Summary
We are recruiting adults aged 60+ with no history of brain injury or neurological conditions. You must also not play a musical instrument.
The study will explore if drum training will have any effect(s) on movement and thinking abilities, and on the brain. We hope that in the future, this drumming training may be able to provide a remotely accessible training tool to help improve movement and thinking abilities for those who need it.
If you decide to take part, you will attend Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC) to have your first MRI brain scan and some tests of cognition and motor control. The brain scanning will take approximately 30 minutes and the cognitive and motor testing around 2-2.5 hours. You can take breaks between the cognitive tests, if needed. The attention tasks will be either paper and pencil tasks or will be performed on a computer. Depending on the group you are put into, you be asked to do one of the following things: 1) continue your day-to-day life as normal for 8 weeks, OR 2)engage in online drumming training using a tablet, which will be provided, for around 10 minutes, 5 days per week, for 8 weeks.
Additional Info
Drum Training
This will be done remotely. You will borrow a tablet from the researchers with the app already installed, and shown how to use it.
MRI Scan
Please note, only a sub-section of participants will be asked to undergo the scanning procedure. You will be able to communicate with the radiographers and researchers via an intercom and will be able to stop the scan at any time, if necessary.
Will I be paid for taking part?
Participants undergoing both the scanning and the cognitive/ motor tests will receive £21.50 after each visit to CUBRIC (first session, then follow-up) as a thank you for their time. Those taking part in the cognitive/ motor tests, without being scanned, will be offered £12.50 after each visit. Those in the drum group will also be entered into a prize draw upon completion of the training.
Will my taking part in this research project be kept confidential?
All information collected from (or about) you during the research project will be kept confidential and any personal information you provide will be managed in accordance with data protection legislation. Some data may be stored on laptop computers, but this will be in an encrypted folder. Data will be kept securely for a minimum of 15 years in accordance with Cardiff University policy.
What will happen to my Personal Data?
Personal data, according to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) means any information relating to an identifiable living person who can be directly or indirectly identified in particular by reference to an identifier. This may include information such as an individual's name, address, email address or date of birth. If your research project is using personal data (and note that any research project involving the use of written consent forms will be using personal data), describe the person data that will be collected/used and the arrangements for anonymising it (e.g. use of a research project number). If you are offering choices to the participants regarding anonymity/ identification, this should be made clear. Personal data is not anonymous where researchers have, or are likely to have in the future, access to a key, or other means, which would enable re-identification of the individual to which the personal data relates.
Cardiff University is the Data Controller and is committed to respecting and protecting your personal data in accordance with your expectations and Data Protection legislation.
Further information about Data Protection may be found at https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/public-information/policies-and-procedures/data-protection
What happens to the data at the end of the research project?
When data from all participants is collected, it will be analysed, and performance before and after the training will be compared. The findings will be written up for publication in a scientific journal. The results may also be presented at scientific meetings, or in talks at academic institutions. Results will always be presented in such a way that data from individual volunteers cannot be identified. Some of the data collected during this study may also be used in future research. Again, you will not be identifiable from the data, even if this data is shared with a public data repository.
Data Sharing
Data collected in this study will be de-identified and shared via an open data sharing platform.
The Researcher will provide more specific information after registration of interest.
