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| Name | Class |
|---|---|
| South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust | OTHER |
| King's College London | OTHER |
| Wesnes Cognition Ltd | UNKNOWN |
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The START study will investigate the impact of playing a Grammatical Reasoning brain training task on overall brain function (cognition) and day-to-day function in people over 50.
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The study builds on existing work that has shown very promising results with brain training approaches in older adults. There is good evidence that playing brain training games leads to improvements in brain functions including memory and reasoning. There is also a suggestion that regular involvement in brain training games might help reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia later in life. It appears that reasoning, or problem-solving, is particularly important as it is one of the first abilities to decline with age. This study will use this evidence to target reasoning in a specific brain training task. It will also explore the potential role of genetic factors in how people perform in the task.
The study will compare the impact of a Grammatical Reasoning Task (START) with a control task consisting of simple picture-matching. Over 7000 participants will be randomly allocated to either START or the control and will be asked to play the task as often as they wish for a period of six weeks. Both tasks will be delivered entirely online so people will access the study from home on their computers. This will be achieved through our dedicated online research platform, PROTECT, which hosts a cohort of over 20,000 older adults who have provided DNA samples as part of a longitudinal study.
This study will measure the impact of the training on cognition and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living. Assessments will be completed online at baseline, two/six weeks and six months. Overall, this study aims to generate exciting new data about how brain training could be included in guidance on healthy ageing
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grammatical Reasoning | Other | This group will complete a short-term Intensive Grammatical Reasoning cognitive task delivered online by Wesnes Cognition Ltd (START). Participants will be encouraged to complete the START training once a day for six-weeks. |
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| Control - Card Pairs | Other | The control group will complete a basic picture-matching task that will provide the same level of engagement, but without the learning effects. |
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| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grammatical Reasoning | Other | START measures the ability to determine the relationships among different shape combinations which are assigned to grammatical statements about them which can be either correct or incorrect. It is a measure of attention, working memory and executive control. |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Executive Function From Baseline | Measured by the validated task-switching test of Trailmaking B. This is a well established computerised test of executive function. On a computer screen participants are presented with 24 circles with either numbers (0-13) or letters (A-L). They must select the circles in the correct numerical and alphabetic order, alternating numbers and letters each time (e.g. 1, A, 2, B, 3, C etc). The test is completed when all the circles have been correctly selected. The test outputs a total score. A higher score indicates a better performance. A negative mean score indicates a decline in performance. The range of scoring for this test is 0 - 300,000. Data reported here are for mean change per group form baseline to six weeks | Baseline to Six weeks |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Numerical Working Memory From Six Weeks | Digit Span test for numerical working memory. Partifcipants complete a computerised task. They must remember increasingly long strings of digits and repeat them back. Scores are based on correct responses. Higher score means better performance. Score range is 0 - 20 | Baseline to six weeks |
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Anne Corbett, BSc MRes PhD | University of Exeter Medical School | Principal Investigator |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Exeter Medical School | Exeter | EX1 2LU | United Kingdom |
De-identified individual participant data (IPD) that underlie results in a publication or for secondary data analysis purposes.
