18 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Learning to make good decisions in the present, and accurately recalling events and information from the past, are critical aspects of human cognition that are often impaired in many psychiatric disorders. This project aims to identify the how the choices individuals make influence what, and how, people remember by combining disparate techniques in computational modeling and direct brain recordings in human subjects. The researcher developed a dual-task paradigm, probing how decisions in one task affect immediate recognition memory. To examine the neural mechanisms underlying model-free RL's influence on memory, the researcher will record local field potential (LFP) and single neuron activity in various brain regions as epilepsy patients perform the proposed task. The results of this project will identify specific neurocomputational mechanisms unifying decision-making and memory processes.
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment for severe or medication-resistant depression and other psychiatric disorders. A common side effect of ECT is problems with short-term memory during treatment. This study will test whether taking ginkgo biloba (GB) prior to and during the course of ECT will lessen the effects of ECT on short-term memory.
The purpose of the study is 1. To establish the feasibility of fMRI studies of the interaction of guanfacine and ketamine. 2. To explore the possibility that guanfacine can ameliorate the negative effects of ketamine on task-related prefrontal activation. 3. To assess the strength of any interaction between guanfacine and ketamine.
This study will assess the effects of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) on language recovery after stroke.
This project aims to develop a clinically feasible version of a laboratory-developed assessment battery for language and verbal short-term memory difficulties in aphasia.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether memantine (Namenda) improves memory and attention in patients with mild to moderate traumatic brain injury.
Behavioral interventions currently provide the most useful approach to addressing the behavioral and social needs of those with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer's or other diseases. This randomized, multisite, 3-arm study will investigate the impact of computerized brain fitness vs yoga vs an active control group (wellness education) on changes in cognitive function, daily functioning and quality of life in persons with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and their partner. In addition, in vivo neuroimaging measures of plasticity during the pre- and post-intervention periods will be measured and compared between the three different treatment groups. These neuroimaging measures of plasticity will be investigated in their relationship to the cognitive outcomes within each group.
The purpose of this study is to test the effects of tDCS (Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation) on stroke patients with working memory problems.
This study will compare the effectiveness of different combinations of 5 types of behavioral interventions across patient-centered outcomes. It will also evaluate which outcomes (e.g. quality of life, cognition, function, mood) matter most to people at risk for dementia and their care partners. The results of this study have the potential to direct patients, families, and health care providers as to which combinations of behavioral interventions provide the greatest potential impact on which dementia prevention outcomes. Greater use of behavioral strategies that are targeted to the outcomes of most important to the patient will likely improve patient compliance and treatment adherence. This, in turn, can lessen the need for medication, health care, and long term care utilization.
The goal of this clinical trial is to compare a precision medicine approach to the standard-of-care for people with mild cognitive impairment or early-stage dementia. Precision medicine approach starts with the completion of many tests and then the study doctor uses the test results to carefully prepare a treatment plan that is best for the individual person to help treat many of the underlying causes of mild cognitive impairment or early-stage dementia. The main question the study aims to answer is: • Does the precision medicine approach improve memory (cognitive function) better than the current standard-of-care treatment in people with mild cognitive impairment or early-stage dementia during a 9-month treatment period? This is a randomized clinical trial which means that a group of people that meet the study requirements will be assigned at random or by chance (like toss of a coin) to receive either the precision medicine treatment or the current gold standard (standard-of-care). People assigned to the precision medicine group will receive precision medicine for 9-months while those assigned to the standard-of-care group will follow that approach for 9-months, followed by an opportunity to receive up to six months of precision medicine, if desired. Participants will be asked to: * Have their blood drawn for extensive lab testing and collect urine and stool samples as well * Carefully follow instructions received from their study doctor and study team * Make lifestyle changes as prescribed by the study doctor and study team based on your precision medicine program * Take supplements and medications prescribed by the study doctor. * Once officially in the study (after meeting study entry or screening requirements), participate in ten (10) monthly visits with the study doctor, and other members of the study team as scheduled. * Complete cognitive tests at scheduled visits during the study * Have a study partner with you during visits and to help support you on the program Researchers will compare test results between the two study groups to see if the precision medicine approach improves those tests results over the time of the study, resulting in the improvement of cognition over a 9-month treatment period.
