Active clinical trials for "Alzheimer Disease"

Dementia is a term used to describe a collection of symptoms including memory loss, problems with reasoning and communication, and a reduction in a person's ability to carry out daily activities. The most common types of dementia are: Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, mixed dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies. Clinicians and families are looking for ways to deal with this challenging group of diseases to improve quality of life, reduce depression and agitation for individuals in long term care (LTC). There are a variety of non-pharmacologic interventions for dementia often used in addressing physiological and behavioral challenges, new to this category of treatment is virtual reality (VR). Virtual reality has been studied in mild cognitive impairment. Colleagues completed a systematic review of non-pharmacological intervention to treat older people with dementia and found music to be the only intervention effective, VR was not included as no studies were found. The Registered Nurses Association of Ontario report non-pharmacological approaches are an important alternative to the use of antipsychotic medications. They recommend health-care providers should consider non-pharmacological interventions wherever possible as a first-line approach to the management of BPSD. Virtual reality as proposed in this research will include music, library items will be selected that are person specific, and will provide sensory stimulation. To date there is no published research on the use the VR in moderate to severe dementia in LTC, looking at depression.

The purpose of this study is to determine safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics/dynamics of a ketogenic dietary supplement containing medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). Novel imaging and laboratory biomarkers in response to this intervention will also be explored.

To evaluate the effectiveness of an online educational course on Alzheimer's disease (AD) prevention, treatment and caregiving.

The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and the efficacy of (Human Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells) UCMSCs for patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is much more common in the elderly than in the young; the latest studies show prevalence between 45% and 62% in individuals over 60. It is even higher in patients with dementia such as Alzheimer patients. Several trials in elderly patients showed modified cognitive functions, particularly executive and attentional functions, in patients with respiratory sleep disorder. However the benefit of CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) ventilation for Alzheimer patients is still controversial, as there are few studies documenting its effects on dementia patients' cognitive abilities, and clinicians appear reluctant to prescribe this type of treatment. The investigators must keep in mind that Alzheimer patients suffer significant sleep disorders; advanced- stage patients spend 40% of the night awake and are drowsy a large part of the day. In dementia patients, sleep disorder is a major cause of hospitalization and institutionalization. The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in this population is estimated at over 50%, and appears to be higher the more advanced the dementia. Trials on obstructive sleep apnea syndromes in Alzheimer patients show significatively improved scores on the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), as well as satisfactory treatment tolerance. However, any impact on cognitive abilities has yet to be demonstrated. In addition, cardiovascular pathologies such as arterial hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, and strokes are strongly correlated to OSA. In light of its consequences on morbidity and mortality, OSA should be considered a public health issue. In this context, the investigators wish to address the impact of CPAP treatment implementation on the cognitive parameters of patients diagnosed with OSA, particularly on their executive functions. This should provide evidence for mid-term assessment of the benefits of CPAP in caring for elderly patients with dementia. In light of the prevalence of obstructive sleep pathologies in elderly patients reported in various studies and of the potential impact of CPAP treatment on cognitive abilities, the investigators propose a study to evaluate the impact of OSA treatment on elderly Alzheimer patients' cognitive abilities, particularly on their executive functions. Executive functions are a rather heterogenous group of high-level cognitive processes which enable individuals to adopt a flexible, context-appropriate behavior. They also include planning abilities, working memory, cognitive control, abstract thought, rule learning, selective attention, motor response selection, etc... Executive functions are mainly associated to the functioning of the brain's frontal lobes, although subcortical structures also play a role. When the executive functions are affected by disease, daily life is significantly impeded as the individual becomes unable to perform complex tasks or regulate his/her behavior. Many tests can help evaluate these functions in dementia patients. A number of "ecological" tests, such as the zoo map test from the Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS) arsenal, are quite relevant for evaluating executive functions. This project aims to improve the daily life of Alzheimer patients with sleep apnea by improving their executive cognitive functions through CPAP treatment. According to the Paquid's trial, there are 12,400 Alzheimer patients in the French Loire department. [27] The study population will therefore be recruited in the "La Charité" center of CHU Saint-Etienne. The target population is older individuals (≥ 65) suffering from cognitive disorders similar to Alzheimer's disease. OSA will be diagnosed based on polysomnography, on an outpatient basis. Apnea patients will receive CPAP treatment for 4 months, which is the minimum duration required to implement and accept treatment, and to measure its impact on patients' neurocognitive abilities.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by progressive subcortical and cortical neuronal degeneration. AD patients differ in the time course of neuronal degeneration and accompanying cognitive decline. With recent advances in MR imaging, including optimized data acquisition and processing techniques, tools that are especially well suited for tracking long-term pathological changes as well as drug treatment effects have become available. In addition to structural imaging, new acquisition and analysis techniques have been developed to determine integrity of subcortical fiber tracts in vivo. In the present project we propose to determine predictors of disease progression and treatment response and investigate potential treatment effects on structural disease progression, covering the continuum from axonal degeneration to cortical neuronal loss taking advantage of recent advances in MRI acquisition and analysis techniques.

This is a 12-month, multicentre randomised double-blind placebo-controlled Phase IIb study in patients with mild Alzheimer's dementia (AD). Patients will be randomised on a 1:1 ratio to receive liraglutide or matching placebo.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia among elderly patients. By its prevalence and its medical and social consequences, AD represents a dual challenge to public health and society. The elderly want to stay in their homes even when their lives are altered by a chronic progressive disease. Their caregivers claim in turn a support at home. But this desire is questioned because of the characteristics of the disease, e.g. the altered relational function by the cognitive impairment and the behavioural disorders associated. Outpatients non-drug therapies represent a potential support that adapts to patient with an AD or mixed dementia, especially in their milder forms. The aim of the study is to evaluate the feasibility of a weekly rehabilitation's intervention at home and its acceptability by both the patient and the caregiver. The study of its efficiency in terms of autonomy will be the next step.

The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Octohydroaminoacridine Succinate tablets and find the optimal dose in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's Disease.

The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and the tolerability of UC-MSC (Human Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell) .This study is also to investigate the efficacy of this treatment in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD).