Train Your Brain: A Pilot Project to Improve Memory and Decision Making

Behavior, Health Clinical Trial

Official title: Train Your Brain: A Pilot Project to Improve Memory and Decision Making to Improve Outcomes Among Youth

Status Enrolling by invitation

Clinical Trial Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to pilot a computer-based working memory training program to improve delay discounting (DD) and prevent substance use among at-risk adolescents in a traditionally underserved area. Results from the study will inform future efforts substance use prevention efforts targeted at youth exposed to adverse childhood experiences. Findings will also refine future models of intervention delivery in traditionally underserved communities.

The main question[s] it aims to answer are:

• Determine if the intervention can be delivered feasibly, acceptability, and at sufficient dosage

• Evaluate the utility of the recruitment and retention procedures as well as identify barriers to participation

Clinical Trial Description

Youth exposed to early childhood adversity are at increased risk for engaging in problematic substance use, leading to myriad negative health outcomes, including HIV exposure, injury, and impaired driving. Adolescents from low-resource communities evidence elevated rates of exposure to adverse childhood experiences, yet have limited access to evidence-based preventative interventions. Thus, there is a critical need for services that can feasibly target specific mechanisms linking early adversity to the onset and escalation of substance use in traditionally underserved communities.

One such target is delay discounting (DD), the tendency to select small, immediately available rewards at the expense of larger, delayed, rewards. DD has been linked to early substance use initiation and more frequent and severe use across adolescence. Moreover, youth exposed to early childhood adversity evidence more problematic levels of DD, indicating that DD may be a pathway by which early trauma exposure leads to drug and alcohol use.

Iterative pilot trials of approximately 10 youth participants + their parents/guardians will be conducted to examine effectiveness of procedures and initial implementation outcomes.

Research from our team suggests that computer-based interventions targeting proximal cognitive skills, specifically working memory, can improve rates of DD. Moreover, computerized interventions are highly transportable and scalable, making them ideal for dissemination in low-resource communities. The current project proposes to pilot a computer-based working memory (WM) training program to improve DD and prevent substance use among at-risk adolescents in a traditionally underserved area. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Behavior, Health

• NCT number: NCT05879198
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Henry Ford Health System
• Status: Enrolling by invitation
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: June 15, 2023
• Completion date: June 10, 2024