Personalized Coaching Decreases Cognitive Decline in Early-Stage Alzheimer’s Disease Patients

Seattle, USA – Supplementing the standard of treatment for early-stage Alzheimer’s disease patients with personalized lifestyle coaching leads to less cognitive decline compared to standard of care alone, an ISB-led study shows. An early online version of this paper detailing the findings has been published, and is scheduled for publication in the November issue of Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

In a prospective randomized controlled trial called Coaching for Cognition in Alzheimer’s (COCOA), researchers compared two cohorts – one made up of 24 participants who received standard of care, the other made up of 31 participants who received standard of care plus telephonic personalized coaching for lifestyle interventions. 

“Over a two-year period, our trial showed that personalized lifestyle coaching in addition to standard of care decreases the amount of cognitive decline in patients on the Alzheimer’s disease spectrum,” said ISB Senior Research Scientist Dr. Jared Roach, who led the trial. “This is evidence that personalized coaching focused on diet, exercise, brain training and other lifestyle factors should be part of the first line of dementia care and prevention.”

^{Caption: Dr. Jared Roach. Credit: ISB.}

Specifically, the cohort that received coaching intervention saw Memory Performance Index (MPI) scores improve an average of 2.1 points compared to controls, and showed slower deterioration in Functional Assessment Staging Test (FAST) scores – significant results that are better than any known pharmaceutical interventions.

Personalized coaching focused on dietary recommendations based on the MIND diet, physical activity recommendations based on U.S. public health guidelines, cognitive training through BrainHQ, and recommendations for sleep and stress management.

COCOA trial results confirm the findings of an oft-cited Finnish study called FINGER – Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability – that showed that a combination of exercise, diet and cognitive training can prevent cognitive decline in older, at-risk adults. COCOA extends these results to a more initially impaired population, validates them in the United States, and underlines the importance of personalized therapy.

“The lifestyle intervention results of the COCOA trial provide a treatment that is far more affordable, has no adverse effects, plus has an effect as big as and potentially larger than that reported with the most recent, FDA-approved treatments for Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr. William Shankle, an expert in neurodegenerative disorders, and co-lead of the COCOA trial.

Researchers aim to build on these results by combining coaching with drugs, such as Lecanemab. 

“A critical next step is to test if we can further reduce patients’ cognitive decline by pairing personalized, multimodal coaching with Alzheimer’s drugs currently on the market,” Roach said. 

The COCOA trial was funded by Providence as part of the health system’s Alzheimer’s Translational Pillar.

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NOTES FOR EDITORS

About ISB

Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) is a collaborative and cross-disciplinary non-profit biomedical research organization based in Seattle. We focus on some of the most pressing issues in human health, including aging, brain health, cancer, COVID-19, the human microbiome, as well as many infectious diseases. Our science is translational, and we champion sound scientific research that results in real-world clinical impacts. ISB is an affiliate of Providence, one of the largest not-for-profit health care systems in the United States. Follow us online at isbscience.org, and on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.



About the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease

Now in its 26th year of publication, the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (JAD) is an international multidisciplinary journal to facilitate progress in understanding the etiology, pathogenesis, epidemiology, genetics, behavior, treatment, and psychology of Alzheimer’s disease. The journal publishes research reports, reviews, short communications, book reviews, and letters-to-the-editor. Groundbreaking research that has appeared in the journal includes novel therapeutic targets, mechanisms of disease, and clinical trial outcomes. JAD has a Journal Impact Factor of 4 according to Journal Citation Reports (Clarivate, 2023). The journal is published by IOS Press. j-alz.com

About IOS Press

IOS Press is an independent international scientific, technical, medical (STM) publishing house established in 1987 in Amsterdam. We produce around 90 journals and 70 books annually in a broad range of subject categories, primarily specializing in health and life sciences (including neurosciences, medical informatics, cancer research, and rehabilitation) and computer sciences (including artificial intelligence, data science, and semantic web). In addition, we offer specialized services that support scientific advancement. iospress.com