View clinical trials related to Vascular Cognitive Impairment.
Filter by:The investigators will conduct a proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial study to provide preliminary evidence of efficacy of a resistance exercise training program for maintaining white matter health and improving cognitive function in older adults with vascular cognitive impairment, defined as the presence of cognitive impairment combined with cerebral small vessel disease, compared with a stretch and relaxation program.
Stroke is a leading cause of disability, affecting about 34,000 to 41,000 individuals in the Netherlands of middle and old age every year. Due to the aging of the population, this figure will increase considerably over the next decades (Struijs et al., 2005). Twenty-five percent of stroke patients die within one month, making stroke a major risk factor for premature death in developed countries. According to the World Health Organization, stroke is the third leading cause of the burden of disease in middle and high-income countries (World Health Organization, 2008). It has a significant negative impact on quality of life of both the patients as well as their caregivers and significant others. Surviving stroke patients often struggle with its manifold and lifelong lasting consequences, with 35 percent of patients being functionally dependent one year after stroke (Wolfe, 2000) and cognitive and emotional changes which are found up to two years post-stroke (Rasquin, Lodder, & Verhey, 2005). Depression, apathy, and cognitive impairment are very prevalent and significantly contribute to the burden of the disease, but their etiologies remain poorly understood. The aim of the CASPER study is to gain more insight into the etiologies of post-stroke depression (PSD), post-stroke apathy (PSA), vascular cognitive impairment (VCI), and post-stroke dementia. Therefore, the primary objectives are to identify biomarker-based predictors of PSD, PSA, and VCI. A secondary aim is to study effect modulation, especially the interaction between cerebrovascular disease, neurodegenerative changes and inflammation in post-stroke dementia. CASPER is a prospective clinical cohort study of 250 first-ever ischemic stroke patients with serial assessments at baseline (10 to 12 weeks after stroke), six and 12 months after baseline. Another wave (36 month after baseline) was later added.
The main objectives for this study are: 1. To investigate novel, non-invasive ocular measurements including optical coherence tomography and eye tracking in a cross-sectional study of participants with various neurodegenerative dementias against standard cognitive assessments and brain imaging measures; and 2. To assess the potential utility of ocular assessments for early detection in the pre-dementia, i.e. the so-called Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) stage, across the common neurodegenerative dementia syndromes and, Vascular Cognitive Impairment (VCI) due to small vessel disease (SVD). 3. To determine the prevalence and relevance of amyloid uptake on PET scanning across the dementias most commonly associated with amyloidosis. Specifically we aim to examine correlations with amyloid uptake status in patients symptomatic from the most common proteinopathies (ie amyloid, tau, synuclein) combined in varying degrees with the most common vasculopathies (ie small vessel disease) using multimodal structural and functional imaging, cognitive behavioral, and gait and balance measures, taking into account genetic risk markers (particularly apolipoprotein E genotypes) and fluid biomarkers ( eg cytokines, oxidative stress, lipidomics).
The prevalence of both Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and stroke doubles each decade over 65 years old. Both are major causes of dementia, currently estimated to affect 46 million people worldwide. The current costs globally are $818 billion. Additionally, in population studies elders over 65 years, "covert" cerebral small vessel disease appears on MRI scans as silent lacunar infarcts in 25% as Microbleeds in 10%, and as focal or diffuse 'incidental' white matter disease (WMD) in 95%. WMD is extensive in 20%, with a clinical threshold effect around 10cc2. Small vessel disease is even more common in dementia, often coexisting with AD and independently contributing to cognitive decline and progression to dementia. Longitudinal imaging using cerebral amyloid labeling opens a new opportunity to understand the additive/interactive effects of small vessel disease and AD. The design of this study includes recruitment of two cohorts, including Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and/or early Alzheimer Disease subjects from memory clinics and subjects with strokes/TIA from stroke prevention clinics. Inclusion criteria include the presence of moderate/extensive white matter disease, eg. Fazekas score of 2 (with confluent peri-ventricular hyperintensities) or Fazekas score of 3, as determined by previous MR or CT, > 60 years of age, Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE) scores ≥ 20. Subjects will undergo 3T structural MRI (including T1, PD/T2, FLAIR, GRE, DTI, ASL, and resting state fMRI), glucose PET, amyloid PET (using AV-45 florbetapir) and neuropsychological testing, as well as blood sampling. Repeat MR and PET/CT imaging and neuropsychological testing will be conducted at 24 months. The follow up assessments can also be completed at either year 1 or year 3 or Year 4 depending on the availability of study participants. The imaging portion is designed to closely parallel the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) in order to benefit from the availability of both cognitively normal controls (NC), MCI and Alzheimer's disease subjects with minimal WMD.
The investigators will conduct a proof-of-concept study to provide preliminary evidence of efficacy of aerobic-based exercise training for maintaining cognitive function, executive function, and everyday function in adults with mild vascular cognitive impairment.