Sleep-dependent Learning in Aging

NCT ID: NCT03840083

Last Updated: 2025-04-03

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 584 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2018-07-15
• Study Completion Date: 2025-07-15

Brief Summary

The specific objective of this proposed research is to understand whether deficits in sleep-dependent memory changes reflect age-related changes in sleep, memory, or both. The central hypothesis is that changes in both memory and sleep contribute to age-related changes in sleep-dependent memory processing. To this end, the investigators will investigate changes in learning following intervals of sleep (overnight and nap) and wake in young and older adults.

Detailed Description

Exp 1: Using neuroimaging, the investigators will consider whether differences in brain areas engaged during memory encoding contribute to age-related changes in sleep-dependent memory consolidation for a word-pair learning task.

Exp 2: The investigators will examine the rate of memory decay between encoding and sleep using two probes of declarative memory (word-pair learning and visuo-spatial learning).

Exp 3: The investigators will provide additional opportunity for encoding of the word-pair and visuo-spatial learning tasks.

Exp 4: Using neuroimaging, the investigators will examine neural engagement during encoding and performance following intervals of sleep and wake.

Exp 5: The investigators will examine the rate of decay of motor sequence learning.

Exp 6: The investigators will examine whether enhanced training ('overtraining') improves sleep-dependent memory consolidation for older adults.

Conditions

Sleep

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NON_RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Sleep

Individuals will either nap (Exps 1, 4) or have overnight sleep (Exps 2, 3, 5, 6)

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Sleep

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants will sleep (either a mid-day nap or normal overnight sleep)

Wake

Individuals will stay awake for the same amount of time as they slept in the sleep condition

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Sleep

Participants will sleep (either a mid-day nap or normal overnight sleep)

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Age 18-80 yrs
• Healthy sleeper
• No diagnosed sleep or neurodegenerative disorder

Exclusion Criteria

1. Past diagnosis of any sleep disorder or evidence of a sleep disorder as assessed by self-reported sleep quality assessments, a standardized diagnostic interview, and an acclimation night of polysomnography. Using acclimation-night polysomnography, participants will be excluded with an Apnea-Hypopnea Index >15; a Period-Limb Movement in Sleep index of >15/hr; sleep-onset latency > 45 min (indicative of insomnia); or sleep efficiency < 80% (see Edinger et al., Sleep, 2004). In cases in which questions arise regarding a participants' inclusion or sleep records, a practicing neurologist board-certified in sleep medicine will review the documentation.

2. Past diagnosis neurological illness or head injury

3. Reported average sleep per night < 5 or > 9 hrs

4. Current employment involving shift work or an inability to keep a regular sleep schedule during the week prior to testing

5. Current use of psychotropic, recreational drugs, or sleep-altering medications (sleep medications, cold medicines within the past week, clonidine, sympathomimetic stimulants)

6. Daily caffeine intake of > 4 cups (coffee, tea, colas)

7. Weekly alcohol intake of > 10 cups

8. Pregnancy or < 12 months post-partum

9. History of bipolar disorder, mania, or current evidence of depression as measured by Beck Depression Inventory score > 25

10. Abnormal sleep (e.g., shift work, travel across >2 time zones within the past 3 months).

11. Diagnosis of any Axis I disorder, neurological illness or head injury (according to Demographic and Health History form);

12. Score indicative of cognitive dysfunction (subtest scores < 40)

13. Beck Depression Scale score indicative of depression (> 19).

Additionally, individuals will be excluded from magnetic resonance imaging studies (Exps 1, 4) for:

1. Left handed or ambidextrous

2. Claustrophobia

3. Presence of metal (thoroughly screened via questionnaire and metal detector)

4. Pregnancy

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 80 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Rebecca Spencer

Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

University of Massachusetts

Amherst, Massachusetts, United States

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

United States

Facility Contacts

Mary Emma Searles

Role: primary

msearles@umass.edu

413-545-4831

Other Identifiers

2017-4290

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id