| Sponsor |
National Institute on Aging |
| Official Study Title |
New Approaches to Dementia Heterogeneity
More Information on this Project |
| Conditions Studied |
Alzheimer's Disease (AD)
Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD)
Semantic Dementia (SD)
Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA)
Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD)
Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (CJD)
Dementia with Lewy Body (DLB)
Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP)
Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)
Healthy Aging
Other neurological conditions which affect memory or thinking with the exception of Vascular
Dementia. |
| Purpose |
The purpose of this study is to collect information from various tests of
brain function with the goal of improving early detection and clinical care for patients with dementia.
Information is collected longitudinally and includes clinical, imaging, behavioral and autopsy data. |
| Inclusion Criteria |
Participants must be age 18 or greater and meet criteria
for either AD, FTLD FTD, FTLD ALS, FTLD SD, FTLD PA,
PPA, PSP, CBD, CJD, DLB, other rapidly progressive
dementia, MCI or healthy volunteer. Participants will
need a reliable study partner who has frequent contact
with the participant, is available to provide inforamtion
about the participant, and who can accompany the participant
to research visits as needed. Participants must be
willing and able to have brain MRIs through the course
of the study and have an MMSE score of 15 or greater
AND/OR CDR less than 2 at time of screening. Anyone
not meeting these criteria will need to be approved
by the Study Director. |
| Exclusion Criteria |
The exclusion criteria include:
- A history of Korsakoff encephalopathy
- alcohol abuse or dependence within 5 years of the onset of dementia
- substance abuse
- head trauma with persistent deficits and a loss of consciousness greater than 30 minutes
- CNS lesions deemed to be clinically significant
- epilepsy or seizure disorder not due to correctable metabolic abnormality
- hydrocephalus
- intracerebral hemorrhage
- ischemic vascular dementia
- multisystem atrophy
- multiple sclerosis or other demyelinating disease
- encephalitis or meningitis
- untreated B12 deficiency
- untreated hypothyroidism
- untreated syphilis
- positive HIV status
- renal insufficiency requiring dialysis
- symptomatic liver disease
- anxiety disorder (not due to dementia and requiring medication more than 3 times per week)
- severe periventricular white matter disease or greater than grade 4 white matter lesions
- lacunar infarcts deemed to be clinically significant
- cortical stroke
- respiratory condition requiring oxygen
- significant systemic medical illness such as cancer requiring
chemotheraphy or end stage cardiac insufficiency, pacemaker, ferromagnetic material (in soft tissue),
benzodiazepines (no triazolam, but other short-acting benzodiazepines are OK), antidepressant therapy
with amitriptyline or doxepine or treatment not stable during past year, lithium, neuroleptics in the
phenothiazine and haloperidol families (atypicals OK), narcotics (codeine is OK, but hold 24 hours
before neuropsychological testing), anticonvulsants outside of therapeutic ranges, antihistamines
(more than 3 times per week; cannot be taken 24 hours before neuropsychological testing).
|
| Testing |
Neurological and physical examinations; interivew with study partner;
MRIs; cognitive testing; detailed family history; blood specimen collection for genetic testing and
cell line gerneration; questionnaires for participant and study partner; pre-conset to obtain a brain
autopsy. Participants may be asked to participate in additonal studies affiliated with this project. |
| Frequency of Visits |
Depending on the individual, there will be 2 to 4 visits over a
three month period of time, each year for up to five years. |
| Materials Needed Prior to Evaluation |
|
| Costs |
There are no costs associated with the evaluations that happen
as part of this study. Parking in the Millberry garage will be reimbursed. Participants are responsible
for their travel and hotel, should they choose to stay in one. |
