Active clinical trials for "Cognitive Dysfunction"

The purpose of this study is to build upon the information obtained in the original Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI1), to examine how brain imaging technology can be used with other tests to measure the progression of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early Alzheimer's disease (AD). ADNI-GO seeks to define and characterize the mildest symptomatic phase of AD, referred to in this study as early amnestic MCI (EMCI). This information will aid in the early detection of AD, and in measuring the effectiveness of treatments in future clinical trials.

Retrospective study to evaluate the effect of a remote cognitive-rehabilitative intervention during the Covid outbreak in subjects with Parkinson's disease.

A consistent number of studies in the last few years highlighted that the functional and clinical worsening in patients with cardiac and/or respiratory disease/s increase the risk of cognitive decline. The literature reports a greater diffusion of screening procedures for cognitive deficits in patients with cardiac diseases compared to patients with respiratory diseases. However, in both populations, the interest for cognitive impairment is justified by multiple reasons: the numerous exacerbations of the disease and re-hospitalizations, the difficulty in following complex therapeutic regimens and recognizing worsening of symptoms, the reduced functional autonomy and the rehabilitation outcome . Although recently the Italian Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology has raised the threshold for the definition of the 'elderly' patient from 65 to 75 years to better adapt to the current physical and mental performance of men and women living in economically developed countries and to the demographic situation of the Italian population. Therefore the three classes of 'elderly' patients that we will enroll will be defined as follows: "young old" (65-74 years), "old" (75-84 years), and "old-old" (≥85 years). In general, the age of the eligible sample is defined as ≥ 65 years. Furthermore, in chronic diseases, emotional factors, such as anxiety and depression, also play an important role in disease adaptation and in the rehabilitation outcome in both cardiac and respiratory diseases. Alongside the problems relating to emotional aspects and cognitive decline, the frailty syndrome is noteworthy, particularly in the elderly and in the presence of cardiac/respiratory diseases. Frailty is associated with the loss of functionality that leads to greater vulnerability to adverse events such as the increased risk of falls, hospitalization, institutionalization, disability and mortality. Frailty screening or assessment scales provide predictive information on the risk of death and institutionalization and they are a good predictor of acute hospital outcomes too. Instead, concerning what emerges from international literature, in rehabilitation cardiology, despite the increase in the presence of elderly patients, the clinical and prognostic relevance of frailty has not yet been well defined and measured. On the other hand, recent studies points out that frailty is present in 1/4 of outpatient COPD patients, it is an independent predictor of rehabilitation program interruption and it is also easily reversible in the short term after rehabilitation, thus frailty appears to be one of the relevant aspects in rehabilitative treatment. In light of the data in the literature, the purposes of this prospective observational study are to evaluate the following objectives: At baseline, the presence of cognitive impairment, anxiety, depression, the assessment of self-reported adherence to therapeutic prescriptions and frailty in a sample of elderly patients (age ≥65) with chronic cardiorespiratory disease admitted for a cardiorespiratory rehabilitation cycle and the correlation with disease severity and functional aspects. In follow-up, the impact that these factors have on the rehabilitation outcome at the end of hospitalization and on the state of health at six months (telephone interview).

A monocenter observational study will be started to investigate postoperative cognitive dysfunction 5 years after minimally invasive cardiac surgery. Postoperative cognitive dysfunction will be evaluated in three groups: an endoscopic-CABG group (endo-CABG), a PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) group and a healthy control group. It is hypothesized that the endo-CABG group will show a stronger postoperative cognitive dysfunction compared to the PCI group and the healthy control group.

We hypothesize that reductions in gamma activity are a key mechanism underlying cognitive dysfunction in PD and that interventions to increase gamma activity will improve cognition.

The purpose of this pilot study will be to test whether Kundalini yoga (KY) and Kirtan Kriya (KK) yogic meditation is superior to Memory Enhancement Training (MET) for improving cognitive functioning, health (including cardiovascular factors), and mood in women with high AD risk.

Patients with cognitive impairments following a stroke are often denied access to inpatient rehabilitation, despite evidence of its benefits for them. Patients with cognitive impairment who are admitted to inpatient stroke rehabilitation often receive services based on outdated impairment-reduction models, rather than recommended function-based approaches. These two issues, reduced access to rehabilitation and the knowledge-to-practice gap, both stem from a reported lack of skills and knowledge on the part of some stroke rehabilitation teams to foster recovery in people with cognitive impairments. To address these issues, the investigators will implement and evaluate a multi-faceted, supported, integrated knowledge translation initiative, targeted specifically at the inter-professional application of the Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP), called CO-OP KT. CO-OP is a contemporary, effective, cognitive strategy-based treatment approach. CO-OP KT is a combination of the CO-OP Approach with multi-faceted knowledge translation support. Clinical staff at participating institutions will receive CO-OP KT training. The long-term objective of CO-OP KT is to optimize functional outcomes for individuals with stroke and cognitive impairments. Three specific research questions have been posed, one of which is the focus of this registration. That sub study relates to patient outcomes following the CO-OP KT training initiative and it will be addressed using a non-randomized design with historical controls. Patient participants who enroll in the project prior to implementing the CO-OP KT training will belong to the historical control group. Patient participants who enroll in the project after the CO-OP KT training will belong to the CO-OP KT Exposure group.

A six month, placebo-controlled, parallel group project in which MCI participants will receive 30 g/day of a custom-made MCT-based ketogenic supplement or a matching placebo. Uptake of both the brain's fuels - ketones (as 11C-AcAc) and glucose (as FDG) - both before and after the intervention will be assessed by PET (position emission tomography) ; imaging and ketone pharmacokinetic as primary objective as well as fMRI, diffusion MRI and cognition.

The hypothesis tested if the diffusion properties in the base line, such as mean diffusivity or kurtosis, can differentiate two subtypes of MCI and predict the clinical outcome in Patients. The hypothesis further supports the correlation of the measured diffusion properties and the disease severity. We therefore proposed to investigate the potential value of diffusion properties as a possible tool to monitor the disease progression. The disease related changes in neural connectivity will be investigated. The diffusion MRI could provide an improved diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease and Mild cognitive Impairment. Explanation: The deposition of the macromolecules such as beta amyloid in the brain and the associated neuron death of the patient could lead to observable changes in tissue microenvironment. The related changes would lead to alterations in either the amplitude or distribution of water diffusion. In turn it could be detected in diffusion tensor and kurtosis. aMCI is a preclinical state of AD and dMCI is from a different etiology, which can be differentially diagnosis by MRI. Diffusion Imaging could help to predict the clinical outcome Explanation

Despite an ongoing controversy in the scientific literature, the link between anesthesia and dementia and/or cerebral atrophy remains unclear. Recent retrospective data suggests an association of surgery with a reduction in brain volume. With the present prospective cohort study, we would like to reproduce and verify these results, and investigate a possible association with the postoperative cognitive performance. We will measure cerebral gray matter volumes in elderly patients before, 3 and 12 months after major non-cardiac surgery and determine cognitive functions at the same time. Study hypothesis: Surgery under general anesthesia in elderly patients is associated with a loss of gray matter. The degree of cognitive dysfunction is associated with the loss of grey matter in brain areas relevant for cognitive functions.