeliriumImpaired CognitionIntensive care units (ICU) provide life-saving care for nearly five million people annually. Up to 80% of patients receiving care in an ICU experience at least one episode of delirium. Delirium, an acute episodic display of confused thinking and unawareness, predicts impaired cognition and accelerated cognitive decline which negatively impacts quality of life (QOL) long after hospital discharge. The average age of ICU patients is 52 years. These middle-age (MA) ICU survivors need cognitive interventions that are well planned, accessible, and effective to improve cognition and prevent accelerated decline so they can resume their previous QOL and enter older age with optimized cognitive function. Physical exercise and cognitive training independently improve cognition and emerging evidence indicates that combining these two approaches produces even greater effects on cognition. Community-based rehabilitation centers are accessible for MAICU survivors to engage in physical activity; cognitive training could easily be added. Approaches in which a patient engages in physical exercise and cognitive training concurrently is an understudied intervention for all ICU survivors, especially those who are middle-aged. Study aims are to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of a simultaneous recumbent cycling and cognitive training intervention (SRCCT) for MAICU survivors who experienced at least one delirium episode during their ICU stay. Feasibility will be determined by systematically evaluating research team training, participant recruitment, randomization, implementation, and intervention fidelity. Acceptability will be evaluated via a satisfaction, preferences, burden, and participant-suggested improvements survey. The SRCCT effect sizes will be calculated comparing multiple data point cognition scores between an SRCCT group and a usual care control group. Upon completion, investigators expect to understand the feasibility and acceptability of the SRCCT delivered in community-based rehabilitation centers, and the combined effect of SRCCT on cognition and QOL for middle-aged ICU survivors who experienced an episode of ICU delirium. The hypothesis is that study participants who engage in physical exercise and cognitive training concurrently will have a greater improvement in cognition and QOL than physical exercise training alone.
Acupressure on Cognitive Function and Quality of Life
Cognitive DysfunctionThe study aims to (1)compare differences of global cognitive function, working memory, executive function, language function, and quality of life between institutionalized older adults with MCI and with mild AD. Doing so, we can have a better understanding of the cognitive performance and life quality at pre-dementia and dementia;(2)explore the effects of the interventions with different acupoints(acupoints on head, acupoints on body, and acupoints on head and body) on global cognitive function, working memory, executive function, language function, and quality of life among institutionalized older adults with MCI and with mild AD;(3) further investigate the long-term effects of the interventions on global cognitive function, working memory, executive function, language function, and quality of life among institutionalized older adults with MCI and with mild AD; doing this, we can explore the pathological mechanism of the changes in the cognitive function through neuropsychological assessments and the association between the changes in cognitive function and in quality of life. We will recruit 32 residential care homes, with 256 older adults with MCI and with mild AD for this single blind cluster randomized controlled trial with repeated measures study. The facilities will be randomly assigned to the acupoint-on-head group, acupoint-on-body group, acupoint-on-head-and-body group and control group, with a ratio of 1:1:1:1. Interventions are developed based on the theory of Chinese medicine. Except routine care, the intervention groups will receive the acupressure once per day, five times per week, a total of 12 weeks. Data will be collected at baseline, the 4th and 8th weeks during the intervention, the end of the intervention, and the1st, 4th, and 8th months after the intervention. The control group only will receive routine care and data collection is the same as the intervention groups. Data assessors will not involve in the interventions and not know the group allocation. The data analysis will use intent-to-treat analysis. The multiple regression analysis, mixed effect model for repeated measure analysis, subgroup analysis, and product-of-coefficient test will be performed to examine the effects of the interventions on cognitive function and quality of life, and the associations among the changes in the dependent variables.
Acute Care for Elders (ACE) Program at OHSU Hospital
DeliriumAge-Related Cognitive Decline3 moreThe purpose of this investigation is to assess the effectiveness of a multi-disciplinary Acute Care for Elders (ACE) program dedicated to the care of patients age 70 and older admitted to Oregon Health & Science University's hospital medicine service. The ACE program will aim to improve the quality of care of older patients in the investigators hospital by implementing focused interventions and recommendations specific to geriatric needs and syndromes, including: reduced fall rate, decreased incidence and duration of delirium, early recognition and treatment of impaired mobility and function, careful minimization of medication use, prevention of unnecessary catheter and restraint use, decreased hospital readmission rates, improved transitional care following hospital discharge, and high levels of patient and referring physician satisfaction. Additionally, the ACE program aims to improve resident and student competence in treating geriatric syndromes, and to improve staff and learner satisfaction with caring for older adults. ACE programs have been well studied at other institutions, so the investigators will be implementing a program that is already standard of care, and studying the elements that are unique to OHSU. This will be a quality improvement project. Study participants will be a convenience sample of OHSU faculty, staff, residents and students who are employed by or on rotation with General Medicine Team 1 of the Medicine Teaching Service. Faculty, staff, and learners (ACE team members) will receive the ACE training. Study personnel will conduct prospective and retrospective chart review of patients admitted to the ACE service to determine outcomes as noted above.
The Effects of a Carotenoid Intervention on Cognitive Function
Mild Cognitive ImpairmentPast research suggests that retinal lutein levels are related to cognitive function as measured via behavioral tests. The goal of the present study is to investigate the relationship between lutein and cognitive function in a wider variety of the population (young, healthy adults and older adults), using a wider variety of methods (behavioral testing and neuroimaging).
Effects of CDP-Choline on Gating and Cognitive Deficits in First Episode Schizophrenia
First Episode SchizophreniaPeople with schizophrenia tend to have problems with attention and concentration. Studies found that these patients are unable to block or gate out non-relevant and distracting information (e.g., noises). This may lead to brain overload. Cognitive abilities like concentration, memory, and learning may worsen. This ability to filter sensory information has been linked to a gene that affects the way nicotine acts in the brain. Patients with schizophrenia have a high rate of cigarette smoking. 60% to 90% smoke compared with 25% of the general population. It has been suggested that these patients may use nicotine to improve their ability to block out distracting information. Brain wave activity (EEG) in response to sounds has been proved useful in understanding this gating problem. The present study uses EEG measures and performance tasks to find out what a new nicotine-like treatment, which will be added to ongoing treatment medications, does to gating and cognition. It is hoped that this new treatment will improve the way in which patients process information, as this may help them in day-to-day activities.