By Victoria Mullen, WKTV
The numbers are staggering, the financial and societal costs exorbitant. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, an estimated 5.7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s today. By 2050, the number is expected to increase to nearly 14 million.
And here’s a sobering thought: Cognitive decline begins at the age of 25. Dementia — the deterioration of memory most often seen in aging adults — takes hold early on and starts gradually, but then accelerates when we are in our 70s and 80s.
But what if solving brain games and puzzles on a computer could reduce the chances of developing dementia and delay the debilitating loss of function?
That’s the premise behind a new clinical trial, which is seeking volunteers for a three-year study. The PACT (Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease with Cognitive Training) Alzheimer’s clinical trial needs 600 people of all ethnicities from the West Michigan area to play computer games. Overall, the study needs 7,600 people to enroll and will be conducted at 15 locations across the U.S.
The study is spearheaded by David Morgan, Ph.D., Professor of Translational Neuroscience at Michigan State University, who relocated here in late 2017 from the University of South Florida in Tampa.
The study began in East Grand Rapids this past July, and a second study location just opened this Fall in South Grand Rapids.
Specifically, participants will be provided free access to a series of computer games designed to increase your brain’s processing speed. If you qualify to help, you will complete three study visits of one hour each at the PACT Research study location nearest you. You will then complete 45 one-hour sessions on your own, in your own home, over the next three years.
“This study will definitely prove if computer games can (or cannot) reduce the risk of developing cognitive impairment leading to dementia,” said Morgan. “A critical piece is that everyone who declines cognitively during the study will receive a medical diagnosis, something not done in the earlier study.”
Participants must be over 65 years old, free of severe neurological or psychiatric illness, and able to play computer games. You may qualify if you:
- are 65 years of age or older
- do not have any neurological disorders
- have not had a stroke or brain injury
- do not have mild cognitive impairment or dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease
What’s in it for you? There’s no monetary compensation, but research has shown that brain games may:
- protect against dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease
- enhance mental quickness and visual attention
- improve gait speed and balance
- improve driving safety
- maintain health and well-being
- allow you to perform everyday tasks more efficiently
- protect against depression
In short, all the things that money can’t buy.
If the researchers can enroll enough older adults in the trial, they will apply for a larger grant to train and monitor a cohort of participants for five to seven years. That study will include genetic testing and neuro-imaging of the brain to gain a better understanding of who is more likely to develop dementia and would benefit from this training.
