Early-onset Alzheimer's Disease Phenotypes: Neuropsychology and Neural Networks — EOAD-Subtype  

Alzheimer Disease Clinical Trial

Official title: Early-onset Alzheimer's Disease Phenotypes: Neuropsychology and Neural Networks

Status Recruiting

Clinical Trial Summary

This study attempts to identify two types of AD by using clinical and cognitive tasks and brain imaging. The subtypes of AD are separated into a "typical" group (memory loss) and a "variant" group (language, visuospatial, and other cognitive difficulties). Performance on the clinical tasks and brain imaging will be compared among the young-onset Alzheimer's disease group, a late-onset Alzheimer's disease group, and a control group.

Clinical Trial Description

Unlike the usual late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD), early-onset AD (EOAD), with onset before age 65, includes a high percentage of phenotypic variants. These non-familial, variants (vEOAD) present, not with progressive memory loss, but with language, visuospatial, or other cognitive difficulties. AD is now understood as a disorder that manifests with disturbed cognition reflecting disturbed neural networks. A multivariate analysis of neuropsychological tests, the "gold standard" for objectively defining neurocognitive impairments, coupled with structural and functional neuroimaging analysis of connectomes, can identify the neurocognitive-neural network profiles of vEOAD patients, compared to those with typical AD. This knowledge can increase our understanding of the heterogeneity of AD and how it causes disease.

This study hopes to show that vEOAD constitutes a "Type 2 AD", by (1) defining the neuropsychological components of Type 2 AD, and (2) understanding the anatomy and atrophy of the brains of vEOAD patients. Together, these components can outline the neurocognitive-neural network profile of Type 2 AD.

In addition to information that can help in the diagnosis and management of EOAD, this study can stimulate novel research into the reasons for this neurobiological heterogeneity in AD and could potentially lead to interventions based on alternate neurocognitive-neural network profiles. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Alzheimer Disease
• Alzheimer Disease, Early Onset
• Alzheimer Disease, Late Onset
• Aphasia
• Aphasia, Primary Progressive
• Apraxias
• Corticobasal Degeneration
• Dementia
• Dementia, Alzheimer Type
• Executive Dysfunction
• Frontotemporal Dementia
• Ideomotor Apraxia
• Logopenic Progressive Aphasia
• Pick Disease of the Brain
• Posterior Cortical Atrophy
• Primary Progressive Aphasia
• Visuospatial/Perceptual Abilities

• NCT number: NCT03153371
• Study type: Observational
• Source: University of California, Los Angeles
• Contact: Youssef I Khattab, BA
• Phone: (310)-478-3711
• Email: YKhattab@mednet.ucla.edu
• Status: Recruiting
• Start date: April 4, 2016
• Completion date: March 31, 2022