SPECT/CT in the Diagnosis of Dementia
DementiaAim of the study is to evaluate whether Tc-99m-ECD-SPECT/CT enhances early diagnosis of dementia in two specific patient groups: (1) patient with mild cognitive impairment, and (2) patient with possible symptoms and signs of frontotemporal dementia. Evaluation of SPECT/CT data is performed both by visual and quantitative voxel-based analyses (Statistical Parametric Mapping). The final diagnosis is based on up to four years clinical follow-up.
PET Evaluation of Brain Peripheral Benzodiazepine Receptors Using [11C]PBR28 in Frontotemporal Dementia...
Frontotemporal Lobar DegenerationDementiaThis study will use positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to measure a receptor in the brain that is involved in inflammation. Certain neurological disorders, possibly including frontotemporal dementia (FTD), are associated with increased inflammation in the brain. This study may help elucidate the relationship between FTD and inflammation. Patients with FTD and healthy volunteers who are 35 years of age or older may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical history, physical examination, electrocardiogram, and blood and urine tests. Participants undergo the following procedures: Whole body PET scan: PET uses small amounts of a radioactive chemical called a tracer that labels active areas of the brain so the activity can be seen with a special camera. The tracer used in this study is [11C]PBR28. Before starting the scan, a catheter (plastic tube) is placed in a vein in the arm to inject the tracer. Pictures are taken for 1 hour. This short scan is done to determine if [11C]PBR28 binds to the subject s receptors, since a number of people do not have binding. Subjects who have binding continue with brain PET and MRI scans, described below. Brain PET imaging: Before starting the scan, a catheter is placed in a vein in the arm to inject the tracer,<TAB> and another catheter is placed in an artery in the wrist to obtain blood samples during the scan. The subject lies on the scanner bed. A special mask is fitted to the head and attached to the bed to help keep the person s head still during the scan so the images will be clear. An 8-minute transmission scan is done just before the tracer is injected to provide measures of the brain that are helpful in calculating information from subsequent scans. After the tracer is injected, pictures are taken for about 2.5 hours, while the subject lies still on the scanner bed. Blood and urine tests are done the day of and the day following each PET scan. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): An MRI scan is done within 1 year (before or after) of the PET scan. This procedure uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce images of the brain. The subject lies on a table that is moved into the scanner (a tube-like device), wearing earplugs to muffle the noise of the machine during the scanning process. The test takes about 1 hour....
Predictors of Neuro-cognitive Decline and Survival in HIV-infected Subjects
AIDSDementiaPatients will be followed every 6 months for a total of 5 visits (Month 0, 6, 12, 18 and 24). The first visit is the screening and entry visit which can occur at any time after the subject finishes SEARCH 001 study but preferably it should occur approximately 6 months after SEARCH 001 study completion. At each visit, patients will undergo the following Assessment of function including activity of daily living questionnaire History of medical illnesses, medication history Neurological examination: All patients will have a neurological evaluation and neuropsychological evaluation to characterize neurocognitive and neurological status. (It is possible that patients within the non-dementia group will meet criteria for dementia after close testing is completed). Neuropsychological assessment: Thai Depression Inventory. HIV viral load and storage of blood for proviral DNA level Final outcome assessment based on all available data. If possible, it is intended that these diagnoses will be determined through monthly VTC conference calls with UH investigators. This consensus conference will include the Thai investigators, the UH neurologist, the UH neuropsychologist and the UH principal investigators.
Establishment of a Bank of Biospecimens for Future Research on Age-related Cognitive Disorders
DementiaAlzheimers DiseaseThis study is collecting tissue specimens (blood, urine and saliva) from up to 1000 patients, with and without cognitive disorders, to store in the Bio Bank for future research. The specimens could be used in future research projects that could help improve the accuracy of diagnosis of a disease, predict who might develop a disease, help monitor the disease, or improve the understanding of the disease. Patients are only being recruited from Beaumont Hospitals Geriatric Clinic.
