Active clinical trials for "Cognitive Dysfunction"

Cancer-related cognitive Impairment (CRCI), commonly referred to as "chemo brain" or "brain fog"-impact severely on the Quality of Life (QoL) of cancer survivors. However, it still remains underdiagnosed and challenging to treat. One of the treatment options is the use of psychostimulants such as Methylphenidate (MP), but well-designed clinical trials to test its efficacy are limited. We will conduct a phase II study with a mixed method design to explore the preliminary efficacy of MP to improve cognitive function and QoL in breast cancer patients after treatment with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy and determine the parameters needed for designing a phase III study.

The project focuses on investigating problematic medication use, especially overuse of potentially addictive drugs among the elderly. The investigators aim firstly to develop and validate instruments for detecting and describing behavioral aspects and consequences of dependence on, and misuse of, prescription medication among elderly. In addition to evaluating diagnostic utility of screening instruments, the investigators aim to identify and report characteristics, risk factors and consequences of medication misuse and dependence among the elderly.

The purpose of this study is to test the effects of tDCS (Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation) on stroke patients with working memory problems.

Aim: To examine the efficacy of the combination of galantamine and memantine for the treatment of cognitive deficits in outpatients with schizophrenia. Hypothesis: A combination of galantamine and memantine will improve cognitive impairments in patients with schizophrenia. This is an open-label study to evaluate whether a six week course of galantamine ER and memantine XR is effective in improving the cognitive performance of patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. The primary outcome measure will be the change in level of cognition as measured by the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). The results of the MATRICS collaborative project recommended the need for standardized cognitive tests that better distinguish the different facets of cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. The MCCB will assess the following seven domains: attention/vigilance, reasoning and problem solving, processing speed, social cognition, verbal learning and memory, visual learning and memory, and working memory. The MCCB will be administered at baseline and at the end of the study. We will report total score and each domain score in the MCCB at baseline and six weeks.

Dementia is a clinical syndrome that is the result of distinct underlying pathologies including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Despite more than two decades of research on prevention and treatment of dementia and aging-related cognitive decline, highly effective preventive and therapeutic strategies remain elusive. Many features of dementia render it especially challenging. Indeed development of disease occurs insidiously over the course of years or decade. In addition, the causes of dementia and determinants of its severity are likely multi-factorial. To overcome these challenges and better understand the causes and course of AD and related disorders, long term follow-up studies of persons at high risk of dementia are required including multidimensional and harmonized assessment of risk factors, phenotypes (cognition, neuropsychiatric symptoms, physical health, self rated health) and endophenotypes (blood markers, genetic markers, neuroimaging markers). This project proposes an extension of the follow-up of Memento participants over 5 to 10 years with of focus on cognitive outcomes and comorbidities.

Cognitive frailty, characterized by the coexistence of physical frailty and cognitive impairment, is a robust indicator of cognitive decline. Recognizing its significance, the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics and the International Academy on Nutrition and Aging have advocated for the use of cognitive frailty assessment as a means of monitoring the progression of mild cognitive impairment towards debilitating conditions like dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and loss of independence. Despite the clear need, a practical and remotely accessible tool for measuring cognitive frailty is currently lacking, especially within the context of telehealth visits. With telehealth video-conferencing becoming increasingly popular, accepted by healthcare payers, and preferred by older adults who may face difficulties traveling to a clinic, there is a pressing need for a software-based solution for remote cognitive frailty assessment that can be easily integrated into existing telehealth systems. This study proposes designing and validating a video-based solution to remotely monitor cognitive-frailty in older adults.

In the United States and around the world, people are living longer lives. As the population ages, so does the number of older adults who may experience declines in memory, attention, reasoning, or other thinking skills. Some of these changes in cognition can be treated and reversed if caught early. Others can be slowed down and hopefully one day prevented. Unfortunately, people with cognitive decline or very mild dementia often are not recognized until late in the disease course when treatments are less effective. As the first health care professional most people reach out to about medical concerns, primary care providers play a critical role in detecting cognitive decline early. While many primary care providers conduct cognitive screening at Medicare Annual Wellness Visits and when patients voice concerns, 9 out of 10 would like more information about who to screen, which assessment tool to use, and what to say if screening is positive. Deciding who to screen with a brief cognitive assessment tool is a key part of the process because not everyone needs to be screened, and primary care providers already face time pressures to address the obvious and immediate concerns of their patients. The long-term goal of this project is to develop a risk assessment and cognitive screening tool that requires minimal time and effort from primary care providers or their staff and is sensitive to cognitive decline in older adults from diverse educational and racial/ethnic backgrounds. The tool will be integrated into electronic health record systems to make it easy for primary care providers and patients to see results. The specific aims of the first phase of the project are to modify an existing dementia risk screening index to identify older adults who are at high-risk for cognitive impairment, develop a brief cognitive assessment tool using tasks that are easy for older adults to perform yet are sensitive to cognitive decline, confirm their utility in 150 people with varying levels of cognitive abilities that have already been well defined, and test ways to integrate findings into the electronic health record. The specific aims for the second phase are to further test the effectiveness of the newly developed tool in 250 older adults receiving care in a primary care clinic, to find out from primary care providers using the tool how much they liked it and if it was useful and easy to use, and to integrate findings into multiple electronic health record systems. Findings from this project will fill a gap in the existing toolkit of primary care providers and will make screening for cognitive decline quick, easy, and effective.

Background: The increase in life expectancy and the rise in the ratio of older to younger people in the population has resulted in an increase in the number of those suffering from a decrease in cognitive ability, such as Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Methylphenidate can improve cognitive ability, mainly in memory and executive function. Working hypothesis and aims: This study examines the effect of Ritalin treatment in older people suffering from MCI. Our hypothesis is that treatment with Ritalin will improve cognitive function in those suffering from MCI, especially in the domains of attention and executive function. Methods A randomized, double-blind, case-control study. 120 patients older than 65 years of age diagnosed as suffering from MCI in the past year in geriatric assessment facilities in Beersheva. Patients will be randomized in equal groups to either the study group (Ritalin treatment) and control group (placebo). Each participant will attend the geriatric unit for four consecutive days: on the day prior to beginning the intervention participants will undergo cognitive assessment at 9:00 am. On the intervention days (days 2-4) participants will undergo cognitive assessment at 9:00 in the morning, followed by the administration (at 10:30) of different doses of Ritalin (10, 20 and 30mg) every day of intervention. Participants in the control group will receive placebo. Two hours after taking the drug or placebo participants in both groups will be assessed cognitively by means of Mindstreams and MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment). Expected results: Ritalin treatment will improve the cognitive function of the subjects, mainly in the domains of concentration and executive function

This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of 10 cm² rivastigmine patch vs. placebo in cognitively impaired Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients. Primary objective was the assessment of cognition by the Selective Reminding Test (SRT) -a subtest of the brief repeatable battery (BRB) - after titration of 4 weeks and maintenance of 12 weeks. This double-blind period was followed by a 52-week open-label treatment phase to assess long-term safety of rivastigmine patch in these patients.

This study will investigate AQW051 in patients with either mild Alzheimer's disease or amnestic mild cognitive impairment. The effect on cognitive impairment will be measure using validated computerized tests which measure cognitive function. This study will also explore the safety and tolerability of AQW051 in these patients.