Active clinical trials for "Cognitive Dysfunction"

Older people with DM are at greater risk of cognitive decline than their counterparts with DM. Cognitive impairment in older people with DM may be associated with non-AD related brain atrophy and white matter disease. The investigators therefore propose to compare DM and non-DM older people with amnesic MCI in brian volumes, white matter disease and amyloid load. 30 older people with aMCI, 30 older people with aMCI and DM, age 65-85 will be recruited. They all will have amyloid PET scan and MRI brain scan.

Blood will be harvested from three groups of people, normal control, patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), 20 people per group. The blood samples will be used to determine the difference in the expression of microRNAs and proteins. Blood samples will be harvested again at 6-month interval from patients. The combination of the microRNAs and proteins that have different expression patterns between normal control and patients with MCI will be constructed in a kit to detect the difference. This kit will be used in another set of the three groups of people to determine its sensitivity and specificity in detecting patients with MCI.

The general purpose of this observational study is to examine biomarkers associated with the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases to potentially develop novel therapeutic approaches.

Post-stroke cognitive impairment(PSCI) is one of the most important factors causing disabilities after stroke. Recent study found that gut microbiota plays a key role in neurological diseases. Two recent small sample studies reported gut dysbiosis in PSCI patients. In order to further verify the relationship between PSCI and gut microbiota and the predictive value of gut microbiota and serum markers for cognitive impairment and poor prognosis after ischemic stroke. The study intended to collect stool specimens of patients with acute ischemic stroke and assess their cognitive psychological state, and to establish a prospective multi-center follow-up cohort to explore the correlation between the dynamic changes of intestinal flora in patients with stroke and PSCI and poor prognosis of stroke.

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) may lead to serious consequences. But the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) fMRI and biochemical indicators will be used to explore the underlying mechanisms and represent a promising precursory target for diagnosis and treatment of POCD.

Alzheimers disease (AD) is the most common course of cognitive decline and thereby the course of more than half of all cases of dementia. A proper AD diagnosis is rested on a number of examinations and tests, which combined can make AD diagnosis likely. But no single test or examination can unambiguous determine whether the patient has AD or not. Comparatively no examination or test can with accuracy predict whether a healthy person or a person with only mild cognitive (MCI)impairment in time will evolve AD. Quantitative Electroencephalography (qEEG), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers, linear CT analyses and Timed Up and Go - Dual Task (TUG-DT) are relatively inexpensive and and widely available diagnostic methods, which have the potential to diagnose AD at an early stage in a reliable accurate way. But they also have the potential to predict which patients diagnosed with MCI have particular risk of developing dementia. The purpose of the study is to investigate the relations between qEEG, CSF biomarkers, CT analyses and TUG-DT outcome and clinical features in healthy persons as well as patients with MCI and AD Furthermore to investigate whether qEEG or CSF biomarkers can predict which patients with MCI will in time evolve AD.

Background: Childhood epilepsy disorders are particular frequent in the area around Mahenge, southern Tanzania and recent studies have described a novel type of epilepsy with repetitive head nodding episodes and often progressive cognitive dysfunction. Despite the disease affecting thousands in Tanzania, Uganda and South Sudan, etiology and pathogenesis of the disorder termed Nodding Syndrome (NS) is still obscure as the phenotype remains imprecisely described. Epidemiological associations with Onchocerca volvulus and Mansonella spp. were noted at different African sites and remain robust even though no evidence for the presence of O. volvulus in CSF or any previous contact with the CSF was found. Hypothesis: With regard to the complex host immune reaction to O. volvulus, the investigators hypothesize that the immune response against filariae might contribute to NS and epilepsy. The investigators further assume that specific genetic traits might play a role in the pathogenesis of NS. Aims In the present study the investigators aim to examine if and how O. volvulus and/or Mansonella spp. contribute to the pathology of NS/epilepsy and therefore intend to analyze the filarial infection and the host immune response in affected children. To identify inherited traits predisposing for epilepsy, NS or specific immune responses, a genetic workup that includes whole-exome sequencing (WES) is performed. The clinical and EEG characteristics are further defined. Cognitive impairment of people with epilepsy and NS is assessed using the Wechsler Nonverbal Scale of Ability (WNV). Study design: A cross-sectional observational (groups I-III) and a case-control (groups I-V) study recruiting in total 250 patients and controls (I: people with NS, n=50; II: people with epilepsy (PWE) and onchocerciasis, n=50; III: PWE without onchocerciasis, n=50; IV: controls with onchocerciasis but otherwise healthy, n= 50; healthy controls without evidence for onchocerciasis, n= 50) is performed to describe the clinical characteristics in children with NS/epilepsy and to evaluate differences in infection and immune response between groups, respectively. The WNV should be validated in 500 healthy controls to obtain reference data in rural Africa. Summary: In summary, the study aims to elucidate clinical characteristics and the pathogenesis of NS/epilepsy in children of southern Tanzania and role of parasitic infection as a cause for NS/epilepsy.

To study on the Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction: Correlations With Leukocyte telomere length。

This research project will test two new computerized technologies in the detection of brain changes related to Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and dementia due to Alzheimer's disease. These technologies are: Computerized cognitive battery: Cognigram (CG) Computerized assessments have multiple advantages for the early detection of subtle changes in cognition in older adults. One of their main advantages is their higher precision when measuring accuracy and speed of responses, compared to pencil-and-paper tests. They also allow a greater reliability in measures, as tests are given in a standardized format without the interference of an evaluator. Finally, by including automatized instructions and reports, they are suitable for off-site or long-distance use. The present study aims to validate the Cognigram™ (CG) computerized cognitive tool, in a prospective and longitudinal fashion, determining if changes in the CG scores over 3, 6, 9, and 12 months, can predict progression to dementia at 1-year, 2-years, and 3-years, for patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). The NeuroCatch™ Platform (NCP) Event-related potentials (ERP) are non-invasive, low-cost, electrophysiological methods that allow recording of the electrical activity of the brain in vivo through an Electroencephalogram (EGG). They are free from cultural and educational influence and can provide insights into the cognitive processes. ERP could enable to detect brain changes and determine the prognosis of MCI subjects. The NCP, an investigational medical device system developed by NeuroCatch Inc., consists of an EEG software and hardware that captures brain health information. It offers a quick (i.e., 10 minutes for EEG preparation and 6 minutes for each task of EEG recording), simple (i.e., includes only 8 electrodes), and easy-to-use solution (i.e., includes a computerized software that automatically analyzes data and outputs graphs in less than 1 minute) for the acquisition of EEG and ERP.

The incidence of cognitive decline occurs in 53% of patients after cardiac surgery. Causes of POCD can be various: age, duration of cardiac bypass, medicaments and many others. The aim of this study is to determine factors causing postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) and to identify which of them are most important