NEW JERSEY – Rutgers Health researchers are seeking adults ages 60 to 75 to participate in a federally funded study examining whether targeted brain training can help older adults maintain and improve multitasking skills as they age.
The MUltitasking STrategy Training Study, known as the MUST Study, is funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging and aims to better understand how online cognitive training can improve the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
Researchers said multitasking is an essential skill for maintaining independence and quality of life, but one that naturally declines with age.
“While we are often told to avoid multitasking, life frequently demands it,” said Sharon Sanz Simon, neuropsychologist and assistant professor of psychiatry at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and core faculty member of the Krieger Klein Alzheimer’s Research Center within the Rutgers Brain Health Institute. “Whether you are preparing a complex meal while managing a conversation or navigating a busy street while following directions, multitasking is unavoidable.”
The randomized controlled trial will be conducted over five to six months and will recruit cognitively healthy participants through mid-2027. Researchers will evaluate whether a specially designed online cognitive training program can strengthen attention control and multitasking abilities in older adults.
As part of the study, participants will use “The Breakfast Game,” an online training program designed to simulate real-life multitasking situations. In the game, players set tables for guests according to specific rules while simultaneously cooking different food items under timed conditions.
The research builds on a successful pilot study that demonstrated benefits from the training program. The expanded study will also examine how cognitive outcomes relate to biological measures, including cardiovascular risk factors and Alzheimer’s disease blood biomarkers.
“We aim to move beyond the debate of whether multitasking is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ and instead provide evidence-based tools for when it is necessary,” said Simon, the principal investigator of the study. “By the conclusion of this study, we hope to offer health providers and the public an innovative, digital training program and a tool that integrates neuroscience with practical brain health education to foster long-term cognitive resilience.”
Researchers said the findings could help identify new ways to support cognitive health and independence among older adults.
For more information about the study, visit ClinicalTrials.gov or email engaging.lab@rutgers.edu.
