Mindfulness in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Managing stress and cognitive difficulties with a modified mindfulness-based intervention in patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) admitted to intensive care
IRAS ID
219501
Contact name
Marcela Vizcaychipi
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
not yet assigned (05/12/2016), ClinicalTrials.gov ID: C&W1234
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 3 months, 30 days
Research summary
The proposed study will evaluate the effects of a modified mindfulness intervention that has been designed to improve accessibility and facilitate engagement for elderly participants with memory and emotional difficulties. Management of emotional difficulties associated with anxiety and stress can improve psychological well-being in sufferers, and in turn can enhance cognitive capacity to maximise function. Mindfulness interventions are gentle, non-invasive and cost effective techniques that have been designed for stress reduction, that have been associated with improvements in mood, stress, pain management and overall well-being in a range of clinical and healthy populations. In addition mindfulness interventions have also been shown to improve cognitive function and emotion regulation by enhancing attentional awareness, attentional flexibility and attentional capacity. However, very few studies to date focus on elderly participants and no study to date has tried to modify the current 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction training in older adult populations.
400 patients, 65 years and older, who have been admitted to intensive care, and formally diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) at the Memory Clinic in Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Trust, London, will be invited to take part. The mindfulness course will take five consecutive weeks, with one session each week. Physiological measures assessed will include for example heart rate variability or analysis of hair for cortisol analysis of stress hormone cortisol, depending on the stage of the project. Psychological measures will involve self-report, validated questionnaires such as Becks Anxiety Inventory, Five Factor Mindfulness Quotient, Self-compassion Scale, Rumination Scale, and Perceived Stress Scale. Assessment sessions of these measures will take place at three different time points: before the mindfulness course starts, directly after the final session of the course, and at a 1-month follow-up.The pilot research is being funded by the Imperial College Alzheimer's Network, London.
REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/0639
Date of REC Opinion
2 May 2017
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion