Eye-tracking Working Memory Training in Children and Youth With Severe Cerebral Palsy

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Cogmed Working Memory Training (CWMT): This is an intensive, eye-tracking working memory (WM) training in school-aged children and young adults with severe cerebral palsy. The Cogmed Working Memory Training (CWMT) software was used as intervention software. The CWMT is adaptive, meaning, it becomes either progressively more difficult or less difficult depending on participants' performance. When a participant completes a trial correctly, the level will increase for the next trial. When a participant makes an error, the next trial will either remain on the same level or decrease in level depending on the type of error made. The CWMT program thus adapts on an individualized basis to participant's performance, allowing for training to occur at or close to an individual's highest capacity. Participants with severe cerebral palsy, users of eye-tracking technology, trained for \~30 minutes, 5 days a week for 5 weeks, i.e. 25 training sessions in total.

Study summary

People with severe cerebral palsy (CP) who are nonverbal and unable to control conventional computer interfaces due to the severe limitations in hand control benefit from eye-tracking technology as access method to Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices and to computers for education and leisure. Research has put forward the large demands that the use of AAC puts on working memory (WM), defined as our ability to temporarily store information that is no longer perceptually present, allowing us to manipulate it for meaningful goal-directed behaviour.

People with CP show significant WM deficits, which affect learning capacities and academic achievement, including impaired language and reading comprehension, and arithmetic difficulties. Cogmed WM training (CWMT) is a computerized software with a great potential to boost WM capacity and overall cognitive functioning. Its effectiveness is influenced by the theory of neuroplasticity due to repeated mental tasks.

To date, no prior study investigated the effectiveness of CWMT in children and youth with severe CP who rely on eye-tracking technology for daily-life functioning. This is the first trial that aims to explore the impact of a 5-week CWMT on WM capacity and its near-transfer effect (trained and untrained WM tasks), far-transfer effect (other cognitive abilities, quality of eye movements and behaviour) and retention 3-months post intervention.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Mean Improvement Index — 5 weeks
  The Mean Improvement Index is a metric that assesses the changes in WM span during training; and reflects near-transfer effect of WM Training on trained WM tasks. A Mean Improvement Index of ≥14 has been reported as an improvement cut-off value. The Mean Improvement Index is a built-in compliance/progress measure, calculated by subtracting the Start Index (results of day 2 and 3 of training) from the Max Index (results from the two best training days). Higher Improvement Index scores indicate greater compliance and progress with CWMT.

Trial sites (1)

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