The main goal of this study is to investigate the neural mechanisms of working memory function in patients with early psychosis using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) in conjunction with functional MRI. TMS is a noninvasive method used to modulate brain activity via changing magnetic fields applied over the surface of the scalp.
The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of a novel, neuro-protective and neuro-restorative dietary supplement (Braini®) on standardized memory and cognitive performance parameters. The principal active ingredients in the Braini® supplement have been commercially-available since at least 2015 or have achieved FDA new dietary ingredient notification (NDIN) in 2018, with no adverse events reported to the FDA. A 28-day randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled dietary supplement study will be conducted with a cohort of younger and a cohort of colder adults to achieve the purpose of this study. The research team hypothesizes that Braini® will improve standardized performance scores measured by CNS Vital Signs standard memory and cognitive performance assays more effectively than placebo.
AD afflicts over 5.5. million Americans and is one of the most expensive diseases worldwide. In AD the variant in which language functions are most affected are referred to as 'logopenic variant Primary Progressive Aphasia' (lvPPA). Language deficits dramatically impair communication and quality of life for both patients and caregivers. PPA usually has an early onset (50-65 years of age), detrimentally affecting work and family life. Studies have identified verbal short-term memory/working memory (vSTM/WM) as a primary deficit and cause of language impairment. In the first cycle of this award, the investigators asked the question of whether language therapy effects could be augmented by electrical stimulation. The investigators conducted the largest to-date randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, crossover, clinical trial to determine the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in PPA. The investigators found that tDCS over the left inferior frontal gyrus (L_IFG), one of the major language hubs in the brain, significantly enhanced the effects of a written naming and spelling intervention. In addition, findings demonstrated that tDCS modulates functional connectivity between the stimulated area and other networks (e.g. functionally and structurally connected areas), and that tDCS modulates the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). In terms of tDCS, the investigators have been identified several predictors to determine the beneficience of tDCS including (a) PPA variant, (b) initial performance on cognitive/language tasks, particularly vSTM/WM, and (c) initial white-matter integrity and structure. These findings support the notion that tDCS benefits generalize beyond the treatment tasks and has led to the important question of the present study: How can we implement treatments to product benefits that maximally generalize to untrained but vital language/cognitive functions. To address the above question, the investigators will test recent neuroplasticity theories that claim that the benefits of neuromodulation to language-specific areas generalize to other language functions within the language network, while neuromodulation of a domain-general/multiple-demands area generalizes to both domain-general, executive and language functions. The two areas to be stimulated will be the supramarginal gyrus (SMG) and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) respectively. The left supramarginal gyrus (L_SMG) in particular, specializes in phonological processing, namely phonological verbal short-term memory (vSTM), i.e., the ability to temporarily store phonological (and graphemic) information in order. The domain of vSTM affects many language tasks (repetition, naming, syntax), which makes it an ideal treatment target and the L_SMG an ideal stimulation target, since generalization of tDCS effects to other language tasks is driven by the function (computation) of the stimulated area. By testing a fundamental principle of neuromodulation in a devastating neurodegenerative disorder, the investigators will significantly advance the field of neurorehabilitation in early-onset dementias. Aim 1: To determine whether vSTM/WM behavioral therapy combined with high definition (HD)-tDCS over the L_SMG will induce more generalization to language-specific tasks than to executive tasks, whereas stimulation over the LDPFC will induce equivalent generalization to both executive and language-specific tasks. Aim 2: To understand the mechanism of tDCS by measuring tDCS-induced changes in network functional connectivity (FC) and GABA in the LSMG and LDPFC. The investigators will carry out resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI), (MPRAGE), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), perfusion imaging (pCASL), and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), before, after, and 3-months post-intervention. Aim 3: To identify the neural, cognitive, physiological, clinical and demographic characteristics (biomarkers) that predict sham, tDCS, and tDCS vs. sham effects on vSTM and related language tasks in PPA. The investigators will evaluate neural (functional and structural connectivity, cortical volume, neuropeptides, and perfusion), cognitive (memory, attention, executive) and language functions, clinical (severity), physiological (sleep), and demographic (age, gender) characteristics, and the investigators will analyze the effects on vSTM and other language/cognitive outcomes immediately after intervention and at 3 months post-intervention.
