View clinical trials related to Executive Dysfunction.
Filter by:Working memory (WM) is the ability to hold relevant information in mind in the absence of sensory input. The capacity for WM is a foundation for cognitive control and higher cognitive function more broadly. Previous research demonstrated that during the delay period of WM tasks, oscillatory electrical activity in the prefrontal cortex in the theta-frequency band (4-8 Hz) increased in amplitude. However, other groups found that the slope of the aperiodic signal in the brain was positively correlated with individual differences in WM capacity. Since low-frequency power and a steeper slope of the aperiodic signal are confounded in many analyses, it is not clear whether the slope of the aperiodic signal or the amplitude of low-frequency oscillations underlie WM capacity. With many studies investigating the causal role of theta oscillations in WM, the purpose of this project is to investigate the role of the aperiodic signal in WM performance.
The goal of this interventional study is to assess the effects of either physical exercise program or combined with cognitive training (dual motor and cognitive training program) on breast cancer survivors. The main questions it aims to answer are: - Analyze the effectiveness of a supervised dual-task training program or a physical exercise program on the executive functions of the participants. - Evaluate the impact of both interventions on physical function, emotional aspects, and important biomarkers related to muscle-brain crosstalk. Participants will perform a 20-week supervised and controlled program, three times a week, along with weekly calorie and step challenges. Researchers will compare the dual-task training group, with the physical exercise group, and with a control group, which will perform the guideline recommendations of physical activity (non-supervised) to see how these intervention approaches can impact cognitive functions, physical functions, emotional aspects, and biomarkers related to muscle-brain crosstalk. Assessments will take place at three-time points: at baseline, after the intervention (20 weeks post-baseline) and after a 12-week follow-up period (32 weeks post-baseline).
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate an evidence-based, non-pharmacological treatment alternative: Goal Management Training (GMT) for adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The main questions we aim to answer are: 1. Is GMT more effective than Treatment as Usual (TAU) in improving executive functioning in adolescents with ADHD? 2. Is GMT more effective than TAU in improving emotional health and social functioning in adolescents with ADHD? 3. Which clinical or cognitive characteristics are associated with treatment response? 4. Do medication, age, gender, and functional status at intake influence treatment response and long-term outcomes? 5. Are genetic (e.g. polygenic risk scores) and brain imaging data (e.g. estimates of brain maturation based on structural MRI or resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain connectivity) relevant clinical predictors for treatment response and long-term outcomes?
The main cognitive complaint in brain-injured patients is often the everyday disorganization caused by executive function (EF) deficits. In order to minimize the everyday disorganization, effective EF interventions are required. Interventions which incorporate compensatory strategies have the potential to enable patients to minimize disabilities, minimize participation problems and to function more independently in daily life. A well-known evidence-based intervention that incorporates compensatory strategies is Goal Management Training (GMT). GMT entails learning and applying an algorithm, in which a daily task is subdivided into multiple steps to handle executive difficulties of planning, and problem solving. To adopt the GMT strategy and ensure maximal profitability for patients, they have to learn to use the algorithm in different situations and tasks. Therefore, GMT is a comprehensive, time-consuming and thus labour-intensive treatment. Along with this, brain games become increasingly attractive as an (add-on) intervention, most notably in an effort to develop home-based personalized care. Until now, however, the rationale behind brain games is based on what can be considered the restorative approach (i.e. strengthening of executive problems) rather than practicing compensatory strategies, with little or no transfer to improvements in daily life functioning. This study therefore aims to assess the potential of a newly developed Brain Game, based on compensatory strategies, as an add-on to GMT to develop a shortened and partly home-based GMT intervention. The primary objective of this study is to assess whether the use of a compensatory brain game supported GMT treatment could be of interest in people with EF deficits after ABI, to improve goal achievement, their executive function performance during goal-related tasks, and their executive performance during an ecological valid shopping task. The study will be a multiple-baseline across individuals single-case experimental design (SCED). The study population consists of patients referred for outpatient cognitive rehabilitation. Participants eligible for the study must have executive deficits due to Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) of nonprogressive nature (i.e. TBI, stroke), with a minimum time post-onset of 3 months. Age has to be between 18 and 75 and participants have to live independently at home. Executive deficits will be assessed by extensive neuropsychological examination. Participants will be recruited from the outpatient clinic and the department of neurorehabilitation of Klimmendaal and Vogellanden. Four participants will be recruited.
