[Effects of a personalised, adapted computerised cognitive stimulation programme versus stimulating leisure activities in younger and older adults with mild or subjective cognitive impairment. Protocol for a randomised controlled trial]

Abstract

Background:: Mild cognitive impairment represents a transitional stage between healthy aging and dementia, with subjective cognitive impairment being a key predictor of progression to dementia. This randomized controlled trial aims to compare the effectiveness of a personalized computerized cognitive stimulation program with that of stimulating leisure activities in younger and older adults with mild or subjective cognitive impairment.

Methods:: Participants aged ≥ 50 with mild cognitive impairment and subjective cognitive impairment or scores between 24 and 31 on the Spanish Mini-Mental State Examination were recruited. Exclusion criteria comprised living in residential care, use of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, sensory impairments, agitation, or having received cognitive stimulation in the past 12 months. Fifty-nine community-dwelling individuals in Zaragoza, Spain, were randomly assigned to an two interventions group or a control group. The first intervention group will receive personalized computerized cognitive stimulation for 30 minutes per day, five days per week, while the second intervention group will participate in two to five stimulating leisure activities. The intervention will last eight weeks. The control group will receive the usual care for the same duration. The primary outcome is the assessment of global cognition; secondary outcomes include memory, verbal fluency, activities of daily living, and mood.

Figure 1. Protocol of the randomised controlled trial.