Cognitive Impairment Clinical Trials in Canada

CONVERGE-HF is a 4-center pilot phase IIb randomized control trial in ambulatory patients with chronic heart failure (≥ 6 months) and mild-to-moderate cognitive impairment. Read Less

The efficacy of treatment with metformin for promoting cognitive recovery and brain growth in children/adolescents treated for a brain tumour will be investigated in a multi-site Phase III randomized double-blind placebo-controlled parallel arm superiority trial. Specifically, in children/adolescents aged 7 years to 21 years and 11 months who have completed treatment for a brain tumour, is oral administration of metformin for 16 weeks associated with greater improvement of cognitive function and brain growth compared to placebo administered for 16 weeks? Read Less

Stroke leads to lasting problems in using the upper limb (UL) for everyday life activities. While rehabilitation programs depend on motor learning, UL recovery is less than ideal. Implicit learning is thought to lead to better outcomes than explicit learning. Cognitive factors (e.g., memory, attention, perception), essential to implicit motor learning, are often impaired in people with stroke. The objective of this study is to investigate the role of cognitive deficits on implicit motor learning in people with stroke. The investigators hypothesize that 1) subjects with stroke will achieve better motor learning when training with additional intrinsic feedback compared to those who train without additional intrinsic feedback, and 2) individuals with stroke who have cognitive deficits will have impairments in their ability to use feedback to learn a motor skill compared to individuals with stroke who do not have cognitive deficits. A recent feedback modality, called error augmentation (EA), can be used to enhance motor learning by providing subjects with magnified motor errors that the nervous system can use to adapt performance. The investigators will use a custom-made training program that includes EA feedback in a virtual reality (VR) environment in which the range of the UL movement is related to the patient's specific deficit in the production of active elbow extension. An avatar depiction of the arm will include a 15 deg elbow flexion error to encourage subjects to increase elbow extension beyond the current limitations. Thus, the subject will receive feedback that the elbow has extended less than it actually has and will compensate by extending the elbow further. Subjects will train for 30 minutes with the EA program 3 times a week for 9 weeks. Kinematic and clinical measures will be recorded before, after 3 weeks, after 6 weeks, and after 9 weeks. Four weeks after the end of training, there will be a follow-up evaluation. Imaging scans will be done to determine lesion size and extent, and descending tract integrity with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). This study will identify if subjects with cognitive deficits benefit from individualized training programs using enhanced intrinsic feedback. The development of treatments based on mechanisms of motor learning can move rehabilitation therapy in a promising direction by allowing therapists to design more effective interventions for people with problems using their upper limb following a stroke. Read Less

The prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) is \~5.0%, and rates of co-occurring SUDs in these patients approach 40-50%. Specifically, rates of co-morbid cannabis use disorder (CUD) in patients with MDD are elevated 2-3 fold compared to 2.9% in the general population, and is associated with poorer treatment outcomes and impaired cognitive and psychosocial functioning in comparison to MDD patients without CUD. Most studies of cannabis use in MDD are cross-sectional in design, and therefore causal relationships are unclear. This study investigates the effects of cannabis abstinence over a 28-day period in patients with MDD with co-occurring CUD using a randomized controlled design, namely contingent reinforcement. Read Less

The standard or usual workup for cognitive impairment, including Alzheimer's Disease, may include brain amyloid PET with PET/CT or PET/MR imaging. Amyloid PET is the standard imaging that was requested for you by your referring physician. This imaging can visualize your brain. With the development of new therapies for Alzheimer's disease which require amyloid PET imaging, there will be a significant increase in the number of PET scans needed to provide care to all patients. There are likely not enough PET scanners in Canada to meet this demand. Therefore, we are searching for comparable alternatives. One of the imaging devices that was introduced in the clinic is the Radialis PET imager (or RPI). Health Canada, the regulatory body that oversees the use of devices in Canada, has not approved the sale or use of the Radialis PET imager. Health Canada has allowed the Radialis PET imager to be used in this study. We would like to see whether the images obtained for the brain are comparable to those obtained from a PET/CT or PET/MRI scanner. It is a new type of PET imaging device for patients undergoing a PET scan and has been used in Canada for research. RPI is experimental, meaning that this PET scan is not used routinely in patients' care. In comparison to the standard PET devices, RPI is smaller and mobile, meaning it can be moved around easily for use. Also, it can be installed in imaging centers at a lower cost. These advantages make RPI an interesting alternative to the standard PET. However, the performance of this new imaging device has not been tested in Amyloid PET imaging in particular. As you may know, in a PET scan, we inject a radioactive material (called tracer) which can circulate in your body and visualize specific areas in your body. In amyloid PET we inject an amyloid tracer that goes to the brain and lights up certain regions of the brain. RPI was previously tested for other PET tracers and was shown to be comparable to standard PET devices. Thus, by changing the PET material (to Amyloid), we are pursuing the same aim: comparison of RPI with standard PET devices and see whether it can provide comparable images of the brain. Read Less

The goal of this intervention study is to test the effects of a nurse-led mobility intervention (known as the OASIS Walking Intervention (Older Adults performing Sit to Stands and Walking Intervention)) in older adults with cognitive impairment, such as dementia, in transitional care programs. The main questions this study aims to answer are: * Is the study doable and are older adults satisfied with the intervention? * Does the intervention improve older adults' muscle strength, mobility, functional status and quality of life? Participants will be asked to do the following: 1. Be interviewed once so that a patient-centred communication care plan can be made 2. Do sit to stand activity 3. Walk as part of a walking program. Read Less

