Mild Cognitive ImpairmentWMTrainNCT05380739
Memory Training and Neural Plasticity
A study testing Working Memory Training in people with Mild Cognitive Impairment, run by University of Michigan at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This study will evaluate the efficacy of working memory training in older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 60 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Mild Cognitive Impairment
- What is being tested?
- Working Memory Training
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 24 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 7 Apr 2022to 11 May 2023
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 60 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- MCI Diagnosis
- Right-handedness
- MRI-eligibility for MRI participants
Who cannot join
- History of other contributing neurological or medical conditions known to affect cognitive functioning
- Significant mental illness
- Sensory impairments that limit ability to participate
- History of alcohol or drug abuse/dependence
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Working Memory Training and Neural Plasticity in Mild Cognitive Impairment
This study will evaluate the efficacy of working memory training in older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
Read the detailed description
Working memory (WM) is the ability to hold information actively in mind and is fundamental for higher-order cognition. This pilot study aims to (1) evaluate the efficacy of WM training in older adults with MCI and (2) understand if and how it works. The study will use behavioral and brain imaging assessments to see whether WM training changes how participants learn and remember information. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) methods will be used. The study will also use cognitive tests and questionnaires to determine whether participants' cognitive abilities change with training. The study will enroll participants with a diagnosis of MCI as well as cognitively intact older adults (healthy controls, HC).
- Conditions
- Mild Cognitive Impairment
- Being tested
- Working Memory Training
- Keywords
- Working Memory, Training, fMRI
- Medical subject headings
- Cognitive Dysfunction
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Working Memory TrainingBehavioural
A 10-session working memory (WM) training program
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| In-Person, MCI | Active comparator | Participants diagnosed with MCI will undergo 10 sessions of WM training in person. Receives: Behavioral: Working Memory Training |
| Online, MCI | Active comparator | Participants diagnosed with MCI will undergo 10 sessions of WM training online. Receives: Behavioral: Working Memory Training |
| Online, Healthy | Active comparator | Cognitively intact older adults will undergo 10 sessions of WM training online. Receives: Behavioral: Working Memory Training |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Gains in WM training task performance
Analyses of WM performance for each training session indexed as the mean set-size achieved during each training session for each participant
Measured: 2 weeks
Changes in brain activation within the WM network
Univariate analyses via fMRI and fNIRS, respectively, using units of brain activation (i.e., contrast estimates)
Measured: 2 weeks
Secondary outcomes (2)
Changes in criterion (fMRI) WM task performance
Analyses of WM performance indexed as percent accuracy
Measured: 2 weeks
Changes in functional connectivity within and between canonical brain networks
Graph theory analysis via fMRI and fNIRS, respectively, using measures of connectivity strength (i.e., correlation coefficients)
Measured: 2 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted19 May 2022
- Study start7 Apr 2022
- Primary completion11 May 2023
- Study completion11 May 2023
Why it stopped: Study terminated due to lack of funding
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Mild Cognitive ImpairmentStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of MichiganThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Participants in the MCI group will be assigned to receive either in-person (Arm1) or online WM training (Arm2), based on their preference and availability of equipment ensuring a stable internet connection, for 10 training sessions. Participants in the HC group will receive online training (Arm3). Data for HC who received in-person training was already collected (HUM00033133). WM performance in conjunction with brain imaging will be assessed within-subject, twice pre-training (Time1 and Time2) and once post-training (Time3), as well as \~1 month after training (Follow-up). The Time1 vs. Time2 comparison will reveal task-exposure effects, whereas the Time2 vs. Time3 comparison will reveal training effects.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 24 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Michigan
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Alexandru Iordan, University of Michigan
- Investigators
- Alexandru Iordan, Ph.D., Principal investigator, University of Michigan
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05380739
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- HUM00199574
- Acronym
- WMTrain
- Status last verified
- Oct 2025
- First submitted
- 27 Apr 2022
- Last updated
- 20 Oct 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 20 Oct 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Working Memory Training and Neural Plasticity in Mild Cognitive Impairment
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05380739
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- WMTrain / HUM00199574
- Conditions
- Mild Cognitive Impairment
- Keywords
- Working Memory, Training, fMRI
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- TerminatedReason stopped: Study terminated due to lack of funding
- Enrolment
- 24 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of MichiganUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 7 Apr 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 11 May 2023 (actual)
- Study completion
- 11 May 2023 (actual)
- First posted
- 19 May 2022 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This study will evaluate the efficacy of working memory training in older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
Detailed description
Working memory (WM) is the ability to hold information actively in mind and is fundamental for higher-order cognition. This pilot study aims to (1) evaluate the efficacy of WM training in older adults with MCI and (2) understand if and how it works. The study will use behavioral and brain imaging assessments to see whether WM training changes how participants learn and remember information. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) methods will be used. The study will also use cognitive tests and questionnaires to determine whether participants' cognitive abilities change with training. The study will enroll participants with a diagnosis of MCI as well as cognitively intact older adults (healthy controls, HC).
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 3
- Model description
- Participants in the MCI group will be assigned to receive either in-person (Arm1) or online WM training (Arm2), based on their preference and availability of equipment ensuring a stable internet connection, for 10 training sessions. Participants in the HC group will receive online training (Arm3). Data for HC who received in-person training was already collected (HUM00033133). WM performance in conjunction with brain imaging will be assessed within-subject, twice pre-training (Time1 and Time2) and once post-training (Time3), as well as ~1 month after training (Follow-up). The Time1 vs. Time2 comparison will reveal task-exposure effects, whereas the Time2 vs. Time3 comparison will reveal training effects.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| In-Person, MCI | Active comparator | Behavioral: Working Memory TrainingParticipants diagnosed with MCI will undergo 10 sessions of WM training in person. |
| Online, MCI | Active comparator | Behavioral: Working Memory TrainingParticipants diagnosed with MCI will undergo 10 sessions of WM training online. |
| Online, Healthy | Active comparator | Behavioral: Working Memory TrainingCognitively intact older adults will undergo 10 sessions of WM training online. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 60 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- MCI Diagnosis
- Right-handedness
- MRI-eligibility for MRI participants
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- History of other contributing neurological or medical conditions known to affect cognitive functioning
- Significant mental illness
- Sensory impairments that limit ability to participate
- History of alcohol or drug abuse/dependence
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Working Memory TrainingA 10-session working memory (WM) training program | Behavioural | In-Person, MCI, Online, Healthy, Online, MCI |
Primary outcome
Gains in WM training task performance
Time frame: 2 weeks
Analyses of WM performance for each training session indexed as the mean set-size achieved during each training session for each participant
Changes in brain activation within the WM network
Time frame: 2 weeks
Univariate analyses via fMRI and fNIRS, respectively, using units of brain activation (i.e., contrast estimates)
2 secondary outcomes
Changes in criterion (fMRI) WM task performance
Time frame: 2 weeks
Changes in functional connectivity within and between canonical brain networks
Time frame: 2 weeks
Results and safety
The study was stopped early (reason given: Study terminated due to lack of funding). Results are not available in the source record.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 20 Oct 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Alexandru Iordan, Ph.D. principal investigator
University of Michigan
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Working Memory Training in people with Mild Cognitive Impairment, run by University of Michigan at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: stopped early, as of the sponsor's last update on 20 Oct 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study was stopped early (reason given: Study terminated due to lack of funding). Results are not available in the source record.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Gains in WM training task performance (time frame: 2 weeks). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 20 Oct 2025.