A VIRTUAL Three-month Intervention Study of the Effects of a Smartphone Application (HippoCamera) on Memory in Teens and Young Adults With Down Syndrome

Conditions

• HippoCamera
• Memory Replay

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

15 Years - 35 Years

Healthy Volunteers

Not accepted

Interventions

• Memory replay — BEHAVIORAL
  Within the HippoCamera application, half of all recorded events will be categorized as "baseline" memories, and half will be categorized as "replay" memories. Baseline memories are recorded, but never viewed by the participant again until the "Early HippoCamera" test at the end of the 12-week intervention. Replay memories are recorded, and then placed into a memory gallery. HippoCamera uses a research-based algorithm to select 5 memories from this gallery for participants to replay each day. Prior research has shown that this replay is associated with significant memory enhancements for replayed v. baseline memories for HippoCamera users from other populations.

Study Details

Down syndrome is a chromosomal abnormality associated with significant deficits across multiple cognitive domains, including a disproportionate deficit in hippocampally-dependent memory. In other words, individuals with Down syndrome may have a particular difficulty remembering specific details from past events. One way this manifests itself is in overgeneral autobiographical memory, or a tendency to remember the general gist of an event or cluster of events, rather than a single, isolated event. This overgeneral memory makes it difficult for individuals with Down syndrome to access their past, can interfere with attempts to becoming more independent, and increases anxiety and depression. In the current VIRTUAL study, the investigators test whether a new digital memory prosthetic-HippoCamera-can enhance specific autobiographical memory in individuals with Down syndrome. In HippoCamera, users are asked to record and replay events from their daily lives. This replay is curated by a research-based algorithm in HippoCamera that optimizes consolidation of these events over time and has been shown to enhance memory specificity in other populations with memory impairments, particularly those that stem from hippocampal disfunction. It is, therefore, likely that similar enhancements in autobiographical memory specificity will be identified in individuals with Down syndrome, highlighting the benefits of this applications in this population.

Key Dates

Start date

Jun 1, 2025

Status verified

Jun 2025

Primary completion

Jul 31, 2026

Completion

Jul 31, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment

40 participants (estimated)

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Arms

• Experimental: Immediate intervention
  During the first 12 weeks following enrollment, the Immediate Intervention group will engage in daily practice with the HippoCamera app. HippoCamera is a smartphone application that allows participants to record and replay important events in their daily lives. Based on principles from psychology and neuroscience, engaging in this daily practice may increase focus on memory-orientated practices in participants.
• Other: Delayed Intervention
  During the first 12 weeks following enrollment, the Delayed Intervention group will serve as a control, receiving no intervention. After the initial 12 weeks, they will be entered into daily engagement with the HippoCamera app.

Primary Outcome Measure

Internal detail [ Time Frame: Baseline memory appointment (immediately prior to intervention), immediate post-treatment appointment (within a week of terminating intervention), and follow-up appointment (6 weeks after terminating intervention). ]

Central Contacts

• Jaclyn Ford, PhD
  617-312-4735
  [email protected]
• Lauren Voso, BS
  (617) 552-6949

Locations (1)

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