Attentional Mechanisms of Cognitive Compensation in Subjective Cognitive Decline

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying how attention networks function in older adults with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) by using an anticholinergic drug challenge and EEG. The study aims to understand whether SCD is linked to increased compensatory attention activity supported by cholinergic function and how disrupting this with the drug affects attention and brain activity. The trial focuses on cognitively normal older adults aged 55 and above, comparing responses under drug and placebo conditions. Participants will attend two visits where they receive either a 20 mg oral dose of mecamylamine, an anticholinergic drug, or a placebo in a randomized, double-blind order. During each visit, cognitive testing and EEG recording will be performed. The EEG uses a 128-channel sensor net to measure brain activity during tasks assessing different attention networks. Cognitive tests include the Attention Network Test, incidental memory tasks, and assessments of memory and psychomotor speed, all conducted under both drug and placebo conditions. Throughout the study, participants will undergo screening for cognitive status and psychiatric symptoms to ensure eligibility. Vital signs, ECG, and blood tests will be collected. Researchers will measure attention network function and brain responses using EEG and cognitive test outcomes. The primary outcome is the peak P1 amplitude in EEG after drug administration. The study will last across the two challenge visits, and all procedures are designed to monitor effects and maintain participant safety during and after drug administration.

Attentional Mechanisms in SCD