Anxiety, Subjective Memory Complaints
Conditions
Keywords
eye-tracking, biomarker, eye-tracking training, older adults, subjective memory complaints, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, attention, executive function, cognitive function
Brief summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a computerized eye-tracking training program can improve mental health and thinking skills in older adults. The main questions it aims to answer are whether eye-tracking training can lower depressive and anxiety symptoms in older adults, and whether it can improve their ability to control impulses and pay attention. Researchers will compare older adults who receive eye-tracking training to older adults on a waitlist to see if eye-tracking training leads to greater improvements in mood and thinking skills. Researchers will randomly assign participants into the experimental group or the waitlist control group. Participants in the experimental group will take part in eye-tracking training three times a week for 18 sessions, over about 1.5 months. Before and after training, participants will answer questions about their mood and take tests of memory, attention, and impulse control. Older adults on the waitlist will complete the same tests but will not receive training until after the study period; they will be offered the same training once their waiting period ends.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALEye-Tracking Training
The intervention is a copyrighted computerized training program using a non-contact eye tracker. Participants are required to fixate on or trace visual targets across six modules of increasing difficulty to improve attention and inhibitory control.
Sponsors
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
60 Years to 80 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Community-dwelling Chinese older adults aged 60 to 80 years * Able to understand Cantonese/Chinese * Normal or corrected-to-normal vision * Willing and able to commit to attending 18 training sessions over the course of the intervention
Exclusion criteria
* A history of learning disability, psychiatric disorders, neurological disorders (e.g., head injury or Parkinson's disease), visual and/or hearing impairments, or any other physical disabilities that would affect their performance on neuropsychological assessment or adherence to the intervention * Prior or concurrent participation in other interventions involving eye-tracking techniques * Signs of dementia, as indicated by a total score of 18 or below on the Hong Kong version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (HK-MoCA) * Inability to commit to the full course of 18 training sessions
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Inhibitory control | Baseline and after completion of 18 training sessions (approximately 9 weeks) | Inhibitory Control Index (ICI) in the Eriksen Flanker Test |
| Sustained attention | Baseline and after completion of 18 training sessions (approximately 9 weeks) | Digit Cancellation Index (DCI) in the Digit Cancellation Test |
| Depressive symptoms | Baseline and after completion of 18 training sessions (approximately 9 weeks) | Depressive symptoms are assessed using the 15-item Chinese version of Geriatric Depressive Scale (CGDS-15). It is a 15-item self-report scale in which participants answer "Yes" or "No" to whether they experienced each of 15 common depressive symptoms in the past week. Scores range from 0 to 15, with higher scores indicating more depressive symptoms. A score of 8 or higher indicates clinically significant depressive symptoms. |
| Anxiety symptoms | Baseline and after completion of 18 training sessions (approximately 9 weeks) | Anxiety symptoms are assessed using the 10-item Chinese version of Geriatric Anxiety Scale (CGAS-10). It is a 10-item self-report measure of anxiety symptoms in older adults. Higher scores indicate greater severity of anxiety symptoms. |
Countries
Hong Kong
Outcome results
None listed