View clinical trials related to Aging.
Filter by:This study addresses a "lifespan approach to healthy development and aging" with direct relevance to humans by testing the anti-aging effects of acarbose in humans. It is a pilot study to: i) better estimate power for a larger trial, ii) establish the safety and potential beneficial effects of acarbose in non-diabetic elderly humans, and iii) determine whether the effects of acarbose on the microbiome likely play a role in its enhancement of longevity and/or healthy aging. These are essential initial steps for translating acarbose into an anti-aging human therapy.
A two-phase adaptive randomized clinical trial will examine the individual and combined impact of pairing cognitive training with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). tDCS is a method of non-invasive brain stimulation that directly stimulates brain regions involved in active cognitive function and could enhance neural plasticity when paired with a training task. We will compare changes in cognitive and brain function resulting from CT and ET combined with tDCS using a comprehensive neurocognitive, clinical, and multimodal neuroimaging assessment of brain structure, function, and metabolic state. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) will be used to assess brain response during working memory, attention, and memory encoding; the active cognitive abilities trained by CT. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) will assess cerebral metabolites, including GABA concentrations sensitive to neural plasticity. We hypothesize that: 1) tDCS will enhance neurocognitive function, brain function, and functional outcomes from CT, with combined CT and tDCS providing the most benefit; 2) Effects of tDCS on CT will be maintained up to 12 months following training, and 3) Neuroimaging biomarkers of cerebral metabolism, neural plasticity (GABA concentrations) and functional brain response (FMRI) during resting vs. active cognitive tasks will predict individual response to tDCS.
Baseline cerebral blood flow through the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and cerebral vasodilator response of the MCA to inhaled carbon dioxide (CO2) will be measured in young women, young men, older women, and older men using Magnetic Resonance (MR) imaging and transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD). Data collection techniques will be compared.
A variety of non-pharmacological interventions have been used in the management of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and similar cognitive disorders in elderly, yet no therapeutic modality has demonstrated conclusive positive results in terms of effectiveness. Although it is still unknown what triggers AD, recent studies have shown that AD is associated with brain energy depletion, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Since supplemental molecular hydrogen (H2) supports cell energy production and acts as a highly bioavailable mitochondria-related antioxidant, it may provide an ideal agent to facilitate treatment and perhaps prevention of AD and similar cognitive disorders in elderly. The overall hypothesis to be evaluated in this project is that administration of H2 will positively affect patient-reported outcomes and clinical biomarkers in men and women suffering from AD.
Evidence shows the positive effects of Brain Health & Wellness classes in younger individuals. The proposed study investigates the usefulness of these classes in older Veterans aged 50-85. We hope to show that such classes can lead to improvements in both thinking skills as well as stress levels.
The mental repetition of movements - or motor imagery (MI) practice - facilitates motor learning. It allows avoiding fatigue that occurs during physical practice; this method is thus particularly interesting for elderly people. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive method of neurostimulation during which a low direct current is applied to the brain via electrodes placed on the scalp. This method has been successfully used to enhance motor learning in both young and elderly subjects. The main aim of this study is to assess the impact of MI practice combined with tDCS on the learning of a complex finger sequence, in young and elderly subjects. For that purpose, young and elderly healthy subjects will be randomly assigned to Stimulation and Sham groups. There will thus be a total of four groups: Young Stim, Young Sham, Elderly Stim, and Elderly Sham. All subjects will participate to three training sessions spread over five days, and a retention test one week after the third training session. During training they will mentally repeat a complex finger sequence with the left hand, for 13 min: - Subjects of the Stimulation groups (Young Stim and Elderly Stim) will receive in parallel an anodal tDCS of the primary motor cortex. - Subjects of the Sham groups (Young Sham and Elderly Sham) will receive in parallel a sham tDCS of the primary motor cortex. Immediately before (pretest) and after (posttest) each training session, as well as during the retention test, subjects will repeat the sequence as many times of possible, for 1 min. During these tests (pretests, posttests and retention test) electroencephalographic activity will be recorded to assess the Mu rhythm power.
This project develops and tests the use of service robots to track health of the elderly over time. The objectives are to develop a low-cost mobile manipulator capable of a limited set of elder- relevant manipulation tasks (e.g. picking up dropped items). The investigators will visualize and model the use of the service robot during deployments at an elder care facility. Feedback from focus groups with elders and clinicians will inform the necessary engineering innovation.
The purpose of the study is to evaluate the beneficial effects of infusions of plasma from young donors using blood biomarkers.
Recent studies show preliminary evidence of HBOT therapeutic effects on angiogenesis, increased tissue blood flow and oxygenation correlated with tissue function. Our primary hypothesis is that HBOT will have beneficial effects on the above mentioned organs associated with aging-related malfunctions due to restored mitochondrial function, mobilization of stem cells and induction of angiogenesis.
A visual function focused add-on study to the Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA). There are three key aims: 1. Quantify age-related decline in a variety of visual functions within a populations based cohort. 2. Explore the mechanisms underlying age-related visual impairments. 3. Investigate how visual function impacts vision related quality of life.