Modulating Neurocognitive Processes of Learning to Trust and Distrust in Aging

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · Jul 11, 2022

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is exploring how older adults learn to trust others, which is important for their social interactions and safety. As people age, they might have more difficulty making decisions about who to trust, and this can lead to problems like elder fraud. The researchers want to understand how the brain can be trained to improve trust-related decision-making in older adults. They will use a technique called real-time fMRI neurofeedback, which helps participants learn how to adjust their brain activity to enhance trust learning.

To be eligible for the study, participants should be aged between 65 and 74, able to speak and understand English, and have at least an 8th-grade education. They must also be on a stable medication regimen and able to give consent. However, individuals who are pregnant, have certain medical conditions, or are experiencing severe cognitive or mental health issues may not qualify. Participants can expect to engage in activities that will help improve their ability to assess trustworthiness, and their progress will be monitored throughout the trial. This research could lead to better ways to help older adults navigate social relationships safely.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Able to provide verbal and written informed consent
• • Fluent English speaker
• • At least 8th grade education
• • On stable medication regimen
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Pregnancy
• • Magnetic resonance imaging contraindications (e.g., certain metallic objects in body, claustrophobia)
• • Current major depression defined as scores \>14 on the Beck Depression Inventory-II
• • Impaired scores on the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS; cut-off of \>30)
• • Current use of medications with significant anticholinergic properties due to potential influence on memory ("memory enhancing"; e.g., Aricept or Namenda)
• • Current use of anticonvulsant, neuroleptic, sedatives, or other medications known to affect cognition
• • Uncorrected visual and hearing impairments
• • Neurologic conditions affecting the brain (e.g., severe stroke, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury with \>30-minute loss of consciousness)
• • Impaired scores on a cognitive screening measure, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA); for older adults the cutoff will be age and education corrected
• • Unstable medical illness (e.g., metastatic cancer)
• • Significant cardiovascular conditions (e.g., major heart attack)
• • Will not exclude participants who are taking anti-depressant medications. Use of antidepressants (particularly SSRI's) and anxiolytic medications will be recorded and included in post-hoc analyses