Active clinical trials for "Alzheimer Disease"

Dementia is a serious health problem showing an increasing prevalence rate with increasing age. In Norway, about 80% of nursing home patients have dementia. The mean age of nursing home residents in Norway is around 84 years. Disruptive and agitated behaviour affect 30-50% of all individuals with dementia at some point in the course of the illness. In addition, they have a combination of physical and psychological diseases which necessitates a close collaboration between different specialities in medicine and Old Age psychiatry. In collaboration with the communalities, our Old Age psychiatry services want to provide a new approach to this challenge and validate it on patient and personnel level.

The main objective of the study is to evaluate the use of EEG in the management and follow-up of neuropsychiatric disorders. Secondary objectives are therefore better understanding of the pathological activations in neural network during neuropsychiatric disorders, their clinical evolution and response to therapies.

Recent studies indicate that there is a relationship between cognitive decline and vitamin D deficiency. Up to now, no study has investigated the prevalence of vitamin d deficiency in patient with Alzheimer's disease. Our aim is to investigate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and analysis the associated characteristics in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Background: New research criteria for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) have recently been developed to enable an early diagnosis of AD pathophysiology by relying on emerging biomarkers. To enable efficient allocation of health care resources, evidence is needed to support decision makers on the adoption of emerging biomarkers in clinical practice. The research goals are to 1) assess the diagnostic test accuracy (of current clinical diagnostic work-up and emerging biomarkers in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF), 2) perform a cost-consequence analysis and 3) assess long-term cost-effectiveness by an economic model. Methods/design: In a cohort design 304 consecutive patients suspected of having a primary neurodegenerative disease are approached in four academic memory clinics and followed for two years. Clinical data and data on quality of life data, costs and emerging biomarkers are gathered. Diagnostic test accuracy is determined by relating the clinical practice and new research criteria diagnoses to the reference diagnosis. The clinical practice diagnosis at baseline is reflected by a consensus procedure among experts using clinical information only (no biomarkers). The diagnosis based on the new research criteria is reflected by decision rules that combine clinical and biomarker information. The reference diagnosis is determined by a consensus procedure among experts based on clinical information on the course of symptoms over a two-year time period. A decision analytic model is build combining available evidence from different resources among which (accuracy) results from the study, literature and expert opinion to assess long-term cost-effectiveness of the emerging biomarkers. Discussion: Several other multi-centre trials study the relative value of new biomarkers for early evaluation of AD and related disorders. The uniqueness of this study is the assessment of resource utilization and quality of life to enable an economic evaluation. The study results are generalizable to a population of patients who are referred to a memory clinic due to their memory problems.

The purpose of this study is to use brain imaging technology to study the effects of aging and Alzheimer's Disease (AD) on a specific type of brain receptor. The brain is made up of cells called neurons. The neurons communicate with one another and secrete chemicals called neurotransmitters. The neurotransmitters bind to specific sites on other neurons called receptors. Acetylcholine (ACh) is a neurotransmitter that binds to ACh receptors. In both aging and AD, the number of neurons that secrete ACh decreases and the function of some ACh receptors changes. This study will use positron emission tomography (PET) scans of the brain to study the effects of age and AD on muscarinic type 2 [M2], a type of ACh receptor. Participants in this study will be injected with a radioactive tracer (ligand [F-18] FP-TZTP) which binds to [M2] receptors. Participants will then undergo a PET scan in order for the density and function of [M2] receptors to be studied.

The purpose of this study is to build upon the information obtained in the original Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI1), to examine how brain imaging technology can be used with other tests to measure the progression of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early Alzheimer's disease (AD). ADNI-GO seeks to define and characterize the mildest symptomatic phase of AD, referred to in this study as early amnestic MCI (EMCI). This information will aid in the early detection of AD, and in measuring the effectiveness of treatments in future clinical trials.

Falls in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) are common and lead to fractures, acute hospitalizations and increased rate of institutionalization. Poor balance and gait abnormalities, commonly associated with AD, are risk factors. Improving balance and gait abnormalities is critical in preventing these falls. Walking is the most commonly recommended home-based exercise program for elderly by primary care providers. However, it is difficult to engage patients with AD in long term exercise programs. Barriers include lack of motivation, poor engagement, and external factors such as the cost of physical therapy (PT). The use of readily available technology might bridge this gap by providing high level of engagement via use of multimedia at an affordable price. Wii-Fit is a Nintendo gaming console used for aerobics, strength training, and balance activities. It is a TV based self-directed activity where virtual trainers talk the user through the activity while tracking progress. Some skilled nursing facilities have started using the Wii-Fit as an adjunct to PT and note improvement in balance along with social benefits, but no systematic studies are done to generalize the findings. This study will compare changes in balance and daily living activities between a group receiving Wii-Fit training and another receiving a walking exercise program.

The VIVA study is focused on Alzheimer's disease patients with a low vision due to a bilateral cataract. The aim is to study cataract surgery results on patients' autonomy, behaviour, and mood. In fact those dement elderly patients suffer from a progressive loss of superior functions, with loss of autonomy, behaviour and mood degradation, associated with physical disabilities. The work hypothesis is that a loss of sensorial functions, particularly visual, is an aggravating factor of NEURO-cognitive troubles and absence of communication with outside circle. The protocol consists in investigating superior functions, autonomy, and behaviour troubles of the participating patients, with the help of a series of neuropsychological tests used one month before and three months after cataract operation on the eye with the worst vision. Independently of the study, patients must have given an informed consent to cataract surgery. Their participation lasts 4 months+/- 1 month. The aim of the study is to evaluate whether the cataract surgery improves patients' behaviour, autonomy and mood and possibly to show evidence onf drawbacks in of such a practice.The main objective targets to cataract surgery benefice on patients suffering from both Alzheimer's disease and impeding cataract, aiming to improve behaviour troubles. The specific objective is to measure this benefice in correlation with visual acuity improvement.

To validate a new Alzheimer's Disease scale against other rating tools in subjects with dementia of Alzheimer's type, treated with memantine.

The underlying goal of this study is to assess 123-I IBVM SPECT imaging as a tool to assess cholinergic transporter binding in the brain of AD and PD research participants and age- and gender-matched healthy subjects.