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Working Memory Training for Parkinson's Disease (PDWM Trial)

N/A

Waitlist Available

Led By Stephanie Jones, PhD

Research Sponsored by Gail Eskes

Eligibility Criteria Checklist

Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial

Must have

Clinical diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's disease

Be classified as Hohn & Yahr Stage 1 or 2

Must not have

Not on a stable dose of dopaminergic therapy

Classification as Hohm & Yahr Stage 3 or 4

Timeline

Screening 3 weeks

Treatment Varies

Follow Up baseline

Summary

This trial will explore if a working memory training program can help improve cognitive and behavioural functions in early Parkinson's Disease patients taking medication.

Who is the study for?

This trial is for early-stage Parkinson's disease patients who feel their working memory isn't good or have clinically identified memory issues. They must be on a consistent dose of dopaminergic therapy and not have dementia, other major neurological conditions, or severe psychiatric disorders.

What is being tested?

The study tests if working memory training can help with cognitive functions in Parkinson's patients taking dopamine drugs. Participants will try different types of memory tasks to see which might improve their brain function.

What are the potential side effects?

Since the interventions involve non-medical tasks focused on working memory training, there are no direct medical side effects expected from participating in this study.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

You may be eligible if you check “Yes” for the criteria below

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I have been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease without a known cause.

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My Parkinson's disease is in the early stages.

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I am on a consistent dose of medication for dopamine regulation.

Exclusion Criteria

You may be eligible for the trial if you check “No” for criteria below:

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I am not on a consistent dose of medication for dopamine regulation.

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My Parkinson's disease is at an advanced stage.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks3 visits

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~ baseline

Screening ~ 3 weeks

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~baseline

This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and baseline for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Study objectives can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.

Primary study objectives

Baseline Working memory function

Secondary study objectives

Baseline Executive functioning

Baseline fluid intelligence

Trial Design

3Treatment groups

Experimental Treatment

Placebo Group

Group I: Late training groupExperimental Treatment2 Interventions

The late training group will consist of 10 randomly assigned participants who will engage in a non-adaptive working memory training task (i.e. an active control task) immediately after baseline assessment for 5 weeks. After the initial 5 weeks of the active control task they will then switch to the adaptive working memory task (the intervention) for 5 weeks. This is a randomized controlled cross-over design.

Group II: Early training groupExperimental Treatment2 Interventions

The early training group will consist of 10 randomly assigned participants who will begin the adaptive working memory training task immediately after baseline assessment. They will continue training on the adaptive working memory training task for 5 weeks, after which they will continue for 5 weeks using a non-adaptive working memory task (active control task).

Group III: No training groupPlacebo Group1 Intervention

The no training group will engage in no training over the course of the pilot study, but will still participate in baseline, 5 week, 10 . This will allow us to determine if changes in the outcome and assessment variables are due to the working memory training or progression in the disease itself.

0 / 5Eligibility criteria met