Heart Rate and Breathing Effects on Attention and Memory

Part of paid clinical trials in Los Angeles, California.

Sponsor
University of Southern California
Study ID
NCT05602220
Status
Completed

Conditions

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
50 Years - 70 Years
Healthy Volunteers
Accepted

Interventions

  • Brain training — BEHAVIORAL
    Participants will play a few brain training games using an online interface each day. These games train attention, memory and other cognitive functions.
  • Paced breathing — BEHAVIORAL
    After completing brain training, they will then immediately do one 15-minute session of paced breathing, followed by a second 15-min session of paced breathing later in the day. During the paced breathing sessions, participants will clip a pulse monitor to their ear lobe and try to inhale and exhale in synchrony with a ball that moves up and down on the screen. They will receive heart rate biofeedback regarding whether they are achieving their relaxation/alertness goal.

Study Details

In the current study, we will examine how daily paced breathing affects plasma amyloid beta levels and the rate of learning in older adults. Healthy adults aged 50-70 who meet all eligibility criteria will be invited to this study. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the two conditions: 1) Daily memory and attention training followed by a paced breathing protocol designed to increase relaxation or 2) Daily memory and attention training followed by a paced breathing protocol to increase alertness. Participants will be asked to complete pre and post intervention cognitive testing online, engage in 10 weeks of daily brain training (starting Week 2) and 9 weeks of paced breathing (starting Week 3) at home. They will also be asked to come in for lab visits on Weeks 2, 7 and 12 to provide blood and urine samples to assess amyloid beta levels and to complete magnetic resonance imaging scans to assess perivascular space volume.

Key Dates

Start date
Jan 11, 2023
Status verified
Jan 2026
Primary completion
Nov 6, 2023
Completion
Nov 13, 2023

Study Design

Enrollment
91 participants (actual)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE

Arms

  • Experimental: Brain training and paced breathing to stimulate alertness
  • Experimental: Brain training and paced breathing to relax

Primary Outcome Measure

Change in Plasma Amyloid Beta (Aβ) Levels [ Time Frame: Measured from blood draws at lab visits on Weeks 2, 7, and 12 ]

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCalifornia90089-

Find similar trials in Los Angeles, CA

By condition
Alzheimer's disease
By specialty
NeurologyDementia careBrain disordersGeriatrics
By research site
University of Southern California· Los Angeles, CA

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