Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction
Conditions
Keywords
Cognitive training, Brain training, Plasticity-based training, Cardiac surgery, Preoperative, Cognitive function
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of administering a 20-day preoperative cognitive training intervention (Cog-Train) to a widely inclusive sample of cardiac surgical patients.
Detailed description
Cognitive outcomes remain poor after cardiac surgery. Data from the field of cognitive neuroscience suggests that cognitive training, which harnesses the brain's adaptive plasticity to improve, maintain, or restore function in a target area, can be used to strengthen brain resilience and improve cognitive outcomes following challenge. While its effectiveness has been demonstrated in older adults as well as in other (nonsurgical) patient populations, no training intervention like this has ever before been used in any surgical patient in the preoperative period. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of administering a 20-day cognitive training intervention (Cog-Train) to a widely inclusive sample of cardiac surgical patients before their surgery. Data obtained will be used to design a full-scale randomised controlled trial (RCT) on Cog-Train's effectiveness in improving postoperative cognitive outcomes.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALCog-Train Intervention
Twenty-one days prior to surgery, patients will begin self-administering the intervention using an iPad tablet. This intervention will consist with daily sessions of at least 20 minutes of the Cog-Train task (the task and regimen used to obtain robust effects in previous studies by members of our group). Cog-Train is an n-back task - an adaptive working memory computer game that extends players' working memory capacity by getting progressively more difficult as the player's performance increases.
Sponsors
Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit
Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
60 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Scheduled for elective cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass at Papworth Hospital * Aged 60+ years
Exclusion criteria
* Surgery scheduled for sooner than 21 days * 'Off-pump' surgery being considered * Inability to obtain informed consent * Sensory or motor impairments impeding use of task * Communication barriers impeding administration of study procedures * Inability to demonstrate understanding of task and/or study procedures * Inability to make time commitment
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Training performance gain | From 21 days prior to scheduled surgery to 1 day prior to scheduled surgery | Average increase in training task level achieved from first to last training day |
| Adherence to training regimen | From 21 days prior to scheduled surgery to 1 day prior to scheduled surgery | Mean number of training days completed according to instructions |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Recruitment and retention | 10 weeks | Proportion of patients approached who can do the task and are willing to take part |
| Satisfaction and acceptability | At 1 day prior to scheduled surgery | Self report questionnaire |
| Side-effects | From 21 days prior to scheduled surgery to up to 14 days after surgery | Side effects and severity reported by patients and proportion of patients who reported side-effects |
Countries
United Kingdom
Contacts
Primary ContactKimberly Giraud, PhD
Outcome results
None listed