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Brain boot camp: can a memory-training program sharpen thinking in multiple sclerosis?

NCT ID NCT03983681

Symptom relief Sponsor: Kessler Foundation Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 22, 2026 · Last updated Jul 23, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial tests whether a structured memory training program, called Strategy-Based Training to Enhance Memory (STEM), can improve learning and recall in people with multiple sclerosis who report memory difficulties. Participants attend eight training sessions over four weeks and are compared to those doing placebo memory exercises. The study measures changes in self-reported cognitive function and objective memory tests.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
a structured memory training program called Strategy-Based Training to Enhance Memory (STEM)
What this could lead to
If effective, this program could offer a non-drug way to help people with MS manage memory difficulties in daily life.
What could go wrong
This is a relatively small, early-stage trial, and the benefits may not translate to real-world improvements or last over time.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

81 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Sep 2019

Finished

Dec 2025

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 59 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis * Ability to read and speak English fluently * Difficulties with learning and memory skills Exclusion Criteria: * Prior diagnosis of stroke or other neurological injury/disease * Flare up of symptoms within a month of study participation * History of significant psychiatric illness (e.g., bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, psychosis) or current diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder I or II * Current significant alcohol or substance abuse * Taking exclusionary medication (study team will review medications) For Optional MRI: * Pacemaker or other implanted electrical device, brain stimulator, aneurysm clip (metal clips on the wall of a large artery), metallic prostheses (including metal pins and rods, heart valves, and internal hearing aids \[cochlear implants\]), permanent eyeliner, implanted delivery pumps, or shrapnel fragments. * Dental implants * Left-handed

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

multiple sclerosis

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Multiple sclerosis

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Kessler Foundation

    East Hanover, New Jersey, 07936, United States

  • Kessler Rehabilitation Center

    Marlton, New Jersey, 08053, United States

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