Active clinical trials for "Cognitive Dysfunction"

Recent limited evidence suggests that anesthetic depth may influence postoperative cognitive outcomes, however, the mechanism between this association is unclear.

This study is designed to determine the effectiveness of florbetapir (18F) in changing patient management and to evaluate the association between scan status and cognitive decline.

Ventilated ICU patients frequently have sepsis and the majority have delirium, a form of brain dysfunction that is an independent predictor of increased risk of dying, length of stay, costs, and prolonged cognitive impairment in survivors. Universally prescribed sedative medications-the GABA-ergic benzodiazepines-worsen this brain organ dysfunction. The available alternative sedation regimens, the shorter acting GABA-ergic propofol, and the alpha2 agonist, dexmedetomidine, have both been shown to be superior to benzodiazepines, and yet are different with regard to their effects on innate immunity, bacterial clearance, apoptosis, cognition and delirium. The MENDS2 study will compare propofol and dexmedetomidine, and determine the best sedative medication to reduce delirium and improve survival and long-term brain function in our most vulnerable patients- the ventilated septic patient.

The purpose of this study is to pilot test an intervention to improve oral health for individuals with memory problems. The results from this study will assist in developing prevention and intervention programs aimed at maintaining good oral health, or at least slowing its deterioration.

The investigators proposed research will establish whether combining aerobic exercise with cognitive challenges is feasible and effective in community dwelling older adults with early signs of cognitive impairment.

Past epidemiological studies have demonstrated that larger social networks, or more frequent social interactions, could have potential protective effects on the incidence of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). However, in those studies, indicators of social interactions were often broad, and included distinct elements that affected cognition and overall health. This project will examine whether conversation-based cognitive stimulation has positive effects on domain-specific cognitive functions among the elderly. Face-to-face communication will be conducted through the use of personal computers, webcams, and user-friendly simple interactive Internet programs to allow participants to have social engagement while staying at their home and also for the cost effective execution of the study.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of a preventative low-dose of Haloperidol to prevent delirium in patients undergoing a esophagectomy, pneumonectomy or thoracotomy. Delirium is state of severe confusion and some symptoms include: Cannot think clearly Have trouble paying attention Have a hard time understanding what is going on around them May see or hear things that are not there. These things seem very real to them.

Regular physical activity improves physical and mental health and reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, obesity and premature death from any cause. Unfortunately the majority of adults are not active enough to reap these benefits. People who are inactive and at high risk of stroke, heart disease, diabetes and dementia, and who may benefit from increased activity can be identified in primary care by combining standard risk tools. These high risk patients can be offered physical activity programmes that are designed to increase longterm adherence. Aerobic dance is an activity that combines physical, social and cognitive stimulation and allows easily adjusted intensity levels to meet individual needs. Engagement in an activity program also provides opportunities to offer advice on healthy nutrition and associated meal preparation skills. Information technology can be used to increase activity participation. Video materials can be produced to guide activity participation at home, thereby increasing overall activity participation. The investigators propose a feasibility study of a multimodal dance-based physical activity and nutrition intervention aimed at patients at high risk of stroke, heart disease, diabetes and dementia, in primary care settings.

To study the short term effects of a pharmacological dose of fish oil on cognitive performance and on cerebral blood flow. Furthermore, we want to investigate whether carriers of the APOEε4 allele respond differently to fish oil treatment compared to non-carriers.

The purpose of this study is to determine if folic acid supplementation can slow down atherosclerotic progression, age-related cognitive decline and age-related hearing loss.