Breathing exercises and brain games may slow Alzheimer's risk, study suggests
NCT ID NCT05602220
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested whether daily paced breathing combined with brain training games could improve attention, memory, and reduce Alzheimer's-related markers in healthy adults aged 50-70. Participants did brain training and paced breathing at home for 10 weeks, and provided blood and urine samples during lab visits. The goal was to see if these simple activities could lower amyloid beta levels, a protein linked to Alzheimer's disease.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- paced breathing and brain training
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward simple daily routines that may help maintain cognitive health and reduce Alzheimer's risk in older adults.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study (91 participants) focused on measuring changes in biomarkers, not preventing or treating disease. Results may not apply to the general population.
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
-
91 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Jan 2023
- Finished
-
Nov 2023
- 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
-
50 to 70 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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: * speak English fluently * between the age of 50-70 * healthy adult who weighs at least 110 pounds * non-pregnant and non-menstruating (for at least the past year) * normal or corrected-to-normal vision and hearing * have a home computer with a physical keyboard and have access to reliable internet * have an email account that you check regularly * have a phone that receives text messages * willing to provide a blood sample and a urine sample at three lab visits * willing to devote up to 60 minutes daily to the study for 12 weeks (in addition to lab visits) Exclusion Criteria: * have a disorder that would impede performing the breathing intervention (e.g., abnormal cardiac rhythm, heart disease including coronary artery disease, angina, and arrhythmia, cognitive impairment, dyspnea) * regularly practicing any relaxation, biofeedback, or breathing technique (e.g., meditation) for more than an hour a week * regularly played Lumosity games in the past 6 months * participated in heart rate biofeedback studies in the USC Emotion \& Cognition Lab * have any conditions listed below that are not safe for MRI * Claustrophobia * Have worked as a machinist, metal worker, or in any profession or hobby grinding metal? * Have had an injury to the eye involving a metallic object (e.g., metallic slivers, shavings, or foreign body) * Cardiac pacemaker * Implanted cardiac defibrillator * Aneurysm clip or brain clip * Carotid artery vascular clamp * Neurostimulator * Insulin or infusion pump * Spinal fusion stimulator * Cochlear, otologic, ear tubes or ear implant * Prosthesis (eye/orbital, penile, etc.) * Implant held in place by a magnet * Heart valve prosthesis * Artificial limb or joint * Other implants in body or head * Electrodes (on body, head or brain) * Intravascular stents, filters * Shunt (spinal or intraventricular) * Vascular access port or catheters * IUD * Transdermal delivery system or other types of foil patches (e.g., Nitro, Nicotine, Birth control, etc.) that cannot be removed for MRI * Shrapnel, buckshot, or bullets * Tattooed eyeliner or eyebrows * Body piercing(s) that cannot be removed for MRI * Metal fragments (eye, head, ear, skin) * Internal pacing wires * Aortic clips * Metal or wire mesh implants * Wire sutures or surgical staples * Harrington rods (spine) * Bone/joint pin, screw, nail, wire, plate * Wig or toupee that cannot be removed for MRI * Hair implants that involve staples or metal * Hearing aid(s) that cannot be removed for MRI * Dentures or retainers that cannot be removed for MRI
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Age-related cognitive decline are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California, 90089, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a massive data registry crack the code of Parkinson's and related brain diseases?
- Can sharing old memories boost mental Well-Being in old age?
- Can a gentle electric current calm the mind in Alzheimer's?
- Can a Hands-On reflex therapy steady an older Person's stance?
- Alzheimer's vaccine aims to clear amyloid before memory fades
- Blood, eye, and brain scans team up to spot Alzheimer's earlier