The Effects of Attentional Filter Training on Working Memory

Healthy Clinical Trial

— DIIN  

Official title:

Improving Cognitive Functions by Training Distractor Inhibition (DIIN) in Younger and Older Healthy Adults

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT03228446
• Other study ID #: MD021
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: September 26, 2012
• Est. completion date: January 2019

Study information

• Verified date: February 2019
• Source: German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The investigators are interested in how attentional filter training/ distractor inhibition training could influence cognitive functions like working memory, executive control, problem solving, decision making and attentional control.

Description:

Two different computer based trainings were applied: an attentional filter training and a working memory training.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 60
• Est. completion date: January 2019
• Est. primary completion date: December 2018
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 80 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• right-hander

• aged between 18-30 or 60-80years

Exclusion Criteria:

• severe visual impairments (e.g. dyschromatopsia, very low vision)

• diseases or medication that might impair test performance

• Montreal Cognitive Assessment Score (MoCA) < 26 points

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Age-related Cognitive Decline
• Cognitive Decline
• Cognitive Dysfunction
• Healthy

Intervention

Behavioral:
• filter training
one-week filter training on the computer: computerized visual change detection experiment (selective attention )
• memory training
one-week storage training on the computer: computerized visual change detection experiment (memory storage)

Other:
• no training (control)
no training applied

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Germany	DZNE	Magdeburg	Sachsen-Anhalt

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)	German Research Foundation

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Germany, 

References & Publications (2)

Schmicker M, Müller P, Schwefel M, Müller NG. Attentional Filter Training but Not Memory Training Improves Decision-Making. Front Hum Neurosci. 2017 Mar 23;11:138. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00138. eCollection 2017. — View Citation

Schmicker M, Schwefel M, Vellage AK, Müller NG. Training of Attentional Filtering, but Not of Memory Storage, Enhances Working Memory Efficiency by Strengthening the Neuronal Gatekeeper Network. J Cogn Neurosci. 2016 Apr;28(4):636-42. doi: 10.1162/jocn_a_ — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Improvements in test performance	Working memory and filtering performance (in %), effects of distractor interference and reaction times for trials with and without distractors with 4, 5 & 6 targets	45min pre / post
Secondary	Rey Complex Figure Test	Copying complex figures and reproduce it from memory	30min pre / post
Secondary	Memory from TAP (Test battery of Attentional Performance)	Working Memory (n-back)	45min pre / post
Secondary	Attention from TAP (Test battery of Attentional Performance)	divided attention, Go-NoGo, Flexibility, Incompatibility, Visual scanning	45min pre / post
Secondary	Performance in repeating numbers	Repeating numbers in forward & backward conditions	10min pre / post
Secondary	Subtest from CANTAB (Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery)	Spatial Span Test	10min pre / post
Secondary	Iowa Gambling Task	Decision making	5min on each training day (1-5)
Secondary	Daily Questionnaires	subjective performance in the training paradigm	2 min on each training day (1-5)
Secondary	Daily Questionnaires	Assessing external circumstances of daily influences	2min on each training day (1-5)
Secondary	Memory performance without distractors among different setsizes	Working memory performance (in %) for trials with 4, 5 & 6 targets and averaged performance for all conditions without distractors	45min pre / post
Secondary	Memory performance with distractors among different setsizes	Working memory performance (in %) for trials with 4, 5 & 6 targets and distractors and averaged performance for all conditions with distractors	45min pre / post
Secondary	Filtering performance without distractors among different setsizes	Filtering performance (in %) for trials with 4, 5 & 6 targets and averaged performance for all conditions without distractors	45min pre / post
Secondary	Filtering performance with distractors among different setsizes	Filtering performance (in %) for trials with 4, 5 & 6 targets and distractors and averaged performance for all conditions with distractors	45min pre / post
Secondary	Reaction times	Reaction times in each condition	45min pre / post
Secondary	Values of distractor inhibition	Distractor inhibition (DIIN) = Mean of conditions without distractors - Mean of conditions with distractors	45min pre / post