HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The University of South Florida is among sites nationwide taking part in the Preventing Alzheimer's with Cognitive Training - or PACT - study.

"We’re hoping to make a difference, to reduce the incidence of Alzheimer's disease in this country. USF is well-poised to do that, and we’re very excited about that possibility," said Dr. Jerri Edwards, principal investigator at the USF study site and a professor in the school's department of psychology and behavioral neurosciences.

"This pivotal study, based on compelling preliminary evidence, moves us one step closer to answering a critical question: Can computer-based cognitive training prevent dementia and help keep our brains healthy as we age?" Dr. Charles Lockwood, senior vice president of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine is quoted as saying in a news release from the university.

According to Edwards, participants will be making three study visits during a three-year time period. They'll start out with memory and thinking skills tests and being screened for depressive symptoms. Those who qualify will be randomly assigned to play one of two types of computerized brain games. 

"The games require you to work on the computer, indicating what you see or what you heard, maybe solving some puzzles," Edwards said.

Participants will be asked to play these games a few times a week until they've completed 25 sessions. They'll complete 10 more hours one year later and then again two years later. Their memories will then be screened again to see if they experienced any cognitive decline.

"Thus far, this non-pharmacological treatment of brain exercises of what we call in the field 'cognitive training' is the only intervention to date shown to reduce risk of dementia in a randomized clinical trial," Edwards said.

According to data from the Alzheimer's Association's "2021 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures Special Report: Race, Ethnicity, and Alzheimer's in America," one in nine Americans ages 65 and older has Alzheimer's disease. Data in the report shows cases in that age group in Florida are projected to increase from 580,000 in 2020 to 720,000 in 2025—a 24.1% increase. 

Depending on the PACT study's results, Edwards said cognitive training could be used as a preventive measure for older adults.

The study is being funded by a $44.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, with funding to be paid during the next five years.

USF is recruiting participants for its study site. Edwards said researchers are particularly hoping members of the Black and Hispanic communities volunteer, since these groups are disproportionately impacted by dementia. To learn more about how you can get involved, visit https://pactstudy.org/