View clinical trials related to Cognitive Decline.
Filter by:Purpose: To conduct a one-arm phase II trial to: (1) compare changes in pre- to post-chemotherapy cognitive function in a cohort of patients with breast cancer receiving memantine to historical controls; (2) examine how depression, anxiety, fatigue, baseline Intelligence Quotient (IQ), and cognitive effort relate to objective and self-reported cognitive function; and (3) estimate the feasibility of conducting a clinical trial of memantine for attenuating cognitive decline in patients with breast cancer during chemotherapy. Participants: Adult patients with stage I-III breast cancer scheduled for adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Procedures (methods): Cognitive assessments will be performed within one week of initiating and four weeks after completion of chemotherapy. Patients will receive memantine 10 mg twice daily between the pre- and post-chemotherapy study assessments. Cognitive function will be assessed objectively using a computerized cognitive test (Delayed Matching to Sample (DMS) test) and a standard neuropsychological battery. To assess subjective cognitive function, the Patient Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Cognitive Function measure will be used. Depression, anxiety, fatigue, menopausal status, and sleep will be assessed as covariates.
Program Ready2E.A.T. was developed to be tested in the upper limb reeducation on population at risk, such as: - Children with dysfunction - Cognitive impaired elderly - Dementia people
Aging tends to compromise the ability to solve problems, remember details, and process information. At the extreme level, this normal cognitive decline can interfere with independent living. Because most brain dysfunctions become irreversible before patients show clear signs in the clinic, there is a pressing need to prioritize preventative countermeasures. Exercise is a promising strategy to slow or reverse these losses. While most studies have looked at running or cycling exercise, little is known about the effects of weight lifting exercise. In addition, vascular health is intimately linked with cognitive abilities and risk of stroke, making it a primary target for intervention. Previous weight lifting studies suggest that blood vessels in the brain are a likely site of adaptation. The goal of this research is to understand how weight lifting exercise improves cognitive function in older adults. Specifically, the contribution of blood vessel changes in the brain after 12 weeks of weight lifting exercise 3 days per week. These vascular improvements may provide the link between physical and cognitive health, while simultaneously reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. To determine this, advanced brain imaging techniques will be used to measure blood flow/volume changes in the brain non-invasively. Physical capacity (i.e. strength), body composition (i.e. lean mass, fat mass), and blood markers will also be assessed using standard protocols, and each of these variables will be tested for their relationship with cognitive functions. Understanding how weight lifting exercise improves cognitive function will support the development of comprehensive treatments targeting overall brain health. With no current cures for dementia, this information will be vital in prescribing exercise for specific patient needs to reducing the risk of dementia and stroke. In addition, the promise of exercise therapies extends beyond the target disease, having further benefits to the well-being of participants. These types of treatments positively impact fundamental aging processes, and thus reduce the risk of all-cause mortality. Even with moderate benefits to a specific disease like dementia, the global impact on healthcare would be substantial.
The study aimed at assessing whether the guidelines from the European project FOCUS had an effect on adherence to a physical activity program in older women. The program consisted of two 12-week periods, in which women followed a set of pre-specified exercises (1 hour, twice per week). The first period was supervised by a monitor while the second was autonomous. Support groups, in which the contact between participants was established through information and communication technologies (social-network through the mobile phone), were set up to maintain engagement between participants. Women were randomized to three arms consisting of 2 intervention groups, with and without the FOCUS guidelines, and a sedentary control. Secondary outcomes included a battery of dimensions affecting physical performance, psychological status, and quality of life.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathology is characterized by deposits of insoluble amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) in extracellular plaques and aggregated tau protein, which is found largely in the intracellular neurofibrillary tangles. Current knowledge, has allowed a shift in the definition of AD from a syndromal to a biological construct, based on biomarkers that are proxies of pathology. However, little is known about mechanisms underlying the disease progression at its early stages. The loss of dendritic spines, the primary locus of excitatory synaptic transmission in the mammalian central nervous may be linked to cognitive and memory impairment in AD: A multimodal lifestyle change intervention (dietary, physical activity and cognition) combined with epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) will slow down cognitive decline and improve brain connectivity in a population of participants with subjective cognitive decline (SCD). In humans, alterations in functional connectivity (FC) have been observed in early AD stages, subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). A hyper-synchronized anterior network and a posterior network characterized by a decrease in FC are the spatial features. These disruptions also seen in AD indicate that FC alterations appear very early in the course of the disease . Experimental research strongly suggests that in order to increase our cerebral reserves, we have to follow a lifestyle that takes into account many factors. Clinical studies provided evidence that individuals with more cerebral reserves are those who have a high level of education, who maintain regular physical activity and who eat in a healthy way. The environmental enrichment (EE) animal models confirmed that the experience plays a key role in increasing brain plasticity phenomena .There is a growing understanding that a valid therapeutic emerging approach in AD is prevention. A large number of modifiable risk factors for AD have been identified in observational studies, many of which do not appear to exert effects through amyloid or tau. This suggests that primary prevention studies focusing on risk reduction and lifestyle modification may offer additional benefits. The therapeutic approach proposed in the present project aims at improving synaptic plasticity and functional connectivity in early stages of AD, and specifically in SCD in the context of a personalized medicine approach that includes a multimodal intervention (nutritional, physical, cognitive and medical) looking at improving person-centered outcomes. In this context the proposed clinical trial design will evaluate the efficacy of EGCG in the context of a personalized medicine approach that includes a multimodal intervention (nutritional, physical, cognitive and medical) looking at improving person-centered outcomes. Early phase I studies in Down syndrome young adults showed that while subjects were under EGCG, improvements in cognition were observed but these vanished when treatment was discontinued. Phase II studies combining EGCG with cognitive training showed improvements in cognitive performance and adaptive functionality but interestingly sustained effects after treatment discontinuation. Observations made in humans are in agreement with preclinical studies showing that EGCG combined with environmental enrichment resulted in an improvement of age-related cognitive decline. These observations are in favor of the option of combining EGCG with a personalized multimodal intervention. The personalized multimodal intervention will take into account medical comorbidities (i.e. metabolic syndrome, T2DM), diet (including nutritional status), physical exercise, and will incorporate cognitive training and a behavioral intervention to aid subject's adherence and empowerment to the intervention proposed. This will be in-line with other clinical studies in AD showing the superiority of multimodal interventions vs. a single life style intervention (i.e. single nutrient, physical activity). Hypothesis: A multimodal lifestyle change intervention (dietary, physical activity and cognition) combined with epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) will slow down cognitive decline and improve brain connectivity in a population of participants with subjective cognitive decline (SCD).
