An interventional study of Attention Training and Placebo in Childhood Cancer, sponsored by Duke University. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 8 Years to 16 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2013-02-18.
Sponsored by Duke University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care
Specific Aim 1: To assess the feasibility and acceptability of a home-based, computerized cognitive training program with survivors of central nervous system-impacting pediatric cancer (e.g. acute lymphoblastic leukemia, brain tumors).
Specific Aim 2: To estimate the effect size of this cognitive training program on measures of attention and working memory in survivors of childhood cancer in order to determine whether a larger-scale clinical trial is warranted.
After obtaining written informed consent (parent) and assent (child), screening procedures will include administration of an abbreviated intellectual test battery, a working memory battery, and a computerized attention measure to the survivor (see specific Measures below). Our goal is to enroll 24 (12 ALL, 12 brain tumor) participants in the intervention phase of this prospective pilot study. To reach this goal, we anticipate needing to screen approximately 50 survivors, though enrollment will end when, or continue until, 24 eligible participants are identified and randomized to the intervention phase. Parents will complete questionnaire measures regarding their child's adaptive, behavioral, emotional, and attentional functioning. Follow-up interviewing will be conducted to clarify any potential problems identified on the questionnaires. The entire screening procedure is estimated to take approximately 90 minutes for the survivor and 30-45 minutes for parents. To maximize efficiency, two study personnel will work with families - one will complete testing with the child, while the other will complete questionnaires and follow-up interviewing with the parent. The design will be a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in which half of the participants will be randomized to the intervention condition and half will receive a comparison computer program. Specifically, participants assigned to the comparison (placebo) condition will complete a modified version of the CT at home. The treatment and comparison CT programs begin identically, at the lowest difficulty level. Those in the treatment condition will complete activities of increasing difficulty over the intervention period. Those in the placebo condition, in contrast, will complete the same basic tasks during each session of the intervention, regardless of performance. In this way, a true estimate can be obtained of the efficacy of the treatment program.
Duke University is the lead sponsor of 2,025 studies on the registry; 275 are open to participants now.
Of its 194 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 159 (82%) have results posted.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Participants meeting inclusion criteria will be provided with a laptop computer outfitted with a wireless card for the duration of the intervention and will be trained in the use of RoboMemo in the clinic by study personnel. Although many participants may have ready access to home computers, we decided that all participants will be required to use laptops provided by the study for two reasons: 1) to ensure that coaches and participants are blind to treatment condition (as described above), and 2) to ensure that participants will always have access to the intervention program (i.e., they will not compete with other family members for computer time). Once trained, children will complete the intervention at home. The intervention will consist of four 30- to 45-minute sessions per week for 8 weeks (total = 32 sessions). This intervention schedule is similar to the schedule employed by Klingberg and colleagues in their home-based CT trials with ADHD children.
Behavioral: Attention Training
The design will be a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in which half of the participants will be randomized to the intervention condition and half will receive a comparison computer program. Specifically, participants assigned to the comparison (placebo) condition will complete a modified version of the CT at home. The treatment and comparison CT programs begin identically, at the lowest difficulty level. Those in the treatment condition will complete activities of increasing difficulty over the intervention period. Those in the placebo condition, in contrast, will complete the same basic tasks during each session of the intervention, regardless of performance. In this way, a true estimate can be obtained of the efficacy of the treatment program.
Behavioral: Placebo
Computer program training for attention difficulties.
Also known as: TRICCS, RoboMemo
Comparison computer program
Memory
Time frame: 2 months and 3 months
Feasibility
Time frame: once a month for 3 months
This study is completed, as verified in Feb 2013. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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