Application of the Modified Story Memory Technique (mSMT)© to Aging

Launched by KESSLER FOUNDATION · Dec 7, 2017

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This study is testing whether the Modified Story Memory Technique (mSMT) can help older adults improve new learning and memory, and whether it also affects daily functioning and overall quality of life. It includes two groups: older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and older adults without noticeable cognitive problems (healthy aging). People eligible are 65 years or older, English-speaking, and without certain serious neurological or psychiatric conditions; the study will screen participants to place them in the MCI or healthy aging group. MRI brain scans are optional, and some scanner-related exclusions apply.

Participants are randomly assigned to either the memory-training group or a placebo control group, and the study is designed so that participants, researchers, and the people evaluating outcomes do not know which group each person is in. The training uses ten sessions delivered on a laptop over five weeks, with follow-up assessments at multiple time points up to six years after treatment. Outcomes include memory tests, self-reported mood and memory, daily functioning, and quality of life, with an optional brain imaging component for those who choose it. The trial is led by Kessler Foundation in East Hanover, NJ, and enrollment is ongoing by invitation, with completion expected around 2026.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • older than 65
• • primary language is English.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • diagnosis of any neurological condition (Alzheimer's disease, dementia, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Brain Injury, Parkinson's disease, etc.).
• • diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder such as post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
• • abuse of illicit drug within the past 6 months.
• • For optional MRI
• • pacemaker or other implanted electrical device, brain stimulator, aneurysm clip (metal clips on the wall of a large artery), metallic prostheses (including metal pins and rods, heart valves, and internal hearing aids \[cochlear implants\]), permanent eyeliner, implanted delivery pumps, or shrapnel fragments.
• • dental implants
• • left handed.