Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT06645652

Visual Arts Interventions With Older Adults

The present study investigates the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of a novel visual arts-based intervention in an older adult population. In a randomized controlled design, two arts-based interventions will be evaluated with a group of 50 participants.

Recruiting

Interested in participating?

Request Info

Key information

Conditions

Feasibility Study

Age range

55 year–85 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Audrey Carrillo

CONTACT

[email protected]

626-482-8091

About this study

A two-arm randomized controlled study will be conducted to obtain within-group ratings of feasibility and acceptability, as well as between-group differences in drawing skills after training. In the drawing intervention, participants will learn and train drawing skills through exercises that target attention, perception, and visuospatial reasoning. In the active control condition, participants will navigate virtual art galleries. Both interventions will be completed remotely and at home. Participants will complete in-lab assessment sessions before and after the training.

Each intervention consists of 6 weeks of training for up to 2 hours a week, including up to 1 hour of a self-guided lesson and prompted daily drawing practice adding up to 1 hour in the drawing intervention and 2 1-hour sessions of virtual gallery exploring per week in the arts appreciation intervention. The pre-test is administered within one week of the start of training and the post-test is administered within one week of training completion.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • 55-85 years of age
  • Able to understand and speak English and follow study procedures
  • Does not have a psychological or neurological condition that would prevent from being able to give consent to participate
  • Less than 2 years of formal visual arts training

Exclusion criteria

  • Formal diagnosis of dementia or other neurological disease, including Mild Cognitive Impairment
  • A final score below 17 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment - Blind (phone) version
  • Abnormal visual acuity prohibitive of tablet-based training
  • Physical handicap (motor or perceptual) that would impede training procedures
  • Medical illness requiring treatment and/or significant absences during the study timeline

Treatment and study plan

Training in observational drawing

Behavioral
  • 6 weeks of online gallery browsing based on different topics
  • Daily practice drawing from observation with training adding up to 1 hour a week
  • Documenting progress and reflection writing

Arts engagement through digital galleries

Behavioral
  • 6 weeks of online gallery browsing based on different topics
  • 2 hours of weekly activities consist of reading and navigating technology
  • Reflection writing

Primary outcomes

  1. Acceptability - clarity

    Time frame: Throughout training and post-test 6-8 weeks later

    Perceived clarity on the course content, likert scale 1-5

  2. Acceptability - engagement

    Time frame: Throughout training and post-test 6-8 weeks later

    Level of engagement with the course materials, likert scale 1-5

  3. Acceptability - value

    Time frame: Throughout training and post-test 6-8 weeks later

    Perceived value of the course content, likert scale 1-5

  4. Feasibility - completion rate

    Time frame: Throughout training and post-test 6-8 weeks later

    % of participants who completed both testing sessions

  5. Feasibility - adherence

    Time frame: Throughout training and post-test 6-8 weeks later

    % of lessons that participants completed, from 0-6

  6. Feasibility - frequency

    Time frame: Throughout training and post-test 6-8 weeks later

    Frequency: times a week that participants completed training, 0-7 for days practiced each week

  7. Feasibility - attrition

    Time frame: Throughout training and post-test 6-8 weeks later

    Attrition reason: participants withdrawing will select from one of 5 options or 'other' to record the reason for withdrawing

  8. Change in Drawing skills

    Time frame: Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later

    Participants will have 5 minutes to draw a photograph. Accuracy is scored using two methods: angle error at defined points of intersection and a rubric assessing accuracy on global and local features. Both ratings are averaged into a composite z-score, as well as looked at separately.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Perception - contour integration

    Time frame: Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later

    Participants tap on circles of aligned Gabors embedded in a scene of randomly oriented Gabors. A circle will be present for 3 seconds and switch to the next trial if it is not seen. Number of circles spotted, reaction times on spotted circle, and lowest level of alignment will be recorded. Z-scores will be calculated.

  2. Change in Perception - visual disembedding

    Time frame: Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later

    Participants search for a target shape in 3 complex gestalts of overlapping shapes. Participants select the complex shape containing the target. Response times and accuracy are measured. Z-scores will be calculated.

  3. Change in Visuospatial Reasoning - construction and memory

    Time frame: Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later

    Complex Figures Copy and Recall will assess visuospatial construction and memory (10 min). Participants will complete three sets of drawing complex shapes from observation and memory after a block of word learning. Accuracy will be scored using a validated rubric.

  4. Change in Visuospatial Reasoning - mental transformation

    Time frame: Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later

    3D Mental Rotation (3 min) will test mental transformation. Participants will be briefly shown two figures and asked to determine whether the figures are the same or mirror reversed. Mean and SD reaction time per angular disparity and errors per angular disparity will be extracted.

  5. Change in Attention

    Time frame: Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later

    A Rule switch task will measure set shifting. Participants will sort shapes by color or shape. Performance will be calculated as the response times on accurate switch trials.

  6. Change in Mindfulness

    Time frame: Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later

    Participants complete a version Solloway Mindfulness Survey adapted to drawing. The questionnaire includes 30 questions on a 7-point scale on the degree to which engaging in drawing is related to different aspects of mindful attention.

  7. Change in Mental Wellbeing

    Time frame: Pre-test (baseline) and post-test 6-8 weeks later

    Mental Wellbeing is assessed by the WEMWBS, which includes 14 questions on a 5 point scale about positive mental wellbeing.

Other outcomes

  1. Daily progress log

    Time frame: After every training session (weeks 1-6 of training, up to 7 times a week)

    Participants will record the time spent and the content practiced during their sessions. The survey includes selecting all the choices that apply, questions on a likert scale, and short response questions.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Audrey Carrillo, MA

CONTACT

[email protected]

Mariya Vodyanyk, MA

CONTACT

[email protected]

608-628-4820

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Northeastern University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Feasibility and Preliminary Effects of a Drawing-based Intervention on Cognition and Wellbeing of Community-Dwelling Adults at Risk for ADRD

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Oct 17, 2024
Registry last updated
Apr 20, 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.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.