Multiple Sclerosis
Conditions
Keywords
Memory, Cognition
Brief summary
Impairments in higher level cognitive processing, such as new learning and memory, are common in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and negatively impact multiple aspects of everyday life, including occupational and social functioning. Despite this, few studies have attempted to remediate these cognitive deficits in order to improve everyday functioning. While not applied in traditional rehabilitation protocols as of yet, many techniques from cognitive psychology significantly improve learning and memory in healthy persons. These techniques include the generation effect (GE), the spacing effect (SE), and the testing effect (TE). These techniques have recently been incorporated into an 8-session treatment protocol, Stylistic Memory Enhancement (SME), designed to teach participants about each of the techniques, train them on how to apply the techniques in daily life and practice their application to daily life memory demanding situations. The protocol includes teaching participants how to restructure a memory demanding situation in order to make optimal use of self-generation, spaced learning and self-testing. The objective of the study is to test the efficacy of the SME in an MS population.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALStylistic Memory Enhancement
Sponsors
Kessler Foundation
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Intervention model description
Double blind placebo controlled randomized control trial
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 59 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Clinically definite MS between the ages of 18 and 59. Participants must have impairment in new learning (determined by an in-person screen) with intact language comprehension.
Exclusion criteria
* History of alcohol or drug abuse/dependence, * Major psychiatric disturbance (e.g. bipolar disorder, schizophrenia) and neurological history other than MS. * Corticosteroid use within the last month prior to the participation. * Less than 1 month post most recent exacerbation.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT-II- Total learning | Baseline and post-intervention (5 weeks between testing sessions) | Measure of change in new learning |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Memory Functioning Questionnaire | Baseline and post-intervention ( 5 weeks between testing sessions) | Measure of change in Self-report of everyday memory functioning |
Outcome results
None listed