1st February 2026 for 5 years
Any research organisation wishing to use the data for analytical purposes without commercial or for-profit activity, subject to approval
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| ID | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| FG000 | Grammatical Reasoning | This group will complete a short-term Intensive Grammatical Reasoning cognitive task delivered online by Wesnes Cognition Ltd (START). Participants will be encouraged to complete the START training once a day for six-weeks. Grammatical Reasoning: START measures the ability to determine the relationships among different shape combinations which are assigned to grammatical statements about them which can be either correct or incorrect. It is a measure of attention, working memory and executive control. |
| FG001 | Control - Card Pairs | The control group will complete a basic picture-matching task that will provide the same level of engagement, but without the learning effects. Card Pairs: A basic picture-matching task. |
| Title | Milestones | Reasons Not Completed | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Study |
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| ID | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| BG000 | Grammatical Reasoning | This group will complete a short-term Intensive Grammatical Reasoning cognitive task delivered online by Wesnes Cognition Ltd (START). Participants will be encouraged to complete the START training once a day for six-weeks. Grammatical Reasoning: START measures the ability to determine the relationships among different shape combinations which are assigned to grammatical statements about them which can be either correct or incorrect. It is a measure of attention, working memory and executive control. |
| Units | Counts |
|---|---|
| Participants |
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| Title | Description | Population Description | Parameter Type | Dispersion Type | Unit of Measure | Calculate Percentage | Denominator Units Selected | Denominators | Classes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Continuous | Age of participants captured through date of birth and translated into age in years |
| Type | Title | Description | Population Description | Reporting Status | Anticipated Posting Date | Parameter Type | Dispersion Type | Unit of Measure | Calculate Percentage | Time Frame | Units Analyzed | Denominator Units Selected | Arm/Group Information | Denominators | Classes | Analyses | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Change in Executive Function From Baseline | Measured by the validated task-switching test of Trailmaking B. This is a well established computerised test of executive function. On a computer screen participants are presented with 24 circles with either numbers (0-13) or letters (A-L). They must select the circles in the correct numerical and alphabetic order, alternating numbers and letters each time (e.g. 1, A, 2, B, 3, C etc). The test is completed when all the circles have been correctly selected. The test outputs a total score. A higher score indicates a better performance. A negative mean score indicates a decline in performance. The range of scoring for this test is 0 - 300,000. Data reported here are for mean change per group form baseline to six weeks | Posted | Mean | 95% Confidence Interval | score on a scale | Baseline to Six weeks |
|
6 weeks
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| ID | Title | Description | Deaths (Affected) | Deaths (At Risk) | Serious Events (Affected) | Serious Events (At Risk) | Other Events (Affected) | Other Events (At Risk) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EG000 | Grammatical Reasoning | This group will complete a short-term Intensive Grammatical Reasoning cognitive task delivered online by Wesnes Cognition Ltd (START). Participants will be encouraged to complete the START training once a day for six-weeks. Grammatical Reasoning: START measures the ability to determine the relationships among different shape combinations which are assigned to grammatical statements about them which can be either correct or incorrect. It is a measure of attention, working memory and executive control. |
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| Title | Organization | Phone | Extension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professor Anne Corbett | University of Exeter | 01392 661000 | 4464 | a.m.j.corbett@exeter.ac.uk |
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| Type | Includes Protocol | Includes SAP | Includes ICF | Document Label | Document Date | Document Uploaded Date | Document File Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prot_SAP | Yes | Yes | No | Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan | Mar 14, 2017 | May 30, 2022 | Prot_SAP_000.pdf |
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| Card Pairs | Other | A basic picture-matching task. |
|
| Change in Working Memory From Baseline |
Measured through a computerised version of the Paired Associate Learning task in which participants must remember the location of a symbol behind a series of boxes on a screen, and accurately identify the correct location when prompted. Scores are based on accuracy. Higher score indicates better performance. Data reported here shows mean change from baseline. Range of scores is 0 - 16 |
| Baseline to six weeks |
