Race-Based Stress and Cognitive Training for MCI

Launched by ROSALIND FRANKLIN UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE AND SCIENCE · Mar 19, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying a new approach to help older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), a condition that affects memory and thinking skills. The trial will first test a program called Race-Based Stress and Empowerment Compensatory Cognitive Training (RBSEF-CCT-MCI) adapted from an existing cognitive training method. This new program focuses on how stress related to race and discrimination can impact cognitive function. In the first part of the study, 75-150 participants will join group sessions for 8 weeks, and then, in the second part, participants will be randomly assigned to either this new program or the original training method to see which one works better.

To be eligible for this trial, participants need to be at least 65 years old and identify as Black/African American or belong to other racial/ethnic groups alongside identifying as Black/African American, with potential inclusion of Hispanic/Latine participants later on. Participants must be able to travel to Rosalind Franklin University for in-person sessions, and they should experience mild cognitive difficulties but not have a diagnosis of dementia or significant brain injuries. Throughout the study, participants can expect to engage in group activities aimed at improving their thinking skills and overall mental health. This trial is not yet recruiting, so stay tuned for updates if you or someone you know is interested!

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • The study will be conducted in-person, so they must be able to travel to Rosalind Franklin University.
• • The study will initially be limited to participants who self-identify as Black/African American, or who self-identify with other racial/ethnic groups in addition to self-identifying as Black/African-American; however, may be expanded to include participants that identify as Hispanic/Latine.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Participants are ineligible to participate in this study if they are not at least 65 years of age and are not experiencing at least mild cognitive impairment or self-reported cognitive difficulties.
• • Participants will also be excluded if they have a diagnosis of dementia (i.e., major neurocognitive disorder), intellectual disability, mild head injury (i.e., concussion) within the last six months, and/or a history of moderate to severe traumatic brain injury.
• • Diagnosis of dementia may be from self-report or other medical records, or for participants to fail screening cognitive assessments (i.e., the RBANS) that would suggest they may be at the level of dementia (i.e., major neurocognitive disorder) as ultimately determined by study PI with objective scores less then 2 standard deviations below the mean on the RBANS.