A Pilot Study of the Impact of Personalized Digital Meditation on Improving Cognition and Sleep and Reducing Stress in MCI

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Abstract The overall goal of this project is to collect pilot data to determine if treatment with a novel form of closed-loop digital meditation (MediTrain), which we have previously shown improves cognition and reduces stress in older adults (OA), also leads to sleep benefits in both cognitively normal OA and in those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). MCI is a transitional stage between normal aging and dementia and is associated with increased risk of progressing to Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). We have demonstrated that a digital meditation intervention (MediTrain) improves regulation of focused attention in healthy OA. Variability in attention is a preclinical marker of incipient neuropathology and is elevated in MCI patients. In addition to exhibiting decreased stress reactivity and a lengthening of telomeres, there were several anecdotal reports from OA that they felt their sleep had improved. Because sleep disturbances are common in AD and significantly increase the risk of conversion from MCI to dementia, understanding if this intervention led to improved sleep is critical. The goal of this proposed research is to collect pilot data to evaluate the efficacy of MediTrain on improving quantitative metrics of sleep and stress in patients with MCI at levels beyond those seen in cognitively normal OA. To accomplish these aims, we will conduct a randomized controlled trial on 90 OA (45 cognitively normal and 45 with MCI) who will complete 6 weeks of our MediTrain intervention. Outcome measures will consist of cognitive/attention tasks coupled with neuroimaging (EEG and MRI), quantitative physiological indices of sleep and stress, and blood biomarkers of aging (telomere length). Objective measures of insomnia (latency to sleep onset and wake after sleep onset) and amount of NREM3 will be assessed using sleep profilers in participants’ homes throughout the intervention period. This research will provide an important contribution toward understanding the utility of using meditation as a therapeutic tool for bolstering cognitive reserve and increasing overall wellbeing in OA with MCI, by showing transfer to real-world metrics of improved sleep quality and reduced stress.