11 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
The purpose of this research study is to see if high-speed weight training performed in a circuit (using one machine after another) can improve participant heart and brain function, strength, and power in older persons.
The study is designed to evaluate whether a florbetapir F 18 PET scan can impact clinical thinking when physicians are determining the likely cause of a subject's cognitive impairment.
This project will collect quantitative pilot data that will allow the characterization of uptake and binding of 18F-AV-1451 (also known as F 18 T807), a novel tau imaging compound, in individuals with Progressive Posterior Cortical Dysfunction (PPCD) and logopenic variant primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA). The primary goal is to develop tau imaging technique as an antecedent biomarker of cognitive decline. The investigators propose to obtain preliminary data that will support the possibility of detecting cognitive decline in its earliest stages, before the occurrence of dementia.
Background/Rationale: Cognitive problems are a common symptom in individuals with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Treatment options are limited, and there is a pressing need for new interventions to treat MS-related cognitive impairment. Glucose (a type of sugar) is used to fuel the cells of the healthy brain. For people with neurological conditions such as MS, glucose is not converted into energy as efficiently as it would be in a healthy brain, which can lead to a decrease in cognitive function. Caprylic Triglyceride may work to bypass this problem by providing an alternative energy source that is metabolized in the liver and used by the brain. Objective: To evaluate the therapeutic effects of 90 days of caprylic triglyceride on cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis. Design: Randomized, double blinded, placebo controlled trial of 158 subjects. Outcome: Change in Total Learning (Trials 1-5) on the California Verbal Learning Test-2nd Edition-(CVLT-II) AND Change in Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) (at day 90
The primary objective of this research is to evaluate the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation and computerized cognitive training on executive functioning in individuals with Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or dementia. In this study, investigators will use transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to stimulate the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Previous studies have demonstrated that tDCS over the DLPFC led to improvements in attention deficit caused by stroke, Parkinson's Disease, and major depression as well as language deficits caused by neurodegenerative conditions such as primary progressive aphasia or mild cognitive impairment. The investigators seek to expand on this literature by investigating how anodal tDCS paired with and without cognitive training will impact executive functioning in PPA with Frontotemporal Dementia or Alzheimer's Disease pathology and Mild Cognitive Impairment/Alzheimer's Disease (e.g. shifting, updating, monitoring, and manipulation).
In this research study we want to learn more about the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation on memory and brain-network function in cognitively unimpaired older adults and in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). This study will use a form of non-invasive brain stimulation called repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS). rTMS will slightly alter activity in an area of your brain that controls memory. Changes resulting from this stimulation will be measured with behavioral tests of memory and general cognition, as well as by taking images of your brain with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Participants will come in for one baseline visit followed by 10 days of daily rTMS study visits (Monday through Friday) and an evaluation visit. Then, there will be a 2-week break. After this break, they will return for another baseline visit, an additional 10 days of rTMS, and a final evaluation visit.
The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation on memory and language ability in patients with two phenotypic variations of underlying Alzheimer disease pathology: amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA). This study will use repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) to stimulate nodes of networks that are thought to be affected in these two conditions. Specifically, a node of the Default Mode Network (DMN)-the angular gyrus (AG)-will be stimulated in aMCI patients; and a node of the language network-the posterior inferior frontal gyrus (pIFG) will be stimulated in patients with lvPPA. We will use functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI) to assess changes in functional network architecture following the stimulation. We will also assess putative cognitive improvements resulting from the stimulation by in-depth language testing in lvPPA patients and in-depth memory testing in aMCI patients.
This protocol is designed to assess the utility of a new positron emission tomography (PET) radiopharmaceutical to image tau, \[18F\] JNJ067, invented by Janssen Pharmaceutical companies of Johnson \& Johnson. To date, the radiopharmaceutical has been used in a small group of patients and controls (\<20). The study plans to expand the range and number of subjects, to examine a total of 18 participants including controls and patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementias. All patients will be recruited from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Memory and Aging Center (MAC) and controls will be recruited from the University of California, Berkeley Aging Cohort Study (BACS). Patients will undergo a multidisciplinary clinical evaluation for diagnosis and a cognitive assessment at the MAC; controls will undergo the usual BACS cognitive assessment performed on the Berkeley campus. Following these evaluations UCSF subjects will undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning at the UCSF Neuroimaging Center and blood sampling for genetic testing also at UCSF, and BACS subjects will undergo an MRI at the University of California Berkeley 3T Brain Imaging Center (in Li Ka Shing hall on the Berkeley campus) and blood sampling for genetic testing at the time of the PET scan. All subjects will come to Lawrence Berkeley National Law (LBNL) where they will have, on the same day, a C-11 Pittsburgh compound B (PIB) PET scan to measure brain amyloid, and an F-18 JNJ067 PET scan to measure brain tau. These scans will be examined and analyzed by LBNL staff, and data will be processed to examine basic questions about the quantitative behavior of JNJ067. Scan results will not be returned to control subjects, but physicians at UCSF will receive scan results on MAC patients and will share results with participants. As part of this protocol, the investigators also plan to share the acquired data widely. All data will be de-identified. Data will be shared with the inventors (Janssen/Johnson \& Johnson) as well as other scientists worldwide. As this is a new radio tracer, the investigators anticipate that there will be interest in seeing the actual data to answer questions about uptake and application of the method in future studies in many different laboratories. Shared data will include PET scans, MRI scans, genetic testing, and neuropsychological results.
This is a human clinical study involving the isolation of autologous bone marrow derived stem cells (BMSC) and transfer to the vascular system and inferior 1/3 of the nasal passages in order to determine if such a treatment will provide improvement in neurologic function for patients with certain neurologic conditions. http://mdstemcells.com/nest/
The purpose of this study is to assess the performance of AclarusDx™, an investigational blood test detecting gene expression information, and intended to help physicians in making an Alzheimer's Disease diagnosis in patients having memory impairments.
The purpose of this study is to determine how inflammation is related to other changes in the brain that occur during the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The investigators are also studying how inflammation is related to the symptoms that first occur in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). For this reason, the investigators are asking people with different versions of Alzheimer's disease and/or other related dementias to participate. This includes patients with: * Mild Cognitive Impairment * Posterior cortical atrophy - a version of Alzheimer's disease with vision difficulties * Logopenic variant primary progressive aphasia - a version of Alzheimer's disease with language difficulties * Amnestic Alzheimer's disease - a "typical" version of Alzheimer's disease with memory difficulties * The investigators are also enrolling older adults with normal visual, language, and memory function.