The goal of this observational study is to explore if different and specific profiles can be identified in adults with binge eating disorder (BED) depending on their additional eating pathology, emotion regulation and executive functions. The main questions it aims to answer are: - Is there different and specific subgroups of patients with BED according to baseline profiles in emotion regulation, executive function and additional eating pathology (including restriction, chaotic eating, grazing and eating on external cues)? - Are subgroups of individuals with BED (based on identified profiles) associated with outcome at end of treatment and follow-up? - What is the trajectories in remission rates of specific symptom dimensions (eating disorder pathology, emotion regulation, executive function, and depressive symptoms) in individuals with BED and is there specific trajectory profiles in these dimensions? - Is early changes in specific symptom dimensions (eating pathology, emotion regulation, executive function, or depression) associated with outcome of BED? Participants will be asked to fill in questionnaires before treatment as usual, 10 weeks into treatment, at end of treatment and at 6- and 12-month follow-up.
This project aims to examine the efficacy of remote, caregiver-led tES/brain stimulation intervention targeted to improve memory, mobility, and executive functioning among older adults with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia.
The present study is a randomized placebo-controlled trial examining the effect of intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) on unipolar depression. iTBS is a form of transcranial magnet stimulation. The anti-depressive effect of two weeks of once- a - day neuronavigated iTBS over the dorsolateral left prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) will be investigated in comparison to sham (placebo) iTBS. Previous studies have shown that iTBS is an effective treatment for reducing symptoms of depression, but it is still unclear why some patients have a strong response to iTBS, whereas others show less or no reduction to test possible factors that can explain the inter-individual response to iTBS. Measures of cognitive functions, structural and functional brain data measured by Magnetic Resonance imaging (MRi), quality of life, sleep quality, general health status, and genetic measures will be obtained to answer the goals of this study. The main hypotheses are: 1) Patients receiving iTBS will display significantly larger reductions in depressive symptoms measured by the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale and Becks Depression Inventory II compared to patients receiving sham stimulation. 2) Reduction in depressive symptoms will be significantly associated with a concomitant improvement in executive functions measured by neuropsychological tests. 3) Stronger connectivity at baseline between the DLFPC and the anterior cingulate cortices will be associated with better response to iTBS. 4) Variability in genetic measures will be significantly associated with treatment response to iTBS. 5) Variability in white matter structural measures of the brain will be significantly associated with the anti-depressive response to iTBS. Participants will be recruited prospectively, and the study performed at a single university hospital. After written informed consent is obtained from eligible, volunteering patients, baseline measurements will be administrated, and the patient will be allocated to either sham or active iTBS once a day for 10 consecutive workdays. Four weeks after the last treatment day, the patients will be followed up by phone interviews.
Individuals with stroke commonly experience both depression and cognitive difficulties. The goal of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a treatment that combines a digital therapeutic (an iPad-based cognitive training program) with learning cognitive strategies. The hypotheses are that this treatment will improve cognitive skills, depression symptoms, daily function, and brain connectivity. In the short-term, the findings will inform the efficacy of the intervention and in the long-term, may support the use of the intervention to improve co-occurring cognitive and mood difficulties after stroke.
Although there are an increasing number of mental health treatment adaptations for older adults, there are still a number of factors to consider when making these adaptations. Cognitive decline is one such factor that places significant burden on older adults and can interfere with traditional mental health therapies. Engage is a behavioral treatment approach that has shown to be effective in treating late life depression. The investigators are testing the feasibility of Engage as a treatment method for late life depression in older adults with cognitive decline. The objective is to corroborate Engage as an alternative late life depression treatment method for a sub-population of older adults with cognitive decline. Cognitive decline poses a unique mental health treatment barrier that is often over looked in younger populations. With a relatively higher prevalence of cognitive decline in older adulthood, it is imperative that a feasible mental health treatment program that can be effective in the presence of cognitive decline.
Survival rates of children with severe congenital heart disease (CHD) have increased with ongoing medical progress over the past decades. However, many children with CHD face academic challenges during adolescence, which are associated with executive dysfunction. Executive functions (EF), higher-order cognitive processes allowing goal-directed behavior, can be particularly affected in children with CHD. To improve EF in affected children, a specific EF intervention has been developed. The intervention lasts a total of 8 weeks and is structured in 3 modules. The first module consists of a weekly strategy training in which problems resulting from executive dysfunction are addressed. Online games form the second module. These are games implemented online to promote EF through play. The third module is also based on games: The families receive several board games to play together at home. This third module is voluntary. This intervention is tested on its feasibility. As the intervention was built in a patient centered manner, we expect it to be feasible, showing in a high adherence rate and satisfaction.