Within this project the investigators tested the effectiveness of 2-month of computerized cognitive training (CCT) on CogniFit online platform on 77 older adults, which were randomly divided into intervention and control group. The investigators tested close (battery of cognitive functions) and far transfer (postural and mobility control, EEG, blood samples) of the CCT. Additionally, the investigators were interested into seeing a long-lasting effect, therefore participants were brought back to the laboratory 1 year post CCT.
Background: 36% of the Italian population will have more than 65 years in 2050. The European Union has indicated among its priorities to increase research on active aging. Physical activity contrasts disability linked to chronic diseases, has positive effects on the quality of life and on biological rhythms, prevents the decline of motor functions, improves the immune response, and prevents / positively affects metabolic disorders. It also provides valuable support in coping with cognitive decline and memory, and acts on depressive symptomatology. The literature on active aging is based, to date, on studies with small samples, rarely conducted with a randomized controlled method, whose outcomes often appear contradictory. The multidisciplinary project the investigators propose is an opportunity to address the issues mentioned above and to acquire further knowledge in the field of active aging. Objectives: the main objective of the study is to evaluate the effects of mild-to-moderate physical activity in a sample of over-65 years-old persons, on Quality of Life, and on biomechanical parameters (static-dynamic balance, mobility). The secondary objectives are aimed at assessing whether a protocol of mild-to-moderate physical activity can improve: - Metabolic functions - Cognitive performance - Perception of pain - Social rhythms and psychological wellbeing - Inflammatory state Design: randomized controlled trial (RCT), single-blinded, with follow-up. Sample: participants will be ≥ 65 years old, of both genders, sedentary, enrolled in two arms through a random assignment (treatment/control) with ratio of 1:1, as following: - about 60 subjects who will carry out a light-to-moderate physical activity intervention (experimental group); - about 60 subjects in the control group, who will participate in group cultural activities (active comparison group). Assessment: the assessment will include socio-demographic variables; variables of psychophysical wellbeing; cognitive variables; variables related to physical health; biomechanical variables; assessment of skin integrity; lab tests on blood samples. Times of evaluations: both groups will be subjected to the measurements of the present study according to the following schedule: - T0 (baseline): before the start of the intervention - T1: 12 weeks after T0 (at the end of the intervention) - T2: after 20 weeks from T0 (follow up 1) - T3: 48 weeks after T0 (follow-up 2).
We use Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), combined with simultaneous registration of electroencephalograph (EEG),for examining human cortical functionality. TMS-EEG is a noninvasive brain stimulation method that allows to study human cortical function in vivo. EEG provides an opportunity to directly measure the cerebral response to TMS, measuring the cortical TMS Evoked potential (TEP). In this study we measure TEPs, in a wide variety of neurological conditions and healthy as a measure of cerebral reactivity across wide areas of neocortex.
Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is associated with decreased risk for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. CRF is linked with more conserved gray and white matter (WM) volume, improved WM microstructural integrity, and better cognitive performance among healthy older adults. Additional research is needed to determine: (1) which WM tracts are most strongly related to CRF, (2) whether CRF-related benefits on WM translate to enhanced cognitive functioning, and (3) factors that mediate and moderate CRF effects. Higher CRF was hypothesized to be associated with stronger WM integrity, both globally and locally in WM tracts that connect frontal brain regions. The neuroprotective effects were hypothesized to be age-dependent, such that the association between CRF and WM integrity would be stronger in old age compared to younger age. Finally, higher CRF was hypothesized to predict stronger performance on tests of executive functioning (EF), partially mediated by frontal WM integrity. Delineation of specific neurocognitive effects of CRF may serve clinicians in individually tailoring wellness interventions to meet patients' specific cognitive concerns with aging.
This project will investigate changes in cognitive function in the early postoperative phase (<24 hours) after minor surgery in patients of older age (≥65 years).