Abstract
BackgroundOlder adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) are at high risk of progressing to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Slowing down the effect of dementia by enhancing brain plasticity represents one of the most prominent challenges. Neurofeedback (NF) has shown promising results in improving working memory but has never been evaluated in people with MCI. We aim to examine whether NF training can decrease cognitive disorders, targeting memory, attention functions and brain electrical activity in elderly patients with MCI.MethodsIn this single-blind, randomized controlled trial (RCT) protocol, we will investigate the effects of two NF training protocols on cognitive performances and on brain electrical activity. Sixty MCI patients will be assigned either to an intervention program or to psycho-pedagogical care as a control condition. Participants in the intervention group will attend 30 sessions of sensorimotor/delta-ratio NF training or beta1/theta-ratio NF training. Neuropsychological assessment, questionnaires and electroencephalography (EEG) assessment parameters will be used as dependent variables in three periods: at baseline (T0), immediately after the last NF training session at 4 months (T1) and at 3-month follow-up (T2). The primary outcome will be the change in attention measured with the Trail Making Test B. Secondary outcome will be the changes in cognitive performance and in EEG activities.DiscussionIf the results of our study show improvement in cognitive performances of older adults with MCI, this non-invasive, low-cost technique may deserve better consideration as a therapeutic intervention to delay cognitive decline and dementia. Consequently, research in NF will need to review and develop the rigor of its application in gerontology.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT03526692. Registered on 16 May 2018.
Highlights
Older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) are at high risk of progressing to Alzheimer’s disease (AD)
Albert et al [3] suggested a classification of MCI patients which includes MCI core-clinical, MCI low-likelihood, MCI intermediatelikelihood, and MCI high-likelihood groups, founded on the positivity of amyloid and neuronal injury biomarkers such as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), beta-amyloid protein 42 (Aβ42) and CSF tau or neuronal injury with the presence of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-demonstrable hippocampal atrophy
From a recent pilot study conducted by our research team at the Broca University Hospital in Paris, we investigated the effects of Sensorimotor brain rhythm (SMR)/theta NF training on cognitive performance in elderly patients with MCI
Summary
Older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) are at high risk of progressing to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We aim to examine whether NF training can decrease cognitive disorders, targeting memory, attention functions and brain electrical activity in elderly patients with MCI. The concept of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is an intermediate clinical stage between normal cognitive functioning and mild dementia, indicating a deviation from normal aging [1]. MCI patients with markers are considered at high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) [4]. They provide high motivation for the scientific community to develop pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions, in order to stop or prevent further cognitive decline and dementia
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