# Virtual Reality and Computerized Cognitive Intervention for Mild Cognitive Impairment in Heart Failure

> **NIH NIH K76** · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · 2024 · $231,681

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 Heart failure (HF) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are prevalent among older adults in the U.S.
Patients with HF are twice as likely to have MCI than people without HF. Cognitive impairment in HF is associated
with significant decline in one’s ability to take care of one’s self and higher 12-month mortality. A small number
of cognitive interventions have demonstrated preliminary efficacy in improving cognitive function in HF. However,
this work suffers from some major limitations: 1) lack of focus on patients who already have cognitive impairments
and at higher risk of dementia; 2) focus on single-component interventions; 3) lack of evaluation of
responsiveness variables including genetic biomarkers; and 4) lack of long-term follow-up. Dr. Miyeon Jung,
PhD, RN proposes to address this gap by conducting a randomized controlled pilot trial to estimate the
preliminary efficacy of a virtual reality-based cognitive restoration (Vita) combined with a computerized cognitive
training intervention (Com) relative to each intervention alone and standard of care among 172 older HF patients
with MCI. The Specific aims of the project are to estimate the effects of the Vita and Com interventions
individually and in combination to improve: 1) attention and memory (Aim 1); 2) HF self-care, instrumental
activities of daily living, and health-related quality of life (Aim 2); and 3) dementia free survival (Aim 3) over 1
year. In addition, she will explore moderating factors that may influence intervention efficacy (i.e., baseline
cognitive function, depressive symptoms, HF severity, and presence of apolipoprotein E ε4 and BDNF Met allele).
 Dr. Jung proposes career development/training activities to develop expertise in diagnosing MCI
from normal cognition and dementia during this K76 award. Her multidisciplinary mentoring team consists of
highly successful leaders in the fields of neurology and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (LG
Apostolova, MD, MSc, primary mentor and dementia expert), cardiovascular nursing and HF (SJ Pressler, PhD,
expert in cognition and health-related quality of life in HF; DK Moser, PhD, expert in HF self-care and aging),
cardiology with HF specialty (I Gradus-Pizlo, MD), biostatistics with expertise in clinical trials (S Gao, PhD), and
human-centered technology (RJ Holden, PhD). Dr. Jung will receive training via mentor-mentee interactions in
group and individual settings, engaging in didactic coursework, workshops, and professional meetings, and
conduct of the proposed research study. The planned training activities will support Dr. Jung to: 1) develop
expertise in diagnosing cognitive impairment; 2) test preliminary efficacy of Vita+Com intervention among older
adults with HF and MCI; 3) develop leadership skills to become a leader who runs multidisciplinary research
teams and mentors future generations of researchers; and 4) become a successful R01-funded independent
investigator. In summary, Dr. Ju...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10837819
- **Project number:** 5K76AG074940-03
- **Recipient organization:** INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Miyeon Jung
- **Activity code:** K76 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $231,681
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-08-15 → 2027-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10837819

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10837819, Virtual Reality and Computerized Cognitive Intervention for Mild Cognitive Impairment in Heart Failure (5K76AG074940-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10837819. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*