An RCT of Speed of Processing Training in Middle-Aged and Older Adults with HIV

NIH RePORTER · NIH · R01 · $425,338 · view on reporter.nih.gov ↗

Abstract

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): As people age with HIV, the synergistic effects with normal age-related cognitive declines will accentuate and/or accelerate declines in cognitive functioning which can be detected as early as in one's 40s. Although interventions are needed to protect/improve cognitive functioning, one intervention already exists to improve speed of processing. NINR/NIA (January 14, 2014) announced that Speed of Processing Training used in the ACTIVE Study (N = 2,802 community-dwelling older adults) has the ability to enable "older people to maintain their cognitive abilities as they age" even 10 years after training. As shown in the ACTIVE Study, this intervention uniquely improves driving, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), health-related quality of life, self-rated health, internal locus of control, and protects one from depression; these represent areas of needed intervention for adults with HIV as well. In adults with HIV, our pilot studies likewise indicate speed of processing declines are associated with poorer driving simulator performance and more self-reported at-fault automobile crashes; such speed of processing declines on driving alone represent a significant public health concern. We also demonstrated that Speed of Processing Training improved this cognitive ability and translated into improved performance on a timed measure of IADLs. Based on our prior research, this RCT proposal consists of a pre-post two-year longitudinal experimental design whereby 264 adults with HIV, 40+ years and diagnosed with HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder, will be randomly assigned to one of three training conditions: 1) 10 hours of laboratory-based Speed of Processing Training, 2) 20 hours of laboratory- based Speed of Processing Training, or 3) 10 hours of a standardized computer-contact control (sham) condition. AIM 1: Determine whether 10 vs 20 hours of speed of processing training will improve this cognitive ability at post-test, year 1, and year 2 after baseline. AIM 2: Determine whether 10 vs 20 hours of speed of processing training will improve everyday functioning at post-test, year 1, and year 2 after baseline. Exploratory AIM: Determine whether improvement in speed of processing and/or everyday functioning over time mediate improvement in quality of life (e.g., depression).

Key facts

NIH application ID
9868329
Project number
5R01MH106366-05
Recipient
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
Principal Investigator
DAVID E VANCE
Activity code
R01
Funding institute
NIH
Fiscal year
2020
Award amount
$425,338
Award type
5
Project period
2016-04-01 → 2023-02-28