Table 2.
Summary of the outcomes, the assessment tools and specific hypotheses.
| Assessment tools | Hypotheses | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary outcomes | ||
| Global cognition | MoCA montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) (Included in the NACC UDS V3) | Within each cognitive group (normal and MCI), the experiment group will experience less cognitive decline or even improvement in global cognitive function compared to the control group |
| Secondary outcomes | ||
| Episodic memory function | Craft Story immediate and delayed recall (included in the NACC UDS V3) | Within each cognitive group (normal and MCI), the experiment group will experience less decline or even improvement in memory functions compared to the control group |
| Language-based executive function measured | Category Fluency (animals) (CAT) (included in the NACC UDS V3) | Within each cognitive group (normal and MCI), the experiment group will experience less decline or even improvement in executive functions compared to the control group |
| Psychological well-being | NIH toolbox emotion battery | The intervention group will have more improvements in their psychological well-being compared to the control group. The protential efficacy on cognitive functions through this intervention is partly mediated by improved psychological well-being |
| Daily functioning | Revised observed tasks of daily living (OTDL-R) | The intervention group will show less decline or even improvement in OTDL-R compared to the control group |
| Exploratory outcomes | ||
| Volume of key regions of interest (ROI) | MRI | Less atrophy or possible increase in volume over time in ROIs will be observed in participants in the intervention group than the control group |
| Functional connectivity | fMRI | There will be an increase in dorsal attention network (DAN) and Default Model Network (DMN) connectivities among the experimental group in comparison with the control group |
| Speech utterances and characteristics | Use automated speech algorithms (ASR) to analyze the recorded conversations | Speech characteristics of MCI participants in the experimental group will resemble those with normal cognition over time, compared with the MCI control group participants |
| Medication adherence | Electronic pillbox that stamps time when the medication is taken | Compared with the control group, medication adherence will increase among the intervention group |