Targeting Default Mode Network Dysfunction in Persons at Risk of Alzheimer's Disease With Non-invasive Techniques — NEST4AD  

Alzheimer Disease Clinical Trial

Official title: Targeting Default Mode Network Dysfunction in Persons at Risk of Alzheimer's Disease With Non-invasive Techniques

Status Recruiting

Clinical Trial Summary

Default mode network (DMN) dysfunction is a well-established feature of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and is already present in preclinical stages and in subjects at risk for AD, thus offering a potential target for early intervention. Non-invasive stimulation techniques are candidate approaches to modulate network dysfunction, however interventions specifically targeting subjects at risk for AD are lacking. This project will test a non-invasive intervention to modulate the DMN in cognitively healthy older adults carrying the main genetic risk factor for AD, the APOE e4 allele. The proposal will non-invasively stimulate the DMN in at risk subjects and will assess the neuronal-cognitive effect of this approach with multimodal neuroimaging and neurophysiological techniques.

Clinical Trial Description

Sixty-four participants will be enrolled (n=32 APOE e4 carriers, 32 non-carriers as reference group) and will undergo rTMS stimulation, TMS with concurrent electroencephalography (TMS-EEG), multimodal imaging (resting-state and task functional MRI, and diffusion tensor imaging) and cognitive assessment at baseline, after the intervention (week 1) and after 2 months. Participants will be randomized to 2 groups: active DMN stimulation (real-rTMS) or placebo (sham-rTMS). Each subject will undergo a rs-fMRI scan before the intervention to derive individualized DMN stimulation targets. rTMS will be applied over the left inferior parietal lobule node of the DMN. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Alzheimer Disease

• NCT number: NCT05984446
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: IRCCS Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli
• Contact: Michela Pievani
• Phone: +39 030 3501311
• Email: mpievani@fatebenefratelli.eu
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: December 5, 2019
• Completion date: December 4, 2024