Chocolate and Physical Exercise to Reduce Malnutrition in Pre-dementia Aged People
DementiaDementia6 moreWe hypothesize that the antioxidant and cytoprotective functions of vitamin E combined with the cortisol-lowering effect of chocolate polyphenols and physical activity may help prevent the age-dependent decline of mitochondrial function and nutrient metabolism in skeletal muscle, key underpinning events in protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) and muscle wasting in the elderly. To test this hypothesis, a vitamin E functionalized dark chocolate rich in polyphenols will be developed with the collaboration of Nestlè Company, and its effects will be investigated combined with physical activity in a 6-month randomized case-control trial on pre-dementia elderly patients, a well-defined population of subjects at risk of undernutrition and frailty. Subjects stabilized on a protein-rich diet (0.9-1.0 g protein/Kg ideal body weight/day) and physical exercise program (High Intensity Interval Training specifically developed for these subjects), will be randomized in 3 groups (n = 34 each): controls (Group A) will maintain the baseline diet and cases will receive either 30 g/day of dark chocolate containing 500 mg total polyphenols (corresponding to 60 mg epicatechin) and 100 mg vitamin E (as RRR-alpha-tocopherol) (Group B) or the high polyphenol chocolate without additional vitamin E (Group C). Diet will be isocaloric and with the same intake of polyphenols and vitamin E in the 3 groups. Muscle mass will be the primary endpoint and other clinical endpoints will include neurocognitive status and previously identified biomolecular indices of frailty in pre-dementia patients. Muscle biopsies will be collected to assess myocyte contraction and mitochondrial metabolism. Laboratory endpoints will include the nutritional compliance to the proposed intervention (blood polyphenols and vitamin E status and metabolism), 24-h salivary cortisol, steroid hormones and IGF-1, and molecular indices of inflammation, oxidant stress, cell death and autophagy. These parameters will be investigated in muscle and blood cells by state-of-the-art omics techniques. Molecular and nutritional findings will also be confirmed in vitro using skeletal myotubes, blood leukocytes and neural cell lines. Clinical and laboratory results will be processed by a dedicated bioinformatics platform (developed with the external collaboration of the omics company Molecular Horizon Srl) to interpret the molecular response to the nutritional intervention and to personalize its application.
Neurologic Stem Cell Treatment Study
Neurologic DisordersNervous System Diseases24 moreThis is a human clinical study involving the isolation of autologous bone marrow derived stem cells (BMSC) and transfer to the vascular system and inferior 1/3 of the nasal passages in order to determine if such a treatment will provide improvement in neurologic function for patients with certain neurologic conditions. http://mdstemcells.com/nest/
Trial of Parkinson's And Zoledronic Acid
Parkinson DiseaseOsteoporosis7 moreThis home-based study is a randomized (1:1) placebo-controlled trial of a single infusion of zoledronic acid-5 mg (ZA) for the prevention of fractures in men and women aged 60 years and older with Parkinson's disease and parkinsonism with at least 2 years of follow-up. A total of 3500 participants will be enrolled and randomized in the United States. Participants, follow-up outcome assessors, and study investigators will be blinded to assigned study treatment. This trial is funded by the National Institute of Aging.
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) for Agitation in Dementia (AD)
Alzheimer DementiaAgitation,PsychomotorThis study will explore the effect of ECT treatments plus usual care (ECT+UC) in reducing severe agitation in patients with moderate to severe dementia including Alzheimer's Disease, Vascular dementia, Frontotemporal dementia, and Dementia with Lewy Bodies. The study will also determine the tolerability/safety outcomes of ECT+UC.
K0706 for Patients Diagnosed With Dementia With Lewy Bodies
Dementia With Lewy BodiesThis study evaluates the safety and tolerability of treatment with K0706 in Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB). The hypothesis is that K0706 will be safe and tolerable and that this drug will alter CSF and plasma biomarkers in DLB. Clinical assessments of cognitive, behavioral and motor functioning will also be evaluated. A total of 45 participants will be randomized 1:1:1 into 3 groups (n=15/per group) to be treated with sachet of 192 mg powder of K0706 ( equivalent to 96 mg capsule of K0706) or sachet of 384 mg powder of K0706 (equivalent to 192 capsule of K0706) or sachet of matching placebo ( equivalent to a capsule of placebo) for 12 weeks, followed by 4-week wash-out period.
Impact of Nilotinib on Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics and Biomarkers in Dementia With Lewy...
Dementia With Lewy BodiesDementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) is an alphasynucleinopathy and the second most common form of dementia in the elderly. DLB shares striking neuropathological and clinical similarities with both Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Nilotinib (Tasigna®, AMN107, Novartis, Switzerland) is approved by the FDA and is well tolerated for CML treatment at oral doses of 600-800mg daily. The Investigators propose to perform a phase II randomized, double blinded, placebo controlled study to evaluate the impact of Nilotinib in patients with DLB.
Cannabidiol Solution for the Treatment of Behavioral Symptoms in Older Adults With Alzheimer's Dementia...
Alzheimer DiseaseAnxiety1 moreThis is an open label, eight week, clinical trial of a proprietary high CBD/low THC sublingual solution for the treatment of clinically significant anxiety and agitation in mild to moderate Alzheimer's Disease.
Home-based tDCS in Frontotemporal Dementia or Alzheimer's Disease
Mild Cognitive ImpairmentPrimary Progressive Aphasia1 moreThe primary objective of this research is to evaluate the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation and computerized cognitive training on executive functioning in individuals with Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or dementia. In this study, investigators will use transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to stimulate the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Previous studies have demonstrated that tDCS over the DLPFC led to improvements in attention deficit caused by stroke, Parkinson's Disease, and major depression as well as language deficits caused by neurodegenerative conditions such as primary progressive aphasia or mild cognitive impairment. The investigators seek to expand on this literature by investigating how anodal tDCS paired with and without cognitive training will impact executive functioning in PPA with Frontotemporal Dementia or Alzheimer's Disease pathology and Mild Cognitive Impairment/Alzheimer's Disease (e.g. shifting, updating, monitoring, and manipulation).
Mobile App Psychological Interventions for Family Dementia Caregivers
Family CaregiversFamily caregivers of persons with dementia often experience chronic stress and insomnia, resulting in decreased mental and physical health. Accessibility of in-person stress reduction therapy is limited due to caregiver time constraints and distance from therapy sites. The goal of this study is to address gaps in the literature regarding smartphone delivery of Mentalizing Imagery Therapy to older adult caregivers. Mentalizing Imagery Therapy (MIT) provides mindfulness and guided imagery tools to reduce stress, promote self and other understanding, and increase feelings of interconnectedness. This study aims to determine the clinical effects of App-delivered caregiver skills with MIT (experimental condition) or without MIT (control condition) on caregivers' perceived stress (primary outcome), as well as develop digital phenotypes of participant behaviors that are associated with clinical/psychological outcomes. Hypotheses include the following: at the 8 week timepoint, caregivers receiving MIT+CS-App will exhibit superiority on psychological outcome measures relative to those receiving CS-App alone (perceived stress being the primary outcome), that overall app usage will mediate improvements in perceived stress, and that the beneficial effects of the MIT+CS-App will remain significant at the 24-week follow-up.
The Safety and The Efficacy Evaluation of ET-STEM in Patients With Frontotemporal Dementia
Frontotemporal DementiaThe primary purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and the tolerability of 3 repeated doses of ET-STEM (Mesenchymal stem cells preconditioned with ethionamide) in patients with FTD.