Massive clinical trial investigates brain training to delay dementia onset

An expansive clinical trial led by USF researchers and aimed at delaying the onset of dementia continues to receive major federal support for addressing a public health crisis.

The Preventing Alzheimer's with Cognitive Training (PACT) study has received an additional $2.8 million from the National Institutes of Health to continue researching whether computerized brain training exercises can reduce the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia such as Alzheimer's disease. The PACT study has now received more than $50 million in federal grant funding.

PACT, which began in 2020 at the University of South Florida, has expanded to include 10 sites across the southeast U.S., including at Duke University, Clemson University and the University of Florida. It is the largest clinical trial of its kind, with 7,600 older adults enrolled from all key demographic groups to participate.

Developing solutions to slow down and reduce dementia is a scientific priority for the federal government and within our society. With the Baby Boomer generation aging, we are seeing drastic increases in cognitive decline and dementia, further highlighting this critical public health problem that we need to address."

Jennifer O'Brien, study's principal investigator and associate professor of psychology, USF St. Petersburg

According to the Alzheimer's Association, more than 55 million people worldwide are living with some form of dementia. More than 7 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease.

"Cognitive impairment affects so many people either directly or indirectly, so conducting a study looking at the effectiveness of this research can have a positive impact on so many people," said Jennifer Harris, a researcher with USF's Health Informatics Institute who is part of the PACT research team. "While having such a large group of older adults from different areas of the country is important to ensure the study group represents the larger population of the country."

Enrolled PACT study participants are 65 or older with no signs of cognitive impairment or dementia. Participants began by taking part in two in-person visits to learn various brain training activities from researchers and staff. Then over the course of three years, they completed around 45 hours of computerized exercises in their own home. Participants are now returning for a third in-person study visit as a final assessment.

The large enrollment size of the study indicates a willingness and interest in older adults to participate in dementia-related research and support science, O'Brien said.

"It is a massive undertaking to enroll and keep engaged this many people across time, especially when life happens or things like hurricanes," O'Brien said. "Though we don't have results yet, one thing we have learned is how to effectively engage older adults in research and keep them motivated in a study for this length of time."

The study is expected to conclude in January 2028, with initial results published by fall of that year. 

"If we find significant benefit of training to reduce dementia risk, the delay of dementia onset by even one year could result in approximately 9.2 million fewer cases over 30 years," O'Brien said.

The PACT study is funded by the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health.