View clinical trials related to Cognitive Dysfunction.
Filter by:The proposed research will use closed-loop transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) based on individualized brain networks to establish parameters that can reliably control brain states. This will be tested in healthy aging and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) cohorts. The investigators will study network activation and neural oscillatory mechanisms underlying the network that regulates working memory and then target this network using closed-loop TMS to the Prefrontal Cortex. Investigators will measure the impact of TMS on working memory performance and task-based neural activity. The project will use brain stimulation and network modeling techniques to enhance working memory in healthy older adults and MCI and will demonstrate the value of closed-loop, network-guided TMS for future clinical applications.
This research study aims to examine biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease as early as possible which could potentially be a screening tool for the general population. This observational study will take place at the Memory and Aging Program at Butler Hospital. The study will enroll up to 200 cognitively healthy subjects aged 50 to 80 years with ongoing recruitment and enrollment for 2 years, and subject participation lasting approximately 4 years. Disclosure of AD risk assessments will be an optional procedure. Two PET imaging sub-studies will also be optional.
This study will probe if the biological changes in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) are related to a history of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) using high definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) and blood-derived biomarker tools. Participants who Do as well as those who Do Not have a history of mTBI will be enrolled in the study.
Cognitive impairment is well established in people with psychosis and is associated with cannabis use. The current study will investigate the neurobiological basis of cognitive change associated with 28-days of cannabis abstinence in people with psychosis and non-psychiatric controls with cannabis use. Participants will be randomized to a cannabis abstinent group or a non-abstinent control group and will undergo magnetic resonance imaging at baseline and following 28-days of abstinence. This study will help characterize the neuropathophysiological processes underlying cognitive dysfunction associated with cannabis use and its recovery which may guide the development of novel interventions for problematic cannabis use.
This projects studies the role of mindfulness training (MT) to improve self-care among patients with heart failure and cognitive impairment.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) has gradually become one of the major global public health issues due to its prevalence, which increases with age and life expectancy, and the economic cost of caring for patients whose cognitive decline progressively leads to loss of functional autonomy. The diagnosis of AD is based on a multidisciplinary approach, involving, among other things, evaluation of the medical history together with clinical symptoms and signs, neuropsychological tests and neuroimaging. The quantification of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) core biomarkers (amyloid beta peptides [Ab1-40 and Ab1-42], total tau [t-tau] and its phosphorylated form on threonine 181 [p-tau(181)]) has progressively proven utility for the diagnosis of AD and its prodromal forms. CSF biomarkers are now included in international guidelines for the diagnosis of AD in research settings and clinical practice and the Alzheimer's Association appropriate use criteria for the use of lumbar puncture and CSF testing in the diagnosis of AD have been published. Such biochemical diagnostics are currently implemented in many specialized centers around the world. Recent progress in the biological diagnosis of AD is considerable, with the possibility, thanks to ultra-sensitive tests realized notably with the SIMOA technology, of having Ab1-40, Ab1-42, t-tau and p-tau(181) also detectable in the blood using commercial kits. The performance for AD detection has been evaluated by many groups including on retrospective samples. It is now essential to evaluate the interest of blood-based biomarkers of AD, prospectively and in real life condition to confront them with pre-analytical and analytical variabilities. It is also important to position them in relation to CSF analysis and AD management, from risk assessment, diagnosis, to therapeutic strategies.
Hospitalized older patients usually remain bedridden for many hours and this may lead to the appearance of unwanted negative consequences, such as cognitive or physical decline upon discharge. Our study will analyze whether an intervention consisting of a multicomponent training programme applied to patients over the age of 60 who are hospitalized for acute medical conditions in an Oncology Department of a tertiary hospital improves functional capacity and cognitive function. A total of 50 hospitalized older adult patients will be recruited in the Hospital Universitario de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain. The participants will be randomized and included in an exercise intervention (n = 25) or a control (n = 25) group (hospital usual-care). The intervention consists of a multicomponent exercise training programme that will take place for 3 consecutive days (2 sessions/day). The control group will receive usual hospital care, which will include physical rehabilitation when needed. Functional and cognitive impairment after and during acute hospitalization in older adults are major determinants of the later need for health resources. If our hypothesis is correct and shows that a multicomponent, individualized and progressive exercise programme is an effective therapy for improving the functional capacity of acutely hospitalized older patients compared to usual care, a change in the current system of hospitalization may be justified in oncogeriatric patients with medical conditions
Approximately one-fifth of community dwelling older adults exhibits mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and despite this being an early caregiving role, assisting a person with MCI is stressful and challenging. The purpose of this study is to develop and pilot test a communication-based psychoeducation program for persons with MCI and their care partners to improve their interpersonal management of MCI. The study team will be recruiting 30 adults throughout the US, though predominantly in GA, to serve on a virtual advisory board, which will meet every other week via webinar software to develop a virtual psychoeducation program for care partner dyads.
Cognitive impairment is a common non-motor symptom among individuals living with Parkinson's disease (PD). Traditionally, cognitive impairment is thought to reflect disruptions in dopaminergic frontal-striatal systems. However, the current conceptualization does not thoroughly explain the heterogeneous profiles or trajectories of cognitive impairment in PD; suggesting that alternative mechanisms may contribute to cognitive impairments. Identification of alternative mechanisms of cognitive impairment may lead to better prognostic prediction and yield novel treatment targets. The gut is implicated as a site of early pathology in PD. Early signs of PD pathology (alpha synuclein and Lewy body aggregates) are detected in the gastrointestinal tract years before motor symptoms manifest. Recent studies provide evidence that individuals with PD have an altered gut-bacterial composition (termed dysbiosis) relative to controls. To date, dysbiosis is linked to more severe motor symptoms and certain non-motor symptoms (constipation, REM behavioral sleep disorder) in PD, but the relationship between dysbiosis and cognitive impairment remains unknown. Animal studies support the hypothesis that microbiota composition play a direct role in cognitive impairment. Germ free (GF) mice demonstrate deficits in cognition. Specifically, findings suggest that a disrupted gut- microbial environment in conjunction with elevated stress hormones may create an imbalance of pro- inflammatory vs. anti-inflammatory cytokines that induces potentially reversible cognitive impairments. In human studies among individuals with PD, neuroinflammatory markers are associated with cognitive impairment. However, the relationship between dysbiosis, neural inflammation and cognitive functioning remains unknown. This model has incredible clinical implications, as microbiota dysbiosis may represent a reversible risk factor for cognitive impairment. The proposed study will examine the hypothesis that dysbiosis contributes to increased neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment. Microbiota composition/function, neuroinflammatory markers and cognitive functioning will be examined in 100 participants with PD. Analyses of microbiota composition/function will examine abundance of amplicon sequence variants (ASVs; 16s), bacterial species/strains (metagenomics), microbial genes, and functional pathways. The investigators hypothesize that microbiota composition/function will be associated with inflammatory markers (e.g. interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, c-reactive protein) and cognitive impairment.
The goal of this study is to investigate whether Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound Pulsation (LIFUP) targeting a part of the brain involved in memory will have an affect on brain activity and whether it may improve memory in people with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Mild Alzheimer's Disease. The main questions the study seeks to answer are: 1. Can LIFUP increase brain activity in the targeted area? 2. Can LIFUP improve memory in people with MCI and mild AD? 3. Can LIFUP improve connectivity of memory networks in the brain? Participants in this study will complete MRIs and memory testing, and receive Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound to a part of their brain involved in memory (the entorhinal cortex).