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Status unknownNCT03823183VIBALUpdated Feb 1, 2019

Multi-domain Versus Uni-Domain Training on Executive Control and Memory Functions of Older Adults

An interventional study of Cognitive training and Physical training in Executive Functions and Memory Functions, sponsored by Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia. Status unknown at 1 site in Spain. Open to participants aged 60 Years to 80 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2019-02-01.

Sponsored by Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science

The sponsor has not verified this record recently (last verified Jan 2019), so the status shown — last known as Enrolling by invitation — may be out of date.

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 3 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Oct 2018, registered Jan 2019).
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
120
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
60 Years to 80 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Age-related cognitive decline affects negatively daily living and quality of life of older adults. Previous research has shown a moderate impact of cognitive and physical training on the cognitive functioning of elders. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) examines the differential impact of multi-domain cognitive (video game training) and physical training (the physical exercise was Body-attack, a mixed of dance, aerobic, strength, and muscular resistance versus cognitive training and physical training separately, on executive control and memory functions of healthy older adults (N=120), in comparison with an active control group. Participants (between 60 and 80 years old) will be allocated randomly to one of the four experimental groups: 1) physical training-single domain: physical training and cognitive control activity; 2) cognitive training-single domain: cognitive training and physical control activity; 3) cognitive-physical multi-domain: physical training and cognitive training; 4) active control: physical control activity and cognitive control activity. Physical training will be group-based and include coordination, aerobic exercise and strength exercise. The physical control activity will include stretching and relaxation exercises. The cognitive training will consist of commercial brain training video games. Difficulty will be automatically adjusted to the performance level of the participant. The cognitive control activity will be cognitively non-demanding video games. Physical activities (experimental and control) will be trained for 40 min and cognitive activities (experimental and control) for 40 min consecutively during the same session. There will be 2 session/wk over 3 months. Executive functioning, memory functions and psychological wellbeing will be assessed using behavioral and electrophysiological measures at baseline, after study completion and at 3-month follow-up. The main goal was to investigate possible intervention-related transfer effects to untrained executive and memory functions. The goal is to find out whether multi-domain training improves more executive and memory functions that are often compromised in later years, but essential for everyday activities. We expect to find larger transfer effects in the multi-domain condition than in the uni-domain conditions, shorter ERP latencies of the P2 component, and enhanced N2 and P3b components after training.

Read the detailed description

All participants complete one of the four combinations of cognitive training with video games and physical exercise. The cognitive component will be either a brain training video game program selected from Lumosity (cognitive intervention, CI) or video games not specifically designed to train attention and executive control (cognitive control, CC). The physical exercise component will be either Body-attack, a combination of dance, aerobic, strength, and muscular resistance (exercise intervention, EI) or its control condition composed of stretching, toning and relaxation (exercise control, EC).

02

Conditions studied

  • Executive Functions
  • Memory Functions

Keywords

  • Aging, geriatrics & gerontology
  • Video-game cognitive training
  • Dance
  • Physical exercise
  • Multi-domain training
  • Executive functions
  • Memory functions
  • Plasticity
  • Transfer
  • Follow-up intervention
  • Randomized controlled trial
03

In context

Lead sponsor

Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia is the lead sponsor of 15 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
60 Years to 80 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

No current intensive sports or physical activity practice. No current use of brain-training video games

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

Dementia. Mild Cognitive Impairment. A neurological or major psychiatric disorder. Significant heart illness. Lung disease.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Factorial assignment
Masking
Single (Participant)
Enrollment
120 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Multi-domain training

    Group that receives cognitive training and physical training

    Behavioral: Cognitive training · Behavioral: Physical training

  • Experimental
    Cognitive training

    Group that receives cognitive training and physical control activity

    Behavioral: Cognitive training · Behavioral: Physical control

  • Experimental
    Physical activity

    Group that receives control cognitive activity and physical training

    Behavioral: Physical training · Behavioral: Cognitive control

  • Active comparator
    Active control

    Group that receives cognitive control activity and physical control activity

    Behavioral: Cognitive control · Behavioral: Physical control

Interventions

  • BehavioralCognitive training

    Group-based cognitive training on iPads with commercially available video games (Lumosity) designed to enhance executive control, memory functions and processing speed. Difficulty will be automatically adjusted to the performance level of the participant. Participants will train for 40 min 2 days/wk over 3 months.

  • BehavioralPhysical training

    Group-based fitness program (senior-friendly adaption of BodyAttack) that combines aerobic, strength and coordination training to a music soundtrack. Participants will train for 40 min, 2 days/wk over 3 months.

  • BehavioralCognitive control

    Group-based cognitive control activity consisting of playing on iPads non-cognitively demanding video games during 40 min 2 days/wk over 3 months and exercises based on relaxation and stretching for 40 min, 2 days/wk over 3 months.

