Neurofilament Light Chain And Voice Acoustic Analyses In Dementia Diagnosis

Dementia Clinical Trial

— NAVAIDD  

Official title:

A Blood Test for Dementia? A Cohort Study to Assess the Diagnostic Utility of Plasma Neurofilament Light Chain Protein in All-cause Dementia

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT06339190
• Other study ID #: E21-006-72840
• Status: Recruiting
• Start date: August 1, 2021
• Est. completion date: December 2027

Study information

• Verified date: December 2023
• Source: Monash University
• Contact: Prof. Amy Brodtmann, MBBS, FRACP, PhD, FANZAN
• Phone: 03 9094 9540
• Email: amy.brodtmann[@]monash.edu
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Observational

Clinical Trial Summary

This cohort study aims to determine if a blood test can aid with diagnosing dementia in anyone presenting with cognitive complaints to a single healthcare network. The investigators will measure levels of a brain protein, Neurofilament light chain (Nfl), and assess changes in language using speech tests.

Participants will have a single blood test and speech test, and will be followed up at 12-months to complete questionnaires and cognitive scales over the phone. The speech test will also be completed again at 12-months.

Individuals at risk of a Fronto-temporal dementia syndrome will be eligible to complete optional genetic testing involving an 'at home' saliva sample.

Description:

Problem: There is no "gold-standard test" to detect all forms of dementia. People can present with subtle changes that are missed on standard cognitive screening tests, which are not designed for people whose first language is not English or from diverse cultural and educational backgrounds. State-of-the art brain imaging is only available to Australians living in large urban centres, further entrenching health care inequities. The lack of validated diagnostic tests and pathways causes diagnostic delays, increases patient and caregiver stress. Therapies are on the horizon for many forms of dementia - not only Alzheimer's disease - meaning that the lack of identification of simple dementia diagnostic biomarkers represents a critical knowledge gap.

Mission: New technologies now allow us to test abnormal brain protein levels in a routine peripheral blood test, record a voice sample to analyse its acoustics and reveal brain disease, and perform "mail-out" genetic tests using a simple saliva sample. The levels of a brain derived blood protein, neurofilament light chain (NfL), will be estimated and natural language processing and acoustic analysis will be measured in all patients presenting with cognitive complaints to a single healthcare network servicing 1 million ethnically and culturally diverse Australians. Researchers will investigate the utility of early genetic testing for those at high risk of a genetic cause for their disease. They will use these data to develop diagnostic pathways, leveraging existing collaborations to develop future screening programs. Early to mid-career researchers will be supported to translate new technologies into clinical practice in the shortest practicable time-frame.

Significance: Accessible and cost effective tests will inform new pathways to dementia diagnosis. This will transform the dementia landscape, shortening time to diagnosis, increasing diagnostic certainty, and allowing more Australians access to appropriate care, education, and future therapies.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Recruiting
• Enrollment: 1000
• Est. completion date: December 2027
• Est. primary completion date: December 2025
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: N/A and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• All patients presenting to Eastern Health services with a cognitive complaint or potential neurodegenerative disorder

Exclusion Criteria:

• Individuals not likely to live for 12 months

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Dementia
• Neurodegenerative Diseases

Intervention

Diagnostic Test:
• Venepuncture
A single blood draw at the time of presentation to clinic or whilst an inpatient.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Australia	Box Hill Hospital	Box Hill	Victoria
Australia	Wantirna Health	Wantirna	Victoria

Sponsors (8)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Monash University	Deakin University, Eastern Health, Invitae Corporation, Redenlab, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Wake Forest University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Australia, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Other	Modified Rankin Scale	Functional screen; assessed by member of the research team based on clinical notes. Assessed as change from baseline. Scores ranging from 0-5, with higher scores indicating greater disability.	Day 0 and at 12-months
Other	Montreal Cognitive Assessment score	Cognitive screen; staff administered via telephone. Scores include overall MoCA score (0-22) and Memory Index Score (0-15), greater scores indicate greater cognition.	At 12-months
Other	Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score	Mood screen; staff administered via telephone. Scores include a total depression score (0-21) and total anxiety score (0-21); grouped according to normal (0-7), Borderline abnormal (8-10) and Abnormal (11-21).	At 12-months
Other	Clinical Global Impression score	Global rating of improvement/change; staff administered via telephone. Scored on a 7 point scale, scores closer to 0 indicative of greater improvement and scores closer to 7 representing much worse).	At 12-months
Other	WHO Disability Assessment 12-item telephone interview score	Functional screen, staff administered via telephone. Scored as an overall percentage (%) disability, higher scores indicating less function.	At 12-months
Other	WHO Disability Assessment 36-item self report score	Functional screen, self administered. Scored as an overall percentage (%) disability, higher scores indicating less function.	At 12-months
Other	DNA sample for testing known pathogenic dementia mutations	Self-administered saliva sample; Testing using Invitae Fronto-temporal dementia and AD panel: xxxxx	Anytime before 12-months
Primary	Nfl correlation with neurodegeneration	Plasma Nfl (pg/ml), estimated using Quanterix SIMOA HD-X	Day 0
Secondary	Change in speech processing	Staff and/or self administered using Redenlab software and analysed by speech pathologist for acoustic measures of timing (e.g., pause length (seconds) in reading and monologue tasks), vocal control (e.g., fundamental frequency (hertz) and loudness variation (decibel) from vowel and monologue), and vocal quality (e.g., dysphonia measures derived from sustained vowel).	Day 0 and 12-months
Secondary	Change in language processing	Recorded by a member of the research team using Redenlab software and assessed by a speech therapist using Natural Language Processing techniques.	Day 0 and at 12-months
Secondary	Change in Direct Magnitude Estimation	Perceptual rating of speech using Redenlab software; measuring intelligibility (i.e ability to be understood) and naturalness (deviation from healthy norm) of speech. Assessed by a speech therapist on a scale from 0 to 100; 0 indicates none of the speech is intelligible/natural, 100 indicates all the speech is intelligible/natural.	Day 0 and at 12-months