Active clinical trials for "Alzheimer Disease"

Three quarters of patients with Alzheimer's disease have at least one vascular risk factor (VRF). Vascular brain lesions are present in most Alzheimer's patients (especially older ones). This cerebrovascular disease potentiates Alzheimer's lesions in early-stage disease. Many research studies have shown that VRFs are also risk factors for Alzheimer's disease; this is true for arterial hypertension and dyslipidaemia in particular and, to a lesser extent, diabetes and cardiopathy. Moreover, recent drug trials (SYST-EUR, PROGRESS and HOPE) have indicated that antihypertensive medications can prevent the appearance of dementia (and notably Alzheimer's disease) in over-60 hypertensive subjects. An observational study of 233 Alzheimer's patients with an average follow-up period of 4 years has shown that the annual decline in the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score was lower in patients in whom all the VRFs were being treated than in patients in whom no VRFs were being treated (1.5 ± 2.5 points versus 2.5 ± 2 points, respectively; p<0.04).1 However, it is not currently known whether optimal treatment of VRFs can influence the progression and prognosis of Alzheimer's disease. Answering this question could have a significant impact on public health.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the hypothesis that in middle-aged, asymptomatic, adult children of persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD), atorvastatin therapy will beneficially affect mechanisms thought to contribute to AD risk by improving blood flow in the brain, improving cerebral perfusion, increasing brain activity patterns, and improving blood vessel function.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of progressive cognitive decline in the United States. AD is characterized by severe impairments in learning, memory and other cognitive abilities that significantly interfere with daily functioning. The neuropathologic hallmarks of AD consist of neuritic plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and selective neuronal cell loss. Amyloid plaques, which contain Abeta protein, are believed to play an integral role in the development of AD. Elevated levels of Abeta in the brain are also correlated with cognitive decline. Alzheimer's (AD) develops insidiously, making it difficult to identify early, yet treatment is most effective when begun during the early stages of the disease. Thus, it has become important for researchers to identify markers of early AD. This project will examine the relationship between four potential markers that may indicate the early development of AD: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI)or normal cognition Practice effects Amyloid plaque binding on 18F-PIB PET Glucose hypometabolism on FDG PET This project will recruit 25 subjects from an ongoing community-based study of memory and practice effects in cognitively normal, community-dwelling individuals who are age 65 and over (NIA #5K23AG028417-05). Each subject will undergo positron emission tomography (PET) with both 18F-Flutemetamol and FDG. The overall objective of this companion project is to study the biodistribution and binding of 18F-Flutemetamol in these subjects using PET imaging, which will provide biological evidence to support the overall hypothesis that failure to benefit from practice on a learning paradigm is an early marker of AD.

PET (positron emission tomography) imaging with BAY1006578 for investigation of diagnostic potential in probable Alzheimer Disease patients versus healthy volunteers and radiation dosimetry in healthy volunteers.

Numerous modifiable lifestyle factors have been identified that may affect the risk of older adults developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Evidence suggests that interventions to reduce risk factors and enhance protective factors would be beneficial in slowing cognitive decline and decreasing the risk of incident MCI and AD. The overall objective of this pilot study, funded as a supplement to Keep Active Minnesota (KAM) (03-024; R01-AG023410) is to develop and test the feasibility of conducting a multi-domain intervention to maintain cognitive health in adults ages 60-80 with the goal of reducing the incidence of and slowing progression to MCI and other more severe forms of cognitive decline.

The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the effects of exercise and cognitive training on improving brain function in healthy older adults who may be at risk for developing Alzheimer's Disease.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate three methods of performing home-based assessments in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) prevention trials. The initial in-person assessment will be done in the clinic or at home.

Recent evidence suggests that there is a significant overlap between AD and cerebrovascular disease. In fact, AD and cerebrovascular disease may share some of the same risk factors, including hypercholesterolemia. In addition, studies have suggested that the HMG Co-A reductase inhibitor lipid-lowering agents, known as "statins," decrease the risk of AD by up to 70%; however, effects differed by specific statin use. This study will compare two statins, simvastatin (which crosses the blood brain barrier) and pravastatin (which does not), with respect to their ability to alter blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of AD and inflammatory markers. The primary aim of the proposed study is to determine whether there is a reduction in Abeta with statins and whether the ability of the statin to cross the blood-brain barrier will affect its ability to decrease Abeta. If it can be demonstrated that statins alter AD-associated biomarkers, this would have broad implications for the treatment and prevention of AD.

This research is designed to obtain efficacy and safety information for 123-I IMPY as an imaging biomarker for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The distribution of this agent will be measured by obtaining single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images of the brain serially over time to determine the relative localization of the radiopharmaceutical in regions of the cortex relative to background regions and develop an optimal technique of radiotracer administration (bolus or bolus with constant infusion). The researchers will then evaluate the utility of 123-I IMPY and SPECT in AD patients as an early diagnostic tool and subsequently serial evaluations of AD patients will be performed to determine if this technique may be useful as a tool for evaluation of progressive brain β-amyloid deposition in AD.

The study is designed to determine the diagnostic efficacy of the visual assessment of SPECT scans in differentiating between probable dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) and non-DLB dementia subjects determined by the clinical diagnosis of an independent expert consensus panel used as the standard of truth.