Multimodal measurement approach to identify individuals with mild cognitive impairment: study protocol for a cross-sectional trial

Abstract

IntroductionThe diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), that is, the transitory phase between normal age-related cognitive decline and dementia, remains a challenging task. It was observed that a multimodal approach (simultaneous analysis of several complementary modalities) can improve the classification accuracy. We will combine three noninvasive measurement modalities: functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), electroencephalography and heart rate variability via ECG. Our aim is to explore neurophysiological correlates of cognitive performance and whether our multimodal approach can aid in early identification of individuals with MCI.Methods and analysisThis study will be a cross-sectional with patients with MCI and healthy controls (HC). The neurophysiological signals will be measured during rest and while performing cognitive tasks: (1) Stroop, (2) N-back and (3) verbal fluency test (VFT). Main aims of statistical analysis are to (1) determine the differences in neurophysiological responses of HC and MCI, (2) investigate relationships between measures of cognitive performance and neurophysiological responses and (3) investigate whether the classification accuracy can be improved by using our multimodal approach. To meet these targets, statistical analysis will include machine learning approaches.This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first study that applies simultaneously these three modalities in MCI and HC. We hypothesise that the multimodal approach improves the classification accuracy between HC and MCI as compared with a unimodal approach. If our hypothesis is verified, this study paves the way for additional research on multimodal approaches for dementia research and fosters the exploration of new biomarkers for an early detection of nonphysiological age-related cognitive decline.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval was obtained from the local Ethics Committee (reference: 83/19). Data will be shared with the scientific community no more than 1 year following completion of study and data assembly.Trial registration numberClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04427436, registered on 10 June 2020, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT04427436.

A Link between Handgrip Strength and Executive Functioning: A Cross-Sectional Study in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Healthy Controls

“…In the current study, older adults with aMCI, naMCI, and healthy controls (HC) were recruited as part of a larger project (MyFit study [ 40 ]) through advertisements in local newspapers, flyers, posters, word of mouth, and by using existing databases. After recruitment, the individuals were screened for eligibility based on the following inclusion criteria: (i) 50 to 80 years old, (ii) native German-speaking, and (iii) able to manage everyday activities independently.…”

“…In accordance with the recommendations in the literature, participants with a performance below −1.5 SD in the age, sex, and education-adjusted z-value in at least one of these two cognitive subtests of the CERAD test battery were classified as aMCI [ 48 ]. Please note that this study is part of a larger project (MyFit study [ 40 ]) and in the current study we performed the analysis of selected and secondary outcome measures of this larger trial. Thus, no additional sample size calculation was performed as the available data of participants who had been recruited for the MyFit study were used (see reference [ 40 ] for more detailed information and sample size calculation of the MyFit study).…”

“…Please note that this study is part of a larger project (MyFit study [ 40 ]) and in the current study we performed the analysis of selected and secondary outcome measures of this larger trial. Thus, no additional sample size calculation was performed as the available data of participants who had been recruited for the MyFit study were used (see reference [ 40 ] for more detailed information and sample size calculation of the MyFit study).…”

Age-Related Differences in Cardiac Autonomic Control at Resting State and in Response to Mental Stress

“…The cognitive tasks lasted for about 30 min. A more detailed description of the study procedures can be found elsewhere [ 44 ].…”

“…Prior to the experiment, participants were allowed to practice both tasks to adequately familiarize them with the procedures. A detailed description of the procedure of the cognitive tasks can be found elsewhere [ 44 ].…”