Neuropsychological Benefits of Cognitive Training in Ugandan HIV Children

Detailed Summary

One-hundred and fifty-nine school-age children with HIV in Kayunga District, Uganda were randomized to one of 3 treatment arms: 24 training sessions of a computerized cognitive rehabilitation therapy (CCRT) program called Captain's Log; 24 sessions of Captain's Log not titrated to child's performance; or no training intervention. Study Aim 1: To compare the neuropsychological benefit of 24 training sessions of Captain's Log CCRT to the active and passive control groups over a 8-week period, and at 3-month follow-up. Study Aim 2: To compare the psychiatric benefit of 24 training sessions of Captain's Log CCRT to the active and passive control groups over an 8-week period, and at 3-month follow-up. Study Aim 3: To evaluate how ART treatment status, and the corresponding clinical stability of the child modifies CCRT neuropsychological performance gains and psychiatric symptom reduction. Outcome Assessments: The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, 2nd ed. (KABC-2), Tests of Variables of Attention (TOVA) visual and auditory tests, CogState computerized neuropsychological screening test, Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOT-2), and Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) will be administered before and after the 8-week training period and at 3-month follow-up post training. Captain's Log has an internal evaluator feature which will help us monitor the specific training tasks to which the children best respond. Analyses: We will compare neuropsychological and psychiatric gains over the 8-week training period and at 3-mo follow-up for our three study groups, anticipating that they will be significantly greater for the CCRT intervention children (Study Aims 1 \& 2). These neuropsychological gains will be associated with improved school performance over the long-term. Intervention children clinically stable on ART will have greater gains than those not stable or virally suppressed on ART. Conclusion: CCRT will prove effective and sustainable for enhancing neurocognitive status in HIV children. Futher work will prove this approach viable for assessing and treating children in resource-poor settings.

Study Details

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Interventions