Cognitive impairment is common in Parkinson's disease. A recent study demonstrated 40% of people with PD suffer from mild cognitive impairment and \> 80% of patients develop dementia after a disease duration of 20 years. Cognitive impairment significantly impairs quality of life and has limited treatment options. While the pathophysiology of cognitive symptoms in PD is multifactorial, one contributing factor is dysfunction in subthalamic-cortical loops. The subthalamic nucleus (STN) receives input from distributed regions of the cortex, forming partially segregated parallel networks with sensorimotor regions, associative (cognitive) cortical regions, and limbic cortical regions. These subthalamic-cortical networks are thought to play a domain general role in inhibitory control, which is a fundamental mechanism underlying flexible behavior across motor, cognitive, and affective domains. Information processing in these subthalamic-cortical networks is expressed through oscillatory activity within distinct frequency bands. For example, communication between the STN and prefrontal regions involved in executive function is thought to occur through coherence in the theta (4-8 Hz) frequency band. As a result of these observations, stimulation of the STN at a theta frequency has been investigated as a method of modulating cognitive processes. Theta stimulation of the STN has been shown to enhance coherence in subthalamic-cortical networks, facilitating information processing and modulating behavior. For example, a recent study demonstrated that theta stimulation of the STN improved working memory performance in PD subjects, while no effect was seen for other frequency bands. The authors performed a post-hoc analysis and found that the effect may be mediated by connectivity between the stimulated STN region and the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). While these studies have demonstrated proof of principle, they are limited by small sample sizes and post-hoc analyses assessing the relationship between stimulation location and outcomes. Further research is needed to directly test the hypothesis that theta stimulation of the STN can improve executive control in PD patients by modulating associative STN circuitry. Read Less

This is a single center, non-blinded randomized control trial taking place at the Queen Elizabeth II hospital (QEII) in Nova Scotia. Patients are eligible if aged 75 and older scheduled for elective cancer surgery (proven cancer or highly suspicious cancer) and screened to have mild or greater frailty (with cognitive impairments) or moderate to greater frailty (with medical/physical conditions). Eligible participants will then be randomized to preoperative standard of care or geriatric assessment through the PATH clinic. Primary outcome will assess time spend at home at 6 months after the surgery. Read Less

Cognitive complications, that is problems with thinking and memory, are incredibly common after surgery, occurring in 10-50% of all older surgical patients. These complications can take different forms, but one of the most common is postoperative delirium (POD), a short-term state of confusion. In addition to being stressful for patients and their families, POD is linked to longer hospital stays, increased costs, higher mortality rates and other problems after surgery. Despite this, POD is often not recognized by doctors and there are currently no effective medications to treat POD. However, simple strategies such as helping patients to sleep properly and remain hydrated, have been shown to help. This study is testing if a delirium-reduction program will reduce postoperative delirium (POD) in older surgical patients. The investigators will first test memory and thought processes before surgery to find people who are most likely to develop POD. Once these people have been identified, they will be enrolled in a program which includes recommendations for their care team (e.g. surgeon, anesthesiologist, nurses) as well as educational materials for them and their family related to things that can be done to prevent delirium. By identifying at-risk patients and making sure that their doctors and caregivers are aware of how to prevent delirium, the investigators expect that this study will make surgery safer for older surgical patients. Read Less

The overall goal of this research program is to determine quantitative predictors of quantitative long-term neurological functioning following different cardiac surgery procedures. The investigators aim to generate a timeline of neurological function that includes pre-existing performance, post-operative delirium, and neurological outcome. Furthermore, the investigators will test the hypothesis that intraoperative regional cerebral oxygenation (rSO2) desaturations, as measured by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) are associated with poor neurological functioning following cardiac surgery, as measured by a robotic device called the KINARM. Read Less

Introduction. Initiation of acute kidney replacement therapy (KRT) is common in critically ill adults admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. KRT has been linked to poor neurocognitive outcomes, leading to a reduced quality of life, as well as increased utilization of healthcare resources. Adults initiated on dialysis in the ICU may be particularly at risk of neurocognitive impairment, as survivors of critical illness are already predisposed to developing cerebrovascular disease and cognitive dysfunction over the long-term relative to healthy controls. Regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2) may provide a critical early marker of long-term neurocognitive impairment in patients in this population. The INCOGNITO-AKI study aims to understand cerebral oxygenation in patients undergoing KRT, either continuous or intermittent, in the ICU. These findings will be correlated with long-term cognitive and functional outcomes, as well as structural brain pathology. Methods and analysis. 108 patients scheduled to undergo treatment for acute kidney injury with KRT in the Kingston Health Sciences Centre ICU will be recruited into this prospective observational study. Enrolled patients will be assessed with intradialytic cerebral oximetry using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Delirium will be assessed daily with the Confusion Assessment Method-Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU) and delirium severity quantified as cumulative CAM-ICU-7 scores. Neurocognitive impairment will be assessed at 3- and 12-months after hospital discharge using the Kinarm and Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Structural brain pathology on MRI will also be measured at the same timepoints. Driving safety, adverse events, and medication adherence will be assessed at 12-months to evaluate the impact of neurocognitive impairment on functional outcomes. Ethics and dissemination. This study has been approved by the Queen's University Health Sciences and Affiliated Teaching Hospitals Research Ethics Board (Approval number: DMED-2424-20). Results will be presented at critical care scientific conferences and a lay summary will be provided to patients and families in their preferred format. Read Less