Personalized walking and memory programs for older Veterans with slow gait and memory worries
Official title: Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome: Refining Treatment Strategies and Testing Feasibility to Personalize Treatment for Older Veterans
Funded at VA Boston Health Care System · NIH-11301803 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project is testing two programs—Functional Power Training and Music-Based Digital Therapy—to help older Veterans who walk slowly and have early memory complaints.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | VA Boston Health Care System NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | March 1, 2025 |
| Project end | February 28, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5IK2RX005294-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11301803 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Older Veterans with Motoric Cognitive Risk—marked by slower gait speed and self-reported memory or thinking concerns but not full dementia—are the best candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People with advanced dementia, severe mobility impairments that prevent exercise, or those unable to attend in-person visits at VA Boston are unlikely to benefit from this pilot.
What this research studies
If you are an older Veteran who walks more slowly than before and are noticing memory or thinking problems, this project will try two treatments: Functional Power Training (FPT), a targeted exercise program to improve strength and walking, and Music-Based Digital Therapy (MBDT), a music-guided program to support movement and cognition. Participants (about 54 Veterans) will enter a pilot SMART design where they are initially assigned to a treatment and non-responders may be switched or given combined treatments to find the best sequence for each person. The team will collect walking measures, cognitive questionnaires, and adherence data to refine practical treatment manuals. The aim is to create personalized care plans that clinicians can use for Veterans with Motoric Cognitive Risk.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help older Veterans slow declines in walking and thinking and tailor treatments to each person.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies indicate FPT and music-based therapies can improve walking and sometimes cognition, but applying a SMART design to personalize these treatments for MCR is a novel pilot approach.
Where this research is happening
-
VA Boston Health Care System
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ogawa, Elisa — VA Boston Health Care System
- Study coordinator: Ogawa, Elisa
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Role of electrical synapses in sleep, wake, and sensory processing
Scientists want to understand how a brain protein that forms electrical connections affects sleep patterns and the way we process sounds.
-
Understanding how PTSD affects self-control and brain function
Researchers are studying how PTSD changes the brain’s control over thoughts and actions, and how this might affect Veterans’ daily lives and responses to treatment.
-
Expressive Writing to Help Sexual Minority Veterans with Depression and Anxiety
A brief writing program to help sexual minority veterans feel less depression and anxiety.
-
Adjunctive Motivational Alcohol Help to Reduce IPV in Veterans
A brief alcohol-focused counseling session added to IPV treatment for veterans may help reduce alcohol problems and violent behavior toward partners.
-
Traumatic Stress, Epigenetic Aging, and Heart Risk in Veterans
A large study using Veterans Affairs data to see if traumatic stress and faster biological aging relate to higher risk of stroke and heart disease.
-
How Veterans move from a positive PTSD screen to VA mental health care
This project looks at the steps Veterans take after a positive PTSD screen to see how they get connected to VA mental health services.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.