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Completed

NCT Number: NCT06281652

Cognitive Intervention With Go and Chess in Early and Subjective Cognitive Decline

The goal of this clinical trial]is to evaluate if learning to play traditional board games could improve cognition in subjects with mild cognitive impairment and subjective cognitive decline. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Do Go and Chess improve cognition? * Is a game better than the other? Is the effect of both games on cognition synergistic? * Do Go and Chess improve quality of life? * Do Go and Chess improve mood? * Do Go and Chess improve lifestyle?

Participants will be randomized to one of four groups:

* Group intervention with Go, once a week, for 12 weeks * Group intervention with Chess, once a week, for 12 weeks * Group intervention with Go and Chess, twice a week, for 12 weeks * Control group

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Key information

Conditions

Mild Cognitive Impairment Cognition Disorders Cognitive Dysfunction Mental Disorders Neurocognitive Disorders Subjective Cognitive Decline

Age range

55 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori

Monza, Lombardy, 20900, Italy

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment or subjective cognitive decline
  • Willingness to participate in the board games classes
  • Living within 20-minute driving distance from the center
  • Signed informed consent

Exclusion criteria

  • Prior knowledge of the the game rules (in case the subject knows one of the two, they can be randomized to the other one)
  • Significant linguistic or sensory impairment (according to clinical judgment)
  • Significant behavioral or psychiatric disturbances (according to clinical judgment)
  • Significant medical comorbidities (according to clinical judgment)

Treatment and study plan

Go classes

Other

Classes of board games (Go), performed in groups of 6-10 subjects, once a week

Chess classes

Other

Classes of board games (Chess), performed in groups of 6-10 subjects, once a week

Primary outcomes

  1. General cognition

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Differences in Montreal Cognitive Assessment between groups [continuous scale, 0-30, higher scores indicate better performances]

Secondary outcomes

  1. Digit Span Forward

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Differences in Digit Span Forward between groups [continuous scale, 0-9, higher scores indicate better performances]

  2. Digit Span Backwards

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Differences in Digit Span Backwards between groups [continuous scale, 0-9, higher scores indicate better performances]

  3. Trail Making Test - part A

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Differences in Trail Making Test - part A between groups [time to complete the task, min 0 seconds, max N/A, higher scores indicate worse performances]

  4. Trail Making Test - part B

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Differences in Trail Making Test - part B between groups [time to complete the task, min 0 seconds, max N/A, higher scores indicate worse performances]

  5. Semantic fluency

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Differences in Semantic fluency between groups [continuous scale, min 0, max N/A, higher scores indicate better performances]

  6. Quality of life indicator

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Differences in WHO Quality of life (WHO-QoL) scale between groups [continuous scale, min 0 max 100, higher scores indicate better quality of life]

  7. Depression

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Differences in geriatric depression scale scale between groups [continuous scale, min 0 max 15, higher scores indicate worse depression]

  8. Lifestyle

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Differences in simple lifestyle indicator questionnaire scale between groups [continuous scale, min 0 max 10, higher scores indicate healthier lifestyle]

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Milano Bicocca

Other

Registry information

Acronym: Cognichess

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Feb 28, 2024
Registry last updated
Mar 25, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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