Cognitive Impairment
Conditions
Keywords
Cognition, Cognitive Aging, Dementia, Neurocognitive Disorders, Cognitive Therapy, Cognitive Reserve, Cognitive Enrichment, Jigsaw Puzzles
Brief summary
Meta-analyses indicate beneficial effects of cognitive training and cognitively challenging video games on cognition. However, cognitive effects of solving jigsaw puzzles - a popular, visuospatial cognitive leisure activity - have not been investigated, yet. Thus, the primary aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of solving jigsaw puzzles on visuospatial cognition. As secondary aims, effects on psychological outcomes (self-efficacy, perceived stress, well-being) and visuospatial everyday functioning (instrumental activities of daily living and self-reported cognitive failures in everyday life) are examined.
Detailed description
see References section below for the study protocol article
Interventions
BEHAVIORALJigsaw puzzles
Intervention period 1: Participants are asked to solve jigsaw puzzles at home 6 times per week for at least 1 hour over a period of 5 weeks. Intervention period 2 (voluntary): Participants receive the possibility to solve jigsaw puzzles free-of-charge at home for a period of at least 3 month before the 1.5-year follow-up.
BEHAVIORALCognitive health counseling
Cognitive health counseling regarding modifiable risk and protective factors of cognitive decline and dementia at baseline, and four telephone calls for expert monitoring (three calls during the 5-week period between pre- and posttest, and one call 12 month later)
Sponsors
Ravensburger Spieleverlag GmbH (RSV), Germany
University of Ulm
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Investigator)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
50 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* No cognitive impairment (Mini-Mental State Examination ≥ 24) * Commitment to minimum jigsaw puzzle time (1 hour/day, 6 days/week, 5 weeks) * Interest in jigsaw puzzles * Low jigsaw puzzle experience (less than 5 completed puzzles within the last 5 years)
Exclusion criteria
* Cognitive impairment (Mini-Mental State Examination \< 24) * Participation in another interventional study * Self-reported psychiatric, neurologic or other disease, which could affect cognitive change over time * Self-reported, severe visual impairment or motoric impairment of the upper extremity which significantly affects ability to solve jigsaw puzzles
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in global visuospatial cognition from baseline to post intervention and to the 1.5-year follow-up | Baseline and post intervention (after 5 weeks and 1.5 years) | Averaged score of eight z-standardized visuospatial cognitive ability scores (see secondary outcomes 2 - 9) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in visuoconstruction from baseline to post intervention and to the 1.5-year follow-up | Baseline and post intervention (after 5 weeks and 1.5 years) | Copying in Complex Figure Tests; parallel versions for baseline and post-test |
| Change in mental rotation from baseline to post intervention and to the 1.5-year follow-up | Baseline and post intervention (after 5 weeks and 1.5 years) | Mental Rotations Test-Letters (2D) and Form A (3D) |
| Change in visuospatial processing speed from baseline to post intervention and to the 1.5-year follow-up | Baseline and post intervention (after 5 weeks and 1.5 years) | Trail Making Test A |
| Change in visuospatial flexibility from baseline to post intervention and to the 1.5-year follow-up | Baseline and post intervention (after 5 weeks and 1.5 years) | Trail Making Test B |
| Change in visuospatial working memory from baseline to post intervention and to the 1.5-year follow-up | Baseline and post intervention (after 5 weeks and 1.5 years) | Block span (Wechsler Memory Scale, German version) |
| Change in visuospatial reasoning from baseline to post intervention and to the 1.5-year follow-up | Baseline and post intervention (after 5 weeks and 1.5 years) | Block design (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III, German version) |
| Change in visuospatial episodic memory from baseline to post intervention and to the 1.5-year follow-up | Baseline and post intervention (after 5 weeks and 1.5 years) | Recall in Complex Figure Tests (sum score of immediate and delayed recall); parallel versions for baseline and post-test |
| Change in psychological health from baseline to post intervention and to the 1.5-year follow-up | Baseline and post intervention (after 5 weeks and 1.5 years) | Averaged score of three z-standardized psychological health sub-scores (see secondary outcomes 11 - 13) |
| Change in psychological well-being from baseline to post intervention and to the 1.5-year follow-up | Baseline and post intervention (after 5 weeks and 1.5 years) | WHO-Five Well-being Index (WHO-5), German version |
| Change in visual perception from baseline to post intervention and to the 1.5-year follow-up | Baseline and post intervention (after 5 weeks and 1.5 years) | Judgment of Line Orientation Test |
| Change in perceived stress from baseline to post intervention and to the 1.5-year follow-up | Baseline and post intervention (after 5 weeks and 1.5 years) | Perceived Stress Scale-14, German translation |
| Change in objective everyday functioning from baseline to post intervention and to the 1.5-year follow-up | Baseline and post intervention (after 5 weeks and 1.5 years) | TIADL (1-3): Timed instrumental activities of daily living (Task 1-3; sum-score) |
| Change in self-reported everyday functioning from baseline to post intervention and to the 1.5-year follow-up | Baseline and post intervention (after 5 weeks and 1.5 years) | CFQ (visuospatial items): Cognitive Failures Questionnaire, sum score of visuo-spatial items; German version |
| Change in jigsaw puzzle performance from baseline to post intervention and to the 1.5-year follow-up | Baseline and post intervention (after 5 weeks and 1.5 years) | 40-pieces mini puzzle (completed pieces per minute) |
| Hair cortisol concentration at the 1.5-year follow-up | 1.5-year follow-up | Hair cortisol will be measured in 1cm segements |
| Hair dehydroepiandrosteron concentration at the 1.5-year follow-up | 1.5-year follow-up | Hair dehydroepiandrosteron will be measured in 1cm segements |
| Hair brain-derived neurotrophic factor concentration at the 1.5-year follow-up | 1.5-year follow-up | Hair brain-derived neurotrophic factor will be measured in 1cm segements |
| Neurocognitive disorder | 1.5-year follow-up | Neurocognitive disorder is a categorical outcome and includes mild and major neurocognitive disorders. Mild neurocognitive disorder (mild cognitive impairment) is defined by subjective cognitive decline (self-report), and an objective cognitive impairments in at least one cognitive abilitiy score (below -1 SD of the norm group), without an essential impairment of daily functioning compared to the premorbid level (self-report). In major neurocognitive decline (dementia), in addition to cognitive decline and impairment, daily functioning is essentially impaired compared to the permorbid level (self-report). |
| Change in self-efficacy from baseline to post intervention and to the 1.5-year follow-up | Baseline and post intervention (after 5 weeks and 1.5 years) | General Self-Efficacy Scale, German version |
Countries
Germany
Outcome results
None listed