View clinical trials related to Alzheimer Disease.
Filter by:In this Phase II SBIR project we will enhance a wireless WiFi-based insole that was designed and successfully tested during a Phase I trial with elderly persons with dementia and their caregivers, and then investigate its efficacy in terms of caregiver activity, burden, and quality of life in Phase II. Evaluation will use semi-structured interviews and participant observation data collected from professional and family caregivers of patients with moderate or mild dementia.
This intervention study will investigate the effect of therapy light rooms on sleep, circadian rhythms, mood, behavioural problems and function in nursing home (NH) patients with dementia.
Previous studies showed that transcranial electric stimulation (tES) applied over the prefrontal cortex improves cognitive performance in healthy elderly adults as well as in patients suffering from mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, tES methods might be a useful intervention tool for patients suffering from memory impairment in early terms of the disease. The present study aims at establishing a connection between the stimulation-induced changes on associative memory performance and its underlying neurophysiological parameters. tES effects and their underlying mechanisms will be compared between healthy elderly controls and clinical study populations receiving either real or sham tES over the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex during an associative memory task.
Pharmacological treatment of AD is currently based on cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEI) and memantine, which have been shown to lead to modest, although effective, clinical benefits. Donepezil is a ChEI metabolized through the cytochrome P (CYP) 450, primarily by the 3A4 and 2D6 isoforms. The CYP2D6 gene presents polymorphisms that can alter its expression. The plasma therapeutic level ranges from 30 to 75 ng/mL, and 50% of acetylcholinesterase inhibition is achieved when the concentration reaches 15.6 ng/mL. An optimal plasma level is greater than 50 ng/mL. These polymorphisms may influence the individual's response to treatment with donepezil and the concentration of the drug in AD patients, without achieving the desired effect. However, most of the individuals are EM, i.e., the metabolism of the drug occurs according to the expected kinetics and is associated with the presence of one or two wild-type alleles. Objective: investigate the pattern of clinical response to donepezil in a group of patients with AD and AD with cerebrovascular disease (CVD) in relation to the plasmatic concentration of donepezil and polymorphisms of the CYP2D6 and apolipoprotein E (APOE) genes.
Currently, no cures or disease modifying therapies exist for Alzheimer's disease (AD). This is partially due to the inability to detect the disease before it has progressed to a stage where there are clinical manifestations. The identification and validation of high throughput biomarkers to measure disease progression (as well as identify pre-clinical disease onset) is critical to the development of disease-modifying or even preventative therapies. In this study, we are testing a blood biomarker for stratification of Alzheimer's disease patients and healthy volunteers. This study may lead to future blood tests that may help earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and detect the disease progression.
Dementia is a progressive decline in cognition that impairs a person's ability to perform activities of daily living. Changes in mood, gait, and balance are prominent secondary symptoms of Alzheimer's dementia that can dramatically decrease quality of life for the person with dementia and increase caregiver burden. The overall aim of this study is to determine the independent and combined effects of dance movement and social engagement on quality of life in people with early-stage dementia, and test the neural mechanisms of these effects.
The proposed study will develop and test the efficacy and feasibility of a dyadic-based intervention program (DT), delivered through state-of-the art computer tablet technology. A novel feature of the investigation is its focus on both the caregiver and the recipient of care (person with AD) and the integration of an evidenced-based caregiver intervention and evidenced-based cognitive/functional training for the care recipient. The program will be tailored for the caregiver and emphasize issues important to caregivers, not only in the earlier stages of caregiving, but will also target issues across the caregiving trajectory to help prepare the caregiver for changes in their role. Two hundred and forty Hispanic, African American and White/Caucasian dyads will be randomized to the DT intervention or Control condition. Measures at baseline and the 6 and 12-month follow-ups will include indices of care recipient processing speed and quality of life, and caregiver outcomes such as; depression, burden, self-care activities and social support . Information will also be gathered on ethnic differences in response to the intervention and estimates of cost effectiveness of the intervention.
This study tests the effects of the Neuro RX Gamma synchronous and asynchronous devices on the cognitive and behavioral functioning of subjects with moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's Disease. The Neuro RX Gamma is non-invasive and delivers near-infrared energy to the brain in daily treatment sessions at home. An optional substudy will involve the use of the Electroencephalogram (EEG) to assess the effect of the treatment devices on the electrical activity of the brain compared to sham.
The purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of High Density- tDCS (HD- tDCS) on cognitive function in Alzheimer's Disease. One anode and four return electrodes are placed over DLPFC, where low intensity current (2mA) is induced to the surface of the scalp. Electrode placement is individualized for each participant. Participants will undergo 15 stimulations, with a duration of 20 minutes each. All patients will undergo neuropsychological assessment and MRI evaluation.
Nursing home (NH) patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias often receive unwanted, burdensome treatments such as hospitalization. Advance care planning (ACP) is a key strategy to support patients and family-caregivers in making informed decisions and ensuring treatment preferences are proactively known and honored. The ACP Specialist Program will improve care and reduce unwanted, burdensome hospitalizations through improved ACP procedures, standardized staff education on ACP, and systematic ACP facilitation delivered by existing NH staff.