View clinical trials related to Dementia.
Filter by:Age-related vision impairment and dementia both become more prevalent with increasing age. Research into the mechanisms of these conditions has proposed that some of their causes (e.g., macular degeneration/glaucoma and Alzheimer's disease) could be symptoms of an underlying common cause, or may be equally linked to a multifactorial context in frailty and aging. Research into sensory-cognitive aging has provided preliminary data that sensory decline may be linked to the progression of dementia through the concept of sensory deprivation. Preliminary data in hearing loss rehabilitation support the idea that improved hearing may have a beneficial effect on cognitive functioning; however, there are to date no data available to examine whether low vision rehabilitation, specifically for reading, could have an equally protective or beneficial effect on cognitive health. The present proposal aims to fill this gap.
This project will study intranasal (IN) insulin in Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in 12 patients. Study Investigators aim to evaluate the feasibility of the EXAMINER cognitive battery as a cognitive outcome measure in FTD, the ability of the HealthPartners Center for Memory and Aging's ability to sufficiently recruit subjects with FTD, and the safety of IN regular insulin administered 20 IU twice per day in two specific variants of FTD (behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bv-FTD), semantic dementia (SD)) over a 4 week period.
There are no pharmacological interventions that delay or prevent the transition of mild cognitive impairment to dementia. Several studies have shown that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) could be useful in increasing cognitive traits in dementia. As TMS is performed in a clinical setting, transportation, mobility and high costs of treatment, limit the number of TMS sessions dementia patients can receive. Most of the trials do not apply more than 20 TMS sessions Here, a randomized, sham controlled, paralallel group, clinical trial will be performed in order to asess the efficacy at improving cognitive traits of a novel TMS device that uses high frequency and low intensity pulses. As the device is portable and can be used from home without clinical supervision, the stimulation will be applied two times per day for a period of 6 months.
Background: Aging-related progressive neurological disorders include frontotemporal dementia, Lou Gehrig s disease, and Alzheimer s disease. Little is known about what causes these disorders. Brain inflammation may be involved. Researchers want to see if scans using radioactive drugs can show brain inflammation. Objective: To see if the drug [11C]ER176 can show inflammation in the brain in people with certain progressive neurological disorders compared to healthy adults. Also to find genes that might be associated with or cause these disorders. Eligibility: People ages 18 and older with an aging-related neurological disorder, and healthy adults Design: Participants will be screened with a medical history, physical exam, neurological exam, psychiatric history, and blood tests. Participants will have 2-5 visits for the first session. They will have 2 PET scans and 1 MRI scan. They may have 3 more sessions: 6 months to about 18 months later, 1 year after that, and about 30 months to 5 years after the first visit. There may be up to 20 total visits. For the scans, participants will lie on a bed that slides into the scanners. For the PET scans, a strap will fix their head in place. A radioactive drug will be injected through a catheter. A needle will guide a thin plastic tube into an arm vein. Additional catheters may be put in place to draw blood. Each PET will take 2 hours. The MRI will take 30 60 minutes. At each session, participants will have a brief interview, medical history, physical exam, blood and urine tests, heart tests, and memory and thinking tests. They may donate blood for DNA tests.
Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) (such as aggression, restlessness, agitation, wandering, anxiety, depression) are common to most people with dementia at some point during their illness and represent an aspect of dementia particularly difficult to manage. There is growing attention to the therapeutic effects of natural environments on people's health. Exposure to natural environments (seeing greenery, hearing outside natural sounds) has been shown to enhance wellbeing, reduce depression, anxiety and stress levels, and decrease hospital length-of-stay for inpatients. Virtual Reality (VR) is a novel technology that uses a Head Mounted Display (HMD) to generate simulated immersive experiences that elicit perceptions and behaviors similar to those in real life and can make one feel as though they are truly present in another place. Based on scientific research, previous studies, and expert consultation, we created a library of VR experiences depicting calming nature scenes designed specifically for people with dementia. The objectives of this RCT are 1) to evaluate the effects of VR-therapy on BPSD and the hospital care experience of in-patients with dementia and/or delirium admitted to an acute care hospital, 2) to determine the usability, tolerability, and safety of VR-therapy for patients with dementia and/or delirium admitted to acute care, 3) determine the effect of VR-therapy on quality of life for patients with dementia and/or delirium admitted to acute care and 4) to explore a framework for introducing non-pharmacological therapies in acute care hospitals. Our hypotheses are 1) VR-therapy helps manage BPSD (e.g. decrease anxiety, aggression, depression, violent behaviors, incidents of wandering), and may decrease the amount and/or frequency of sedatives and anti-depressant medication administered and/or the number of incidents that require restraints, and the number of falls, in people with dementia and/or delirium admitted to an acute care hospital. 2) VR-therapy will improve the quality of life for individuals with dementia and/or delirium admitted to an acute care hospital (operationalized through conducting a validated instrument to measure quality of life for people with dementia). 3) VR-therapy is safe and feasible to administer to individuals with dementia and/or delirium admitted to an acute care hospital (with assistance from their circle of care members and/or caregivers).
To investigate the efficacy of an individualized treatment plan delivered through remote technology along with enhanced staff training within a supervised memory unit on patient outcome, care quality, health care utilization/cost, and staff burden. Remote monitoring of activity data will also be explored.
Mindfulness Based Health Care (MBHC) includes meditation techniques to help caregivers of Alzheimer patients to be made more aware of their experience in the present moment. Half of the caregivers will learn the practice of mindfulness meditation once a week through 8 classes, and the other half will not receive any therapy. The primary purpose of this study is to explore the effects of this mindfulness program for caregivers on the neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer patients, as well as on anxiety and depression symptoms in their caregivers. Secondarily, to examine the effect of this program on cognitive function, daily activity living and quality of life in Alzheimer patients, as well as on the burden of caregiving, quality of life, psychological well-being, occupational balance, executive function and self-compassion in their caregivers.
This research study seeks to understand how stress reduction training influences caregiver well-being, sleep, and physiological responses to stress. All participants are caregivers of persons with dementia. Participants will complete a 14-day, online stress-reduction intervention which involves approximately 25-30 minutes of daily practice.
The proposed research will develop, refine, and pilot test the Pain Identification and Communication Toolkit (PICT), an intervention to help family caregivers of community-dwelling persons with dementia identify pain symptoms and communicate those symptoms to health care providers. Informed by self-efficacy theory, PICT will include: a) training in administering an observational assessment tool to identify pain in persons with dementia, b) coaching in effective communication about the person with dementia's pain symptoms, c) future planning for steps to take when pain is detected, and d) updating caregivers' skills through routine practice with the pain assessment tool. All components will be vetted and iteratively field-tested with a sample of racially and ethnically diverse caregivers of community-dwelling persons with dementia and health care providers. A two-group pilot randomized trial will examine the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary impact of PICT on caregivers' initiation of pain-related communication with health care providers.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of acupuncture on heart rate variability, skin conductance (sweating), and rated behavioral expression of agitation, irritability, and anxiety and mood in qualifying adults with a diagnosis of cognitively unimpaired, or probable Alzheimer's Disease, Frontotemporal Dementia or Dementia with Lewy Bodies. Study subjects will all receive one real acupuncture treatment; mood scales will be assessed before and after. Massachusetts General Hospital is paying for this research to be done.