Imaging of Cognition, Learning, and Memory in Aging

Alzheimer's Disease Clinical Trial

Official title:

Imaging of Cognition, Learning, and Memory in Aging

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT01297114
• Other study ID #: AAAB0596
• Secondary ID: R01AG026158
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• First received: February 14, 2011
• Last updated: October 30, 2017
• Start date: March 2011
• Est. completion date: October 1, 2017

Study information

• Verified date: October 2017
• Source: Columbia University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Observational

Clinical Trial Summary

This investigation is designed to study how the brain functions when it is performing explicit memory tasks, and furthermore how the brain systems supporting performance on these tests change as a function of aging. Implicit memory tasks may be distinguished from explicit memory tests in that explicit memory characterizes the directed or intentional recollection of previously learned information or events. In contrast, implicit (or nonconscious) memory is expressed in the facilitation of performance on some task or judgment on a stimulus owing to a prior presentation of that stimulus, without any necessary conscious awareness of the prior presentation. The investigators propose to use functional Magnetic resonance Imaging (fMRI) to measure brain activity during the performance of carefully designed explicit memory tasks. Comparison of brain activity during the different test conditions will provide information about the brain areas that are involved in mediating specific aspects of performance. Both older and younger individuals will be tested in order to understand age related changes in the brain activity. In order to examine the interactions between participants' differential levels of amyloid burden and their performance on cognitive tasks and fMRI neural activation, the investigators also propose PET imaging of older participants.

Description:

The basic approach to measuring the brain activity associated with a given cognitive process (or processes) is as follows: It is known that increases in brain neuronal activity are associated with local increases in energy metabolism. Under normal circumstances, increases in brain metabolism lead to local changes in blood oxygenation in venules and larger veins. This change in blood oxygenation can be detected imaging methods which are sensitive to the differences in magnetic state between oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin.

The ultimate benefit of this research is to better understand how changes in both performance and the brain organization underlying that performance are affected by aging.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 294
• Est. completion date: October 1, 2017
• Est. primary completion date: October 1, 2017
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 20 Years to 70 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged 20-30 or 60-70

• Residing near Columbia University Medical Center

• Must be willing and able to participate

Exclusion Criteria:

• Have a contraindication to PET (e.g, metallic implants, pacemaker, claustrophobia, or cannot lie flat for one hour)

• Pregnancy

• Lactating Women

• Current, past, or anticipated exposure to radiation

• Significant active physical illness

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Alzheimer Disease
• Alzheimer's Disease

Intervention

Drug:
• Florbetaben
This is a purely observational study. Results of the Florbetaben PET scan will be correlated with other observations.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Columbia University Medical Center	New York	New York

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Yaakov Stern	National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

References & Publications (2)

Oh H, Steffener J, Razlighi QR, Habeck C, Liu D, Gazes Y, Janicki S, Stern Y. Aß-related hyperactivation in frontoparietal control regions in cognitively normal elderly. Neurobiol Aging. 2015 Dec;36(12):3247-3254. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2015.08.016. Epub 2015 Aug 24. — View Citation

Oh H, Steffener J, Razlighi QR, Habeck C, Stern Y. ß-Amyloid Deposition Is Associated with Decreased Right Prefrontal Activation during Task Switching among Cognitively Normal Elderly. J Neurosci. 2016 Feb 10;36(6):1962-70. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3266-15.2016. — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Cognition as measured with cognitive evaluations	We will assess the relationship between the presence of amyloid and cognition as measured with standard cognitive and neuropsychological tests	cross sectional