Clinical Research Directory

PotenziaMente: A Digital Executive Function Training Intervention for Healthy Aging in the Elderly Population

The study, entitled "PotenziaMente: Cognitive Training in Aging," is a clinical trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of an individualized tablet-based cognitive training program targeting executive functions (e.g., planning, cognitive flexibility, and problem solving) in healthy older adults. Executive functions are higher-order cognitive processes that support adaptive functioning in daily life and influence other cognitive domains, such as memory. The primary aim of the study is to enhance cognitive performance, specifically executive functioning, in neurologically healthy adults aged 65 to 75 years. A secondary aim is to compare the effects of two different delivery modalities of the same cognitive training program: home-based self-administration via tablet versus supervised tablet-based training in the presence of a trained researcher. Participants will undergo cognitive assessments at baseline (pre-training), immediately after the intervention (post-training), and at a 3-month follow-up. This is a randomized parallel-group interventional clinical trial without masking. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups: a home-based cognitive training condition, in which they perform an individualized tablet-based cognitive training program targeting executive functions independently at home via a tablet application without direct supervision, or a supervised cognitive training condition, in which they perform the same individualized tablet-based cognitive training under the supervision of a trained researcher in a controlled environment. The intervention consists of two sessions per week, 1 hour per session, for 4 consecutive weeks, delivered via tablet-based exercises. The study uses a parallel assignment model with a prospective design and a primary purpose of treatment (cognitive enhancement and prevention of cognitive decline). The primary outcome is the change in executive functioning from baseline to post-intervention, assessed using standardized neuropsychological tests. Secondary outcomes include between-group differences (home-based vs. supervised) in executive functioning, changes in global cognitive functioning from baseline to post-intervention, and maintenance of cognitive effects at the 3-month follow-up.

Exploring the Impact of Dementia Prevention Programs Using Robots as Intervention Tools on Community Elderly

The purpose of this study is to intervene in the cognitive functions of the community elderly through the "Robot Dementia Prevention Course" training. It is expected that through the eight-week course design activities, the cognitive functions, social activities, emotional management (such as alleviating depression), well-being, reduce loneliness and can be achieved, thereby preventing or delaying cognitive decline. This study is a quasi-experimental design. It adopts pre-test and post-test methods for the experimental group and the control group. Before the intervention of the "Robotic Dementia Prevention Course", the community elderly were given a pre-test. After receiving an 8-week course (two months), the first post-test will be conducted, and three months later, the second post-test (post-post-test) will be conducted to analyze the delay effect. The experimental group conducted a two-month "Robot Dementia Prevention Course" intervention. The research subjects were 40 people. Each group of 5 people was assigned a Kebbi robot. The course intervention was divided into 8 groups. The Kebbi robot mainly taught and communicated with the elderly interactively. There is a well-trained teaching assistant in the class to enhance the learning effect of the elderly. The two classes per week are about 2 hours long, with 50 minutes of course knowledge introduction, 10 minutes of rest, 50 minutes of interaction with Kebbi Artificial Intelligence-based board games, and 10 minutes of prize-based quizzes after class. They are held once a week, with a total of 8 weeks of courses (duration two months), classes were taken in the elderly's original care center or long-term care base; the control group did not receive any course intervention. Statistical methods were analyzed using SPSS version 23.0, and descriptive statistics, paired t tests, generalized estimating equations, etc. were used to test the changes before and after the intervention.