Behavioral Interventions to Prevent or Delay Dementia: Protocol for a Randomized Comparative Effectiveness Study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Behavioral Science
• Clinical Research

Background:

• Individuals at risk for dementia and their caregivers face challenges in selecting effective behavioral interventions.
• There is a need to identify empirically supported interventions that significantly impact patient and caregiver outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine which empirically supported behavioral interventions provide the greatest benefit for patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and their partners.
• To assess the impact of interventions on highly valued outcomes such as quality of life and self-efficacy.

Main Methods:

• A comparative effectiveness trial involving 300 participants with MCI and their study partners.
• Five behavioral interventions (yoga, memory compensation training, computerized cognitive training, support groups, wellness education) were evaluated.
• A unique 10-day multicomponent intervention design where one intervention was withheld for each couple.

Main Results:

• Enrollment is complete with 272 couples participating in the trial.
• Longitudinal follow-up assessments are ongoing at multiple time points (end-of-intervention, 6, 12, 18 months).
• Primary and secondary outcomes are anticipated to be reported within the next two years.

Conclusions:

• The study protocol outlines a randomized comparative effectiveness design to evaluate behavioral interventions for dementia prevention or delay.
• The trial's rationale, design, power analysis, and analysis plan are detailed.
• Enrollment data is presented, with follow-up phases currently underway.