Active clinical trials for "Cognitive Dysfunction"

The primary objective of this protocol is to assess the efficacy of two dose strengths of varenicline (0.5 mg BID and 1mg BID) as adjunctive treatment for cognitive impairment in symptomatically stable outpatient schizophrenic subjects who are receiving treatment with atypical antipsychotic medications. A secondary objective is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of two doses of varenicline in symptomatically stable schizophrenic subjects who are receiving treatment with atypical antipsychotic medications.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a syndrome that occurs in the preclinical stage of Alzheimer, and early intervention can be effective in preventing Alzheimer, but further research is needed on intervention methods. In order to identify interventions that are more suitable for Chinese characteristics and to investigate the effects of a motor-cognitive intervention on the cognitive function of older adults with MCI, investigators screened 103 community-dwelling older adults with MCI aged 65 years and older in Qingdao, Shandong, China, and divided them into an intervention group and a control group, and administered a motor-cognitive intervention to the intervention group for 12 weeks. Investigators assessed the cognitive abilities of MCI participants using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). There were no demographic differences between the intervention and control groups. Investigators found that the cognitive abilities of the intervention group were significantly improved at the end of the intervention as well as at the end of the follow-up compared to the control group. The results of the current study suggest that the motor-cognitive intervention investigators used significantly improved cognitive function in older adults with MCI and was easy for older adults to master, and that it was a good intervention for cognitive function in older adults with MCI in the Chinese community.

To investigate the effect of ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral nerve block on postoperative acute and chronic pain and cognitive function in elderly patients with thoracoscopic partial lung resection.

Chemobrain is an expression used to describe a cluster of chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment symptoms, including problems with visual and verbal memory, forgetfulness, difficulty in learning, attention, concentration and coordination of multitasking and organization. Over 75% cancer patients experienced acute cognitive symptoms during chemotherapy and 17%-34% of them have long-term post-treatment cognitive deficits which can persist up to 10 years. Breast cancer survivors even display as high as 50%-75% prevalence of post-treatment cognitive impairment. Chemobrain has become an apparent quality-of-life issue for cancer survivors and will be encountered more frequently with the rise of the number of cancer survivors. There are no effective interventions available for preventing and treating chemobrain. Acupuncture is beneficial in reducing various side effects of anti-cancer treatment. It also shows the efficacy in improving mild cognitive impairment and other dementia disorders; facilitates the recovery of pathological microstructural changes of the brain. These results have led to the hypothesis that acupuncture is effective in preventing chemobrain and this preventive effect may be associated with the protection against cytokine production, epigenetic modification and microstructural changes of the brain. To test this hypothesis, an assessor-blinded, randomised controlled trial will be conducted to determine if a combination of DCEAS and body acupuncture could reduce the incidence and symptoms of chemobrain in breast cancer patients under chemotherapy compared to least acupuncture stimulation (LAS) as controls. A total of 168 breast cancer patients who are ready for chemotherapy will be randomly assigned to comprehensive acupuncture intervention (combined DCEAS and body acupuncture regimen + chemotherapy) (CAI) (n = 84) for 2 sessions per week for 8 weeks or least acupuncture stimulation (LAS) (minimal acupuncture + chemotherapy) (n = 84). All patients receive the standard chemotherapy of breast cancer. Treatment outcomes on cognitive performance, fatigue and the depression will be assessed.

No successful strategy is proposed to patients submitted to important surgery to reduce the incidence of postoperative cognitive disorders (POCD) onset. This project propose to measure plasma levels of apelin in wide population submitted to orthopedic surgery. Apelin could be involved in anti-inflammatory processes. Apelin levels before and after surgery correlated to postoperative cognitive disorders symptom measured by PET-Scan could be an important predictive or diagnostic marker to adapt therapeutic strategy to fight against postoperative cognitive disorders.

It is estimated that 30% of Alzheimer's disease cases globally are associated with changeable risk factors, such as diet and physical activity. In particular, a Mediterranean diet (MD) has been associated with reduced risk of cognitive decline and improved brain function. The investigators developed educational resources on the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle (THINK-MED) in accordance with the Medical Research Council guidance for developing and evaluating complex interventions, based on a systematic literature review and informed by qualitative work with patients with mild memory problems.The feedback gathered informed refinements and tailoring of the resource and overall MD intervention. This study aims to evaluate feasibility of the "THINK-MED" Mediterranean lifestyle educational intervention to encourage dietary behaviour change among community-dwelling people with subjective cognitive impairment.

Postoperative Cognitive Disorders (POCD) are common in hospitalized people > 60 year old, especially in orthopedic patients. Etiology of POCD is complex, and in some aspects still remains unclear. The role of thromboembolic events in etiology of POCD was discussed. The incidence of such events in patients who underwent big joints arthroplasty can be as high as 40 to 60%, although some cases are subclinical. Thromboembolic material can block a blood flow through a vessels in the brain. As a consequence cerebral neurons can be damaged or destroyed. After neuronal damage specific substances, such as S100B protein, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) are released to the blood. The serum concentrations of these biomarkers can be measured. Moreover, the block of blood flow will decrease regional cerebral saturation in affected parts of the brain. In this project the authors would like to analyze the correlation between the regional cerebral saturation and serum concentration of both S100B protein and GFAP in orthopedic patients scheduled to primary hip arthroplasty.

This research aims to help older African Americans with diabetes and mild memory problems improve how they take their medications and control their diabetes. This may preserve their independence and health, prevent cognitive and functional decline, and reduce health care costs. As the population ages and becomes more racially diverse, finding ways to achieve these outcomes has great public health importance.

Post operative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is recognized as a frequent complication after both cardiac and non cardiac surgery, affecting approximately 1/3 of the patients. The aim of this study is to examine the possible effect of the novel reversal agent sugammadex versus neostigmine/ atropine combination on cognitive function of adult patients after elective surgery during the early post operative period as well as at discharge.

This trial focuses on a Phase II randomized masked clinical trial testing the effectiveness and safety of peri-operative administration of ramelteon, a melatonin agonist in the prevention of postoperative delirium.