Active clinical trials for "Pick Disease of the Brain"

In the present sham-controlled study, the investigators examine whether tDCS could be used to enhance language abilities (e.g., picture naming) in individuals with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) primarily characterized by difficulties with speech production.

This study will use a randomized controlled trial design to evaluate the effect of two evidence-based treatments for adults with mild Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA). The aim of the study is to help us better understand the effects of speech language therapy on communication abilities in individuals with PPA. Participants with a diagnosis of PPA and their actively-engaged care partners will be involved in the study for 12 months. Each participant will receive a laptop equipped with the necessary applications and features for the study. Participants will receive 5 evaluations and 15 speech therapy sessions with a licensed speech therapist, as well as access to Communication Bridge, a personalized web application to practice home exercises that reinforce treatment strategies. There are no costs to participate in this study.

Background: - Hydroxypropyl beta cyclodextrin (HPBCD) is being tested for a disease called Niemann-Pick disease type C1 (NPC1). NPC1 is a genetic disorder that results in gradual loss of nervous system function. Cholesterol and other fats have trouble moving out of the brain cells, which makes the cells work poorly and leads to symptoms. There is no treatment currently approved in the US for NPC1. Researchers want to test if it is safe to use HPBCD for NPC1. They want to see if it can help brain cells process cholesterol better. Objectives: - To test the safety and effectiveness of HPBCD for NPC1. Eligibility: - Individuals between 2 and 25 years of age who have been diagnosed with NPC1 and who have not already received HPBCD in an attempt to treat NPC1. Design: Participants will be screened with a physical exam and medical history. They will provide blood and urine samples for screening. They will also have neurological tests, including tests of hearing, speech and movement. Participants will have a lumbar puncture (also called a spinal tap) every month to deliver the drug to the spinal fluid that surrounds the brain. The length of the trial will be determined by the safety and efficacy information that is obtained. Treatment will be monitored with frequent blood and urine tests, cerebral spinal fluid tests, hearing and neurological exams.

To evaluate the changes in cognitive function after miglustat treatment in Niemann-Pick type C patients.

Memantine has been approved for use in Alzheimer's disease. Its mechanism of action raises questions of whether it can also be effective for non-Alzheimer's dementias such as frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which currently has no disease-modifying treatment. This is an open-label study to probe the effects of memantine in 15 outpatients diagnosed with FTD, as shown objectively by comparing PET scans performed before and after use of the medication. The specific type of PET scan, FDG-PET, allows the investigators to gauge the effects of memantine on cortical activity levels. The investigators hypothesize that subjects on memantine will show normalization of cortical metabolic activity.

Due to different study designs, the sponsor separated Part C into a separate registration (NCT04958642), leaving Parts A/B here in NCT02534844. This study is to find out how safe and effective VTS-270 is for patients with Niemann-Pick Type C1 (NPC1) disease who have neurologic symptoms (listed under Keywords). In Parts A/B, two out of every three patients will receive the study drug. The third patient will receive 1 to 2 small needle pricks at the location where the LP and IT injection is normally made (sham control). In Part C, all participants will receive study drug, as described in the Part C registration record. Start date for this record is the first day a participant was enrolled in Parts A/B. The trial is actually continuing until the last primary outcome measure of safety data are collected from Part C participants. The last primary outcome measure of safety, along with final adverse events results will be posted in the separate Part C registration record.

Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) is a lethal, autosomal recessive, lysosomal storage disorder characterized by neurodegeneration in early childhood and death in adolescence. The causative genes NPC1 (about 95% of cases) and NPC2 (about 5% of cases) are involved in the intracellular trafficking of lipids and cholesterol. Mutations on either of these genes lead to progressive accumulation of unesterified cholesterol and other lipids in the central nervous system (CNS). Vorinostat is a histone deacetylase inhibitor that has been shown in vivo to increase mutant NPC1 protein levels and to reverse cellular accumulation of unesterified cholesterol. Vorinostat has been labeled by the FDA for treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. In this Phase I, non-randomized, open-label, single-center study, we plan to study whether Vorinostat can be repurposed to treat patients with NPC1. Our primary objective is to determine the safety and tolerability of Vorinostat in NPC1 disease. Our secondary objectives will be to determine biochemical efficacy of Vorinostat to increase expression of NPC1 protein and normalize lipid and protein biomarkers. This study will enroll up to 12 NPC1 patients and test the safety of two dose levels (200 and 400 mg). Drug will be administered on a 3 days on/4 days off schedule for 3 months at each dose level. Patients will be evaluated at the NIH Clinical Center at 0, 3 and 6 months. Safety will be assessed by adverse events (AEs), clinical laboratory tests and physical examinations. Biochemical efficacy will be assessed by measurement of serum and cerebral spinal fluid biomarkers. Clinical efficacy will be evaluated by audiologic testing, assessment ataxia, and swallowing studies.

Oxytocin is a hormone produced by the brain that appears to have important roles in social cognition and emotion in humans. In a pilot study, the effects of a single dose of oxytocin on measures of emotion recognition and behaviour in patients with Frontotemporal Dementia were investigated. The results from the pilot study suggested that oxytocin may be associated with a modest improvement in neuropsychiatric behaviours seen in patients with Frontotemporal Dementia. To further examine the safety and tolerability of oxytocin in this disorder, the present study will examine the safety and tolerability of three different doses of intranasal oxytocin administered to patients with Frontotemporal Dementia twice daily for 1 week.

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of TRx0237 in the treatment of patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD).

This study will evaluate the effects on emotions and neural activity of a one time dose of intranasal oxytocin vs. placebo in patients with FTD and healthy controls.