Aging, Cognition Disorders in Old Age, Cognitive Change, Cognitive Decline, Cognitive Dysfunction, Cognitive Impairment
Conditions
Keywords
Macau, cognitive aging
Brief summary
The current project is dedicated to creating a comprehensive cognitive and neural assessment platform and corresponding norms tailored specifically to the older adults in Macau.
Detailed description
The investigators will establish this assessment platform using a combination of methods, including interviews, surveys, and expert reviews. Steps include adapting existing assessment methods to the Macau context, developing new cognitive and neural tasks, defining standardized procedures, seeking external expert input, conducting pilot tests, and validation processes, and refining both the platform and its accompanying manual.
Interventions
None listed
Sponsors
University of Macau
Study design
Observational model
ECOLOGIC_OR_COMMUNITY
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Must be a local adult resident of Macau * Age above 50 years for older adult cohort * Younger adults individuals above 18 will be included as control comparators
Exclusion criteria
* History of neurological injury or disease * Current use of medications that affect brain function or blood flow * Contraindications to MRI scanning, such as the presence of an electric/mechanical implant or device (e.g., pacemaker) * Claustrophobia * Body weight over 300 lbs due to weight and physical constraints of the scanner (i.e., bore size limited to 55 cm) * Inability to provide informed consent * Pregnancy * Being under the legal age of adulthood (children) * Incarcerated individuals (prisoners)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Normative Data for the Montreal Cognitive Assessment - Chinese (Hong Kong) version | From February 2024 to January 2026 | The MoCA will be administered to derive a normative data set representative of the older adult population in Macau. |
| Normative Data for the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) | From February 2024 to January 2026 | The MMSE will be administered to derive a normative data set representative of the older adult population in Macau. |
| Normative Scores for Computerized Neuropsychological Tasks | From February 2024 to January 2026 | Neuropsychological tasks will be employed to measure selective attention capacity and processing speed in the study cohort. These tasks will provide quantifiable data on the efficiency and accuracy of cognitive processing. The collective performance on these tasks will be used to establish benchmark values - including means, medians, and ranges - that define the normative standards for these cognitive abilities in the population. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Neural Activation Patterns During Cognitive Tasks as Revealed by Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) | From February 2024 to January 2026 | fMRI data will be collected to identify patterns of neural activation associated with cognitive task performance. |
| Cerebral Hemodynamics Assessed Through Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) | From February 2024 to January 2026 | fNIRS will be employed to measure cerebral blood flow and oxygenation during cognitive tasks. |
| Electrophysiological Correlates of Cognitive Activity as Measured by Electroencephalography (EEG) | From February 2024 to January 2026 | EEG will be utilized to record the electrical activity of the brain during cognitive tasks. Key outcome metrics will include event-related potentials (ERPs) amplitudes and latencies, with mean values and variability measures reported for the cohort. |
Countries
Macau
Contacts
Primary ContactHaoyun ZHANG Assistant Professor
Backup ContactLEI KEI KEI research assistant, MSc
Outcome results
None listed