Reuptake of an E-Learning Programme in General Practice
EducationDementiaThe evaluate the use and diffusion of an E-learning programme in Diagnostic Evaluation of Dementia among General Practitioners (GPs) in Denmark. The hypothesis are: The GPs do not use the guided instructions The GPs using the programme are more frequently younger GPs. GPs working in rural areas will use the programme more frequently
MIND-ICU Study: Delirium and Dementia in Veterans Surviving ICU Care
DeliriumAging1 moreThis will be the first large cohort study to define the epidemiology of and identify modifiable risk factors for long-term CI and functional deficits of ICU survivors. The investigators will measure the independent contribution of risk factors such as delirium and exposure to sedative and analgesic medications to the incidence of long-term CI, controlling for established risk factors (e.g., age, pre-existing CI, and apoE genotype). Defining the contributions of these risk factors will make it possible to develop preventive and/or treatment strategies to reduce the incidence, severity and/or duration of long-term CI and improve functional recovery of patients with acute critical illness.
Computational Tools for Early Diagnosis of Memory Disorders
Alzheimer DiseaseFrontotemporal Dementia3 moreThe Virtual Physiological Human: DementiA Research Enabled by IT (VPH-DARE@IT) is a four-year IT-project funded through the European Union (EU). The project consortium involves a total of 21 universities and industrial partners from 10 European countries. The project delivers the first patient-specific predictive models for early differential diagnosis of dementia and their evolution. An integrated clinical decision support platform will be validated / tested by access to a dozen databases of international cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. As a part of the VPH-DARE@IT project, a new prospective cohort will be collected in Kuopio. This prospective cohort will be used to test further the modeling approaches and tools developed by using the retrospective databases.
Pilot Study of Cognitive Assessment in Welsh Speakers
Cognitive Impairment - e.g. Dementia19% of Wales' population speaks Welsh. Under the Welsh Language Act 1993, every public body providing services to the public in Wales has to prepare a scheme setting out how it will provide those services in Welsh. Diagnosing dementia requires a comprehensive assessment, an essential component of which is a cognitive assessment tool, which takes the form of a questionnaire. In clinical practice, this is currently only available through the medium of English. The investigators objective is to measure the difference between Cognitive Assessment scores (using the Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA)), when done in English and Welsh, in those who are cognitively impaired and whose first language is Welsh. The investigators predict that there will be a significant difference in scores in favour of the Welsh-medium tests, thus proving that the current mode of administering the test is prejudiced against patients whose first language is Welsh. If the investigators predictions are correct, then the investigators would seek to introduce a validated Welsh-language cognitive assessment tool to the domain of the Welsh NHS.
Automated Brain Morphometry for Dementia Diagnosis
DementiaEarly dementia diagnosis improves patient and carer experience, links them to appropriate care and support and enables timely symptomatic treatment. The guidelines of the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommend brain Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assist with the diagnosis in suspected dementia. Recently, computerised analysis of MRI scans, also known as automated brain morphometry, has shown potential to detect the brain changes characteristic of early dementia, and may therefore be a useful addition to the standard reporting performed by a neuroradiologist. The present pilot study will assess whether adding brain morphometric analysis to the usual diagnostic pathway improve diagnosis in clinical practice as an addition to the existing diagnostic pathway in a memory clinic setting. The main purpose of the study is to compare measures of the clinicians diagnostic confidence in patients with and without brain morphometry.
Evaluation of Age- and Alzheimer's Disease-Related Memory Disorder
Alzheimer DiseaseDementia2 moreThe purpose of this study is to examine how a part of the brain called the hippocampus contributes to memory changes that occur with aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Memory problems are the most important early symptoms of AD. The hippocampal region of the brain may be responsible for many age- and AD-related memory disorders. This study will use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to examine the structure, chemical composition, and function of the hippocampus in participants with AD, participants with mild memory problems, participants who are healthy but are at risk for AD, and healthy volunteers. Participants in this study will undergo MRI scans of the brain. During the MRI, participants will perform memory tests to demonstrate hippocampal functioning.