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Mindful Walking Neural Correlates of Executive Function in SC Older Adults at Risk of Dementias

NCT07638046 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: PHASE2 · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 54

Last updated 2026-07-10

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Mindful walking is a promising and practical strategy because it combines two activities known to support healthy aging: walking and mindfulness. Unlike many structured exercise programs, mindful walking is low intensity, accessible, and easier to sustain in daily life. It may be especially useful for older adults at elevated risk for ADRD. However, most existing mindful walking studies have focused on mental health outcomes, such as stress reduction, rather than cognitive health. Little is known about whether mindful walking can support cognition or how it may influence brain function. To address this gap and strengthen a future R01 resubmission, the investigators propose a two-arm randomized controlled pilot trial using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), a safe, non-invasive brain imaging method. fNIRS measures brain activity through sensors placed on the scalp and is well-suited for repeated assessments in older adults because it is quiet, portable, painless, and cost-effective. The investigators will recruit racially and ethnically diverse middle-aged and older adults from the Midlands of South Carolina who are at elevated risk for ADRD. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: mindful walking or walking-only control. Both groups will complete 8 staff-supervised individual sessions over 4 weeks. The mindful walking group will learn and practice simple mindfulness skills while walking in multiple settings, including lab-based, indoor, and outdoor environments, to support real-world use. Findings from this pilot study will provide important evidence on whether mindful walking can support brain and cognitive health in adults at elevated risk for ADRD. The results will also help establish a practical, scalable, and sustainable prevention strategy for underserved aging populations in South Carolina.

Conditions

  • Older Adults With Elevated Dementia Risk

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Mindfulness-based walking

Implementing mindfulness skills during the walking movement

BEHAVIORAL

Walking-only

Older adults will participate in 8 sessions of walking over one month without being trained on mindfulness skills.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • USC Center for Clinical and Translational Research

    collaborator UNKNOWN

  • University of South Carolina

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
60 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-06-26
Primary Completion
2027-09-30
Completion
2027-11-17

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07638046 on ClinicalTrials.gov