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Effect of Cognitive Empathy Training on Dementia Caregivers

Emory University · with National Institute on Aging (NIA) · NCT06650527

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Opens the official ClinicalTrials.gov record, with the study team’s contacts. Bored Studies doesn’t enroll anyone.

Key facts

Compensation
Not posted. Ask the study team before screening.
Who can join
Ages 50+ · All sexes
Healthy volunteers
Accepted
Study type
Interventional · Not applicable
Target enrollment
118
US sites recruiting
3
Study start
February 13, 2025
Record last updated
August 18, 2026

Status re-checked against ClinicalTrials.gov within the last 12 hours.

What the study is about

The goal of this project is to investigate the effect of cognitive empathy training on mental health, inflammation, and immune function in caregivers of people living with dementia (PLWD), and to examine the underlying psychological and neurobiological mechanisms.

The primary aim is to establish the effectiveness of cognitive empathy training in improving caregiver mental health and immune function, and in decreasing caregiver inflammation

The secondary aim is to investigate the psychological and neurobiological mechanism by which cognitive empathy training improves caregiver well-being

Being studied: Cognitive Empathy Training; Control Condition; Pre and post intervention blood spot collection; Pre and post intervention MRI session

Conditions: Caregivers of People Living With Dementia; Dementia

Eligibility criteria

Copied from the official record. The study team makes the final decision at screening.

Show full criteria

Inclusion Criteria

  • Caregivers must live with their care recipient
  • Caregivers must have a Zarit Burden Scale score of 19 or higher
  • Caregivers must have no plans to move their care recipient to an institutional setting within the next year
  • Caregivers must be able to read and write English
  • Care recipient not in hospice
  • Access to a mobile phone that can take and email photographs

Exclusion Criteria

  • Subjects with a history of seizures or other neurological disorders, alcoholism, or any other substance abuse
  • Subjects with a history of psychiatric illness (excluding depression and anxiety disorders) will also be excluded
  • Subjects with a history of head trauma based on Survey
  • Subjects with MRI contra-indications

Recruiting US locations

  • Alter

    Atlanta, GA 30302

    Site contact: Fayron Epps, PhD,RN · 770-686-7730 · outreach@alterdementia.com

  • Emory Integrated Memory Care

    Atlanta, GA 30329

    Site contact: Carolyn Clevenger, PhD · 404-712-2394 · carolyn.clevenger@emory.edu

  • NIA Goizueta Alzheimer's Disease Research Center

    Atlanta, GA 30329

    Site contact: Allen Levey, MD, PhD · 404-727-6050

Study contacts (from the official record)

  • James Rilling, PhD · 404-727-3062 · jrillin@emory.edu
  • Kenneth Hepburn, PhD · 404-712-9286 · khepbur@emory.edu
All neurology studies in Georgia →
Effect of Cognitive Empathy Training on Dementia Caregivers (NCT06650527) | Bored Studies