Memory Impairment
Conditions
Keywords
Memory, Aviation
Brief summary
Our overall goal has been twofold: 1) to evaluate whether there are significant age-related changes in flight simulator performance near age 60, and 2) to assess whether there is an alternative model that can explain longitudinal flight simulator performance on the basis of measures of cognitive function and expertise.
Detailed description
Our overall goal has been twofold: 1) to evaluate whether there are significant age-related changes in flight simulator performance near age 60, and 2) to assess whether there is an alternative model that can explain longitudinal flight simulator performance on the basis of measures of cognitive function and expertise. Such a model might be able to predict change in aviator performance better than what could be predicted by chronological age alone.
Interventions
None listed
Sponsors
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Stanford University
Study design
Observational model
ECOLOGIC_OR_COMMUNITY
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
45 Years to 70 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
1) licensed aircraft pilot 2) 45 to 70 years of age 3) at least 100 hours of total flight experience 4) current FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) medical certificate of class III or higher
Exclusion criteria
1) taking psychotropic medications 2) taking other medications with arousal or sedative effects
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Aviation-related performance over time. | longitudinal | Participants fly in our computerized flight simulator and perform a set of brief tasks designed to measure reaction time and attention span. The study is longitudinal, collecting information about aviation-related performance over time. There is an initial training period, followed by annual visits. During the training period participants learn how to fly the simulator, and performance on certain standard maneuvers will be measured during a maximum of 6 simulated flights. At each annual visit, participants fly two 75-minute simulated flights and may be asked to perform up to four holding patterns and instrument landings. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed