Twice-daily digital memory training for older adults
Official title: Behavioral Intervention Development Core - Long Term Memory Digital Intervention in Aging
Run by University of California, San Francisco · NCT06916221 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study will test whether a web-based game-like memory training delivered on an iPad can improve long-term memory and inhibitory control in older adults, including those with mild cognitive impairment.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 60 Years to 85 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 150 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | University of California, San Francisco Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (San Francisco, California) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | August 20, 2025 |
| Main results expected | January 31, 2028 |
| Study ends | July 31, 2028 |
| Registry record updated | April 2, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT06916221 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Ideal participants are English-fluent, medically healthy adults age 60 or older with at least 12 years of education who may have below-average cognition or MCI but do not have dementia.
✕Probably not a fit
People under 60, those with diagnosed dementia or other neurological/psychiatric disorders, individuals with uncorrected vision or hearing loss, or those with extensive recent musical training may not benefit or be eligible.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This randomized controlled study assigns older adult participants to one of two web-based memory-training apps delivered through the Neuroscape Nexus platform on a study-provided iPad. Participants complete baseline cognitive tests and surveys, engage in up to 8 weeks of training (about 45 minutes several days per week for a target of ~1000 minutes), and then repeat the assessments immediately after training and again six months later. All tasks are completed remotely with reminders and progress tracking via the Nexus dashboard. The trial compares memory-based game interventions to determine whether one approach yields larger, longer-lasting gains in long-term memory and cognitive control.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could produce measurable improvements in long-term memory and cognitive control that help everyday memory tasks for older adults.
How similar studies have gone: Previous digital cognitive-training studies have produced mixed but promising results for memory and attention, so this approach builds on some positive prior findings but is not yet definitive.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Minimum of 12 years of education * English fluency: All task instructions are presented in English language text. In order to control for sufficient and equivalent participant comprehension of the procedures and instructions, we require their self-report of fluency in English. * Normal or corrected-to-normal vision * Normal or corrected-to-normal hearing * Medically healthy older adults, including those with below-average cognitive performance /MCI patients without dementia referred by neuropsychologists (i.e., no participant medical records will be reviewed). Exclusion Criteria: * Under the age of 60 * Clinical diagnosis of neurological or psychiatric disorder Clinical diagnosis of dementia or AD8 score of \>4 * Visually or hearing impaired without correction to normal * Regularly (one or more times per week) practicing an instrument within the last year * 10 years or more of formal musical instrument training
Where it's running
-
University of California, San Francsico
San Francisco, California, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Peter E Wais, PhD — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Melissa Arioli, AB
- Email: bid.core@ucsf.edu
- Phone: (415) 502-7321
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.