Active clinical trials for "Alzheimer Disease"

The first objective is to asses influence of age on amyloid load measured by PET imaging using Pittsburgh B compound (PiB) radio-tracer, in Alzheimer's disease(AD). This will allow the determination of brains age-specific deterioration factors by comparing Early onset AD (EOAD), Late onset AD (LOAD)and atypical focal cortical AD (PCA and LPA). The amount of brain lesions in AD patients is estimated by: measuring the rate of cortical brain atrophy, FDG imaging of glucose metabolism reflecting neuronal activity, and for patients who benefited from a lumbar puncture; Cortical-spinal fluid (CSF) amounts of amyloïd and tau proteins are measured.

The study is designed to collect data regarding the clinical course and outcome of patients suffering from memory disorders. Visits are charged to the individual's insurance inclusive of Medicare. Patients benefit from expert evaluation and treatment recommendations. Participants may be eligible for participation in experimental treatments in the future.

The goal of MIRAGE is to evaluate the association of genetic and non-genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's Disease.

Capturing the earliest stages of Dementia especially Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a great challenge. Until now the NINCDS-ADRDA and the DSM criteria for AD were largely used as diagnostic standards in research. However, the research on AD progresses and some biomarkers have been recently suggested to improve the diagnostic criteria of AD, such as cerebrospinal fluid markers, neuroimaging with Positon Emission Tomography (PET) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).

The proposed study is designed to evaluate the performance of the COGNISION™ System as a tool to assist physicians in diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease (AD) in real-world clinical settings. The design of this study is guided by two overriding factors: 1) to optimize the performance of the event related potentials (ERP) classifiers, the subjects making up the training sets must be well characterized as to their clinical diagnosis, and 2) all ERP tests must be performed and reproduced in real-world clinical settings.

This is a three year fMRI study conducted at the University of Wisconsin (UW) Hospital and the William. S. Middleton VA Hospital. This study is guided by the hypothesis that reduced fMRI activity and connectivity cortical midline structures (i.e., medial frontal and ventral posterior cingulate cortex) are physiologic abnormalities that relate strongly to the compromised insight into cognitive deficits, or anosognosia, shown by a subset of individuals with amnestic MCI (aMCI) and AD. Further, the investigators hypothesize that these regional changes in fMRI activity are predictive of faster progression from aMCI to AD.

The purpose of this study is to develop imaging techniques that can distinguish functional brain changes in people at high risk for dementia years prior to onset of clinical memory problems from those with normal changes of aging.

The main source of energy for the brain comes from a combination of oxygen and glucose (sugar). For brain cells to function normally they must receive a constant supply of these nutrients. As areas of the brain become more active blood flow into and out of these areas increase. In addition to oxygen and glucose, the brain uses chemical compounds known as phospholipids. These phospholipids make up the covering of nerve cells that assist in the transfer of information from cell to cell. Without phospholipids brain cell activity may become abnormal and cause problems in the nervous system. Certain diseases like Alzheimer's disease and brain tumors can affect blood flow to the brain and change the way the brain metabolizes phospholipids. In addition to diseases, changes in the brain occur with normal healthy aging. This study is designed to use PET scan to measure changes in blood flow and changes in phospholipid metabolism. Using this technique, researchers can improve their understanding of how certain diseases change the shape and function of the brain.

The purpose of this study is to determine the sleep patterns of subjects with or without sleep disturbances (insomnia, sleep apnea) and compare these findings with their previous FDG/PIB PET, structural MRI and brain blood flow scams performed during their participation in the Following studies 'Alzheimer's Disease Core Center (ADCC) Clinical Evaluation' (IRB: 2942), MRI Progression Markers of Cognitive Decline in the Elderly' (IRB:09-0586), or 'Imaging Neuro inflammation in Alzheimer's Disease with [11C] Arachidonic Acid (AA) and PET'(IRB: 10-00442).

The study investigates pain processing and pain reporting in patients with Alzheimers disease compared to healthy participants. Employing a within-subject design, the study includes patients with Alzheimers disease and healthy participants that are exposed to thermal stimuli. During the test session the facial expressions of the participant are video recorded. By repeating this on separate test days, the involvement of pain relief and pain increase is investigated.