  • BehavioralPhysical control

    Group-based exercises program (based on relaxation and stretching) for 40 min, 2 days/wk over 3 months.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Executive functions assessed with Memory-based Task Switching

    Reaction time (RT) of correct responses in Memory-based Task Switching

    Time frame: Change from Baseline in Memory-based Task Switching to 3 and 6 months

  2. Executive functions assessed with Memory-based Task Switching

    Performance in the Memory-base Task Switching: Neurophysiological parameter-Event-related potentials (ERPs) in the Memory-Based Task Switching

    Time frame: Change from Baseline in Memory-based Task Switching to 3 and 6 months

  3. Attention assessed with Trail Making Test A+B

    Performance in Trail Making Test A+B score

    Time frame: Change from Baseline in Trail Making Test to 3 and 6 months

  4. Inhibition assessed with Stroop Task

    Reaction time (RT) of correct responses in the Stroop Task

    Time frame: Change from Baseline in Stroop Task to 3 and 6 months

  5. Working memory assessed with the N-back Task

    Hits-False Alarms in the N-back Task

    Time frame: Change from Baseline in the N-Back Task to 3 and 6 months

  6. Immediate visual memory assessed with Visual Memory Face I (Weschler Memory Scale)

    Units on the Scale: scale range (minimum score = 0 and maximum score = 48).

    Time frame: Change from Baseline in Face I to 3 and 6 months

  7. Differed visual memory assessed with Visual Memory Face II (Weschler Memory Scale)

    Units on the Scale: scale range (minimum score = 0 and maximum score = 48). With data from Visual Memory Face I (inmediate recognition) and Visual Memory Face II (differed recognition) we compute the percentage of memory retention = Visual Memory Face II / Visual Memory Face I X 100

    Time frame: Change from Baseline in Face II to 3 and 6 months

  8. Immediate verbal memory assessed with Pair-Words I (Weschler Memory Scale)

    Units on the Scale: scale range for Recall (minimum score = 0 and maximum score = 32).

    Time frame: Change from Baseline in Pair-Words I to 3 and 6 months

  9. Differed verbal memory assessed with Pair-Words II (Weschler Memory Scale)

    Units on the Scale: scale range for Recall (minimum score = 0 and maximum score = 8). scale range for Recognition (minimum score =0 and maximum score = 24) Recall. With data from Pair-Words I (inmediate recognition) and Pair-Words II (differed recognition) we compute the percentage of memory retention = Pair-Words II / Pair-Word I X 100

    Time frame: Change from Baseline in Pair-Words II to 3 and 6 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Emotional and affective wellbeing assessed with Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)

    Units on the Scale: 20 items Each item is evaluated between 0 (nothing) and 5 (many). Positive emotions are assessed with items: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19. Negative emotions are assessed with items: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20.

    Time frame: Change from Baseline in PANAS to 3 and 6 months

  2. Emotional and affective wellbeing assessed with The Life Satisfaction Index (LSI): 20 items Each item is assessed using two-point agree/disagree score rated items 0 for a response indicating dissatisfaction and 1 for satisfaction.

    Units on the Scale: 20 items A two-point agree/disagree score rated items 0 for a response indicating dissatisfaction and 1 for satisfaction.

    Time frame: Change from Baseline in LSI to 3 and 6 months

  3. Cardio-respiratory capacity assessed with the 6 Minutes Walk Test

    Physiological parameter

    Time frame: Change from Baseline in 6 Minutes Walk Test to 3 and 6 months

  4. Physical dimension assessed with The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)

    Units on the Scale

    Time frame: Change from Baseline in SPPB to 3 and 6 months

  5. Demographic interview and medical history

    Respond to questions related to demographics and medical history

    Time frame: Baseline

  6. General cognitive state assessed with Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE)

    Units on the test: scale range (minimum score = 0 and maximum score = 30). Values between 27 and 30 points are considered as "appropriate cognitive state". Values between 24 and 26 points are considered as "possible mild cognitive impairment" Values between 0 and 23 points are considered as "possible dementia". This test is a screening test and it is not adequate to diagnose. In this protocol participants with scores under 27 will be excluded from the study.

    Time frame: Baseline

  7. General depression state assessed with Yesavage Abbreviate Questionnaire. (GDS)

    Units on the test: scale range (minimum score = 0 and maximum score = 15). Values between 0 and 5 points are considered as "no depression". Values between 5 and 10 points are considered as "mild depression" Values between 10 and 15 points are considered as "severe depression". This test is a screening test and it is not adequate to diagnose. In this protocol participants with scores greater than 5 will be excluded from the study.

    Time frame: Baseline

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Department of Basic Psychology II (UNED)
    Madrid, 28040, Spain
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Ballesteros S, Rieker JA, Mayas J, Prieto A, Toril P, Jimenez MP, Reales JM. Effects of multidomain versus single-domain training on executive control and memory in older adults: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2020 May 14;21(1):404. doi: 10.1186/s13063-020-04293-3. PubMed 32410715 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Feb 1, 2019, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03823183
Lead sponsor
Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
Collaborators
Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) - Government of Spain
Responsible party
Soledad Ballesteros (Investigator Official Title Ph.D. Emeritus Professor of Psychology, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jan 30, 2019
Start date
Oct 1, 2018
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2019 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 31, 2020 (estimated)
Last update
Feb 1, 2019

Study contacts

Soledad Ballesteros, PhD
principal investigator · UNED

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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