| Change in Reaction Time From Baseline | Measured through a Simple Reaction time test as part of the Wesnes Cognition Ltd CogTrackTM system. Participants are shown a target symbol on the screen and must react by pressing the keyboard / touching the screen (depending on the device being used) when the target appears. Output is measured in milliseconds as a reaction time variable. Lower scores are better; higher scores are worse. Range of scores is 100 - 30,000 | Baseline to six weeks |
| Change in Episodic Memory From Baseline | Measured with the Delayed Picture Recognition task in which participants recall a series of images shown earlier in the cognitive test battery. The test outputs percentage of correct answers as the measure. A higher score shows a better outcome. Range output is 0 - 100 | Baseline to six weeks |
| Change in Overall Composite Measure of Global Cognition | This is a composite measure of overall cognition that is created by normalising the outputs from all other cognitive tests to give a total score out of 100. The data shown here is the change in total score from baseline to six weeks. Range is 0 - 100. A higher score indicates a better outcome | Baseline to six weeks |
| BG001 | Control - Card Pairs | The control group will complete a basic picture-matching task that will provide the same level of engagement, but without the learning effects. Card Pairs: A basic picture-matching task. |
| BG002 | Total | Total of all reporting groups |
| Mean |
| Standard Deviation |
| years |
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| Sex: Female, Male | Sex of participants captured by self-report | Count of Participants | Participants |
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| Educational Attainment | Educational attainment captured through self-report using a questionnaire that asked 'What is the highest level of education you have completed?' with the following values attached to each answer: Secondary education (GCSE/O-Levels) = 1 Post-secondary (College, A-Levels, NVQ3 or below) = 2 Vocational qualification (Diploma BTEC, NVQ4 or above) = 3 Undergraduate degree = 4 Post-graduate degree = 5 Doctorate = 6 Scores for each trial group were averaged to provide the mean educational attainment | Mean | Standard Deviation | units on a scale |
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| Race and Ethnicity Not Collected | Race and Ethnicity were not collected from any participant. | Count of Participants | Participants |
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| OG001 | Control - Card Pairs | The control group will complete a basic picture-matching task that will provide the same level of engagement, but without the learning effects. Card Pairs: A basic picture-matching task. |
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| Secondary | Change in Numerical Working Memory From Six Weeks | Digit Span test for numerical working memory. Partifcipants complete a computerised task. They must remember increasingly long strings of digits and repeat them back. Scores are based on correct responses. Higher score means better performance. Score range is 0 - 20 | Posted | Mean | 95% Confidence Interval | score on a scale | Baseline to six weeks |
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| Secondary | Change in Working Memory From Baseline | Measured through a computerised version of the Paired Associate Learning task in which participants must remember the location of a symbol behind a series of boxes on a screen, and accurately identify the correct location when prompted. Scores are based on accuracy. Higher score indicates better performance. Data reported here shows mean change from baseline. Range of scores is 0 - 16 | Posted | Mean | 95% Confidence Interval | score on a scale | Baseline to six weeks |
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| Secondary | Change in Reaction Time From Baseline | Measured through a Simple Reaction time test as part of the Wesnes Cognition Ltd CogTrackTM system. Participants are shown a target symbol on the screen and must react by pressing the keyboard / touching the screen (depending on the device being used) when the target appears. Output is measured in milliseconds as a reaction time variable. Lower scores are better; higher scores are worse. Range of scores is 100 - 30,000 | Posted | Mean | 95% Confidence Interval | time (milliseconds) | Baseline to six weeks |
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|
|
| Secondary | Change in Episodic Memory From Baseline | Measured with the Delayed Picture Recognition task in which participants recall a series of images shown earlier in the cognitive test battery. The test outputs percentage of correct answers as the measure. A higher score shows a better outcome. Range output is 0 - 100 | Posted | Mean | 95% Confidence Interval | score on a scale | Baseline to six weeks |
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| Secondary | Change in Overall Composite Measure of Global Cognition | This is a composite measure of overall cognition that is created by normalising the outputs from all other cognitive tests to give a total score out of 100. The data shown here is the change in total score from baseline to six weeks. Range is 0 - 100. A higher score indicates a better outcome | Posted | Mean | 95% Confidence Interval | score on a scale | Baseline to six weeks |
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| 0 |
| 3,279 |
| 0 |
| 3,279 |
| 0 |
| 3,279 |
| EG001 | Control - Card Pairs | The control group will complete a basic picture-matching task that will provide the same level of engagement, but without the learning effects. Card Pairs: A basic picture-matching task. | 0 | 3,265 | 0 | 3,265 | 0 | 3,265 |
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