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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Hum. Neurosci.
Sec. Cognitive Neuroscience
Volume 18 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1508815

A retrospective, observational study of real-world clinical data from the Cognitive Function Development Therapy program

Provisionally accepted
Eric D Kirby Eric D Kirby 1,2,3*Brian Beyst Brian Beyst 4Jen Beyst Jen Beyst 4*Sonia Brodie Sonia Brodie 3Ryan C N D'arcy Ryan C N D'arcy 2,3,5,6*
  • 1 Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
  • 2 BrainNet, Health and Technology District, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
  • 3 HealthTech Connex Centre for Neurology Studies (CNS), Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
  • 4 Cognitive function development institute, Prescott Valley, United States
  • 5 Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
  • 6 Faculty of Applied Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Cognitive deficits are common in psychiatric and mental health disorders, making the assessment of cognitive function in mental health treatment an important area of research. Cognitive Function Development Therapy (CFDT) is a novel therapeutic modality designed to enhance cognitive function and regulate the autonomic nervous system through targeted exercises and activities focused on attention networks and memory systems. The therapy is tracked and based on Primary Cognitive Function (PCF) scores. This retrospective, observational study analyzed real world data from 183 children and adults undergoing CFDT to evaluate changes in cognition over time, incorporating both cognitive performance measures and an exploratory analysis of neurophysiological function. Our findings indicate that CFDT holds promise for improving cognitive performance, as evidenced by increased PCF scores at the group level compared to pre-treatment levels [F (5, 173) = 7.087, p < 0.001, ηp 2 = 0.170]. Additionally, a weak effect of age [Spearman's Rho range: -0.301 to -0.340, p < 0.001] was found to influence the degree of cognitive improvement, suggesting the importance of early intervention for maximizing cognitive gains. Furthermore, objective neurophysiological measures in the form of the brain vital signs framework, based in eventrelated potentials (ERPs), were measured in a small subset of clients to explore the frameworks use in CFDT. Results suggested that CFDT may affect neurophysiological measures of information processing, particularly in basic attention, as reflected in increased amplitude in P300 measures. While these initial findings are encouraging, caution is warranted due to the retrospective nature of the study, though overall, the results suggest a positive impact of CFDT on cognitive function.

    Keywords: primary cognitive functions, cognitive training, Cognitive testing, EEG, ERPs, Brain vital signs

    Received: 09 Oct 2024; Accepted: 03 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Kirby, Beyst, Beyst, Brodie and D'arcy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Eric D Kirby, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
    Jen Beyst, Cognitive function development institute, Prescott Valley, United States
    Ryan C N D'arcy, BrainNet, Health and Technology District, Surrey, 13737, British Columbia, Canada

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.