The purpose of this research study is to learn if the medication Memantine Hydrochloride (the study medication) can help adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome. Dr. Alberto Costa and his research team want to see if a 16-week treatment with this medication can improve the participant's ability to learn and remember things. In this study, memantine hydrochloride will be used. Thus, the researchers want to learn whether the study drug can help improve memory in young adults with Down syndrome. To test the effect of the study medicine, half of the people in the study will receive the study medicine and half will receive a placebo (an inactive substance). Memantine is an approved medication to treat memory and thinking problems in persons with Alzheimer disease. However, little is known about the effect of this medication in persons with Down syndrome and it has not been approved for use in persons with Down syndrome.
Hearing loss is one of the most common health concerns affecting 1 in 3 Americans over 60 years of age rising to 1 in 2 for those over 85 years old. Contributions to hearing abilities provided by cognitive and memory processes are universally recognized as essential to adequate speech communication, but these processes are not well understood. Cognitive limitations in the ability to rapidly process sequential sounds occur with all listeners but may have more impact on older Veterans with and without hearing impairment. The purpose of this study is to examine and more thoroughly characterize the change in auditory working memory with hearing loss and increasing age. Young and older listeners with and without hearing loss will listen and report on two target sounds embedded in a stream of rapidly occurring sound. The investigators expect that older listeners without hearing loss will have more difficulty than young listeners but that older listeners with hearing impairment will have the most difficulty with this task even when the sounds they are listening to are adjusted to compensate for their hearing loss.
RATIONALE: Pioglitazone hydrochloride may be effective treatment for cognitive dysfunction caused by radiation therapy. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of pioglitazone hydrochloride in preventing radiation-induced cognitive dysfunction in treating patients with brain tumors.
The goal of this clinical trial is to determine how memory and attention affect the ability of children with developmental language disorder (DLD) to learn and use new vocabulary.
While the cause of AD is still unknown, evidence suggests it develops because of a complex series of events in the brain that occur over time. Two pathways possibly involved in development of AD are inflammation and oxidative stress. Scientists have linked chronic inflammatory events in the brain with the onset and progression of Alzheimer's Disease. Oxidative stress has also been implicated in the pathogenesis of a number of neurological disorders including Alzheimer's Disease. Etanercept (Enbrel®) is an approved drug for the treatment of several forms of arthritis when administered by injection. Some research suggests that etanercept, when administered by injection into the tissues close to the spinal column (perispinally), may modulate certain aspects of the immune system and provide some beneficial effect for people with Alzheimer's disease. Studies suggest that supplementation with specific nutrients may also have a positive effect in support of cognitive function. This study will be conducted at one research office with volunteers who have been diagnosed with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Each qualifying participant will be randomly assigned to receive an etanercept injection plus nutritional supplements for 6 weeks followed by a crossover and a washout period of 4 weeks to then receiving nutritional supplements alone or vice versa for another 6 weeks. Participants will undergo blood and urine safety assessments at the beginning and end of each 6 week treatment period. During 4 of the 6 weekly visits in the treatment period with the injections, you will complete the cognitive tests twice; once before and once 2 hours after the injection. During 4 of the 6 weekly visits in the treatment period without the injections, you will also complete the cognitive tests twice; once before and once 2 hours after being asked to lie down onto a table for 5 minutes. You will be allowed to continue your standard of care for Alzheimer's disease throughout your participation in the study.