The Cognition and Flow Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Cognition and Flow Study: The Effects of Brain Training on Brain Blood Flow
IRAS ID
250694
Contact name
Thompson Robinson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Leicester
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 4 months, 1 days
Research summary
About the research
There are currently 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK. We now understand that Alzheimer’s disease can result from damaged blood vessels in the brain. Brain blood flow can be measured using ultrasound, known as transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (or TCD).
Brain training uses exercises or brain-teasers to try to make the brain work faster and more accurately. In recent years, BT has been used to try to improve memory, mood, learning, quality of life, and ability to carry out every-day activities in people with dementia.
Aims
1) To find out how acceptable and manageable this BT program is for people with dementia to undertake larger studies of BT in the future.
2) To look for any benefits for people with dementia, such as, improvements in quality of life, ability to carry out everyday tasks, mood, and brain blood flow.How will the research be carried out?
• Forty patients with Alzheimer's disease, or mild cognitive impairment, and twenty healthy older adults will be recruited from memory and geriatric clinics, Join Dementia Research, GP surgeries and community groups.
• Participants will be randomly assigned to brain training or control. The control group will be offered the program at the end of the study.
• First visit: Participants will complete questionnaires on quality of life, mood, everyday abilities, memory and an assessment of brain blood flow
• Brain training program: Participants will complete 15-30 minute sessions, 3-5 times per week
• Follow-up: participants will repeat the questionnaires and assessment of brain blood flow
• Interviews and feedback: to discuss how participants felt the program went, and find out if there are any ways it could be improved.REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/YH/0396
Date of REC Opinion
8 Nov 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion