Cognitive Decline Clinical Trials

We will conduct a Tau PET scan in cognitively normal older adults, enrolled in the Aging Brain Cohort Dedicated to Diversity Study (ABCD2-Tau) study at the University of Pennsylvania's Penn Memory Center/Alzheimer's Disease Core Center (PMC/ADC).Study duration will generally be a one-day study visit for PET imaging, but all subjects will be followed annually as part of their participation in the ABCD2 study. Findings from this study will likely provide insight into the mechanisms and distinctions of age-related cognitive decline and that of preclinical Alzheimer's Disease. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to conduct a small-scale test of a goals-based program to help people to exercise more and learn what people like or don't like about the procedures. This program is being designed for individuals aged 45-65 from the Black community. Low levels of physical activity are related to health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, and cognitive decline. People of color are more negatively impacted by these conditions and have also historically been underrepresented by research seeking to increase physical activity. The investigators have developed this goals-based exercise promotion program with the help of a Black-led community-based organization (The Gyedi Project) and a Community Advisory Board made up of stakeholders in the Black community, and now the investigators are conducting a trial of its feasibility and acceptability. Read Less

The PCOT study is a multi-site randomized trial of patients 70 years or older with high BP. The main goal of the study Preventing Cognitive Decline by Reducing BP Target Trial (PCOT) is to conduct a large pragmatic clinical trial (PCT) to test the hypothesis that patients who receive care with a combination of clinical decision support (CDS) and team-based care delivered in primary care practices will have better blood pressure control and a lower incidence of mild cognitive impairment and dementia than patients receiving usual medical care. Patients will be recruited from UT Southwestern Medical Center and Parkland Health \& Hospital System. Read Less

To date, the effects of pain on motor learning have not been thoroughly investigated, particularly in older adults. Broadly, the purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of acute pain on locomotor learning and its retention in older adults. The investigators hypothesize that acute pain impairs retention of locomotor learning in young and older adults and that in older adults, these deficits are worsened and are related to the degree of normal age-related cognitive decline. Read Less

The goal of this prospective cohort study is to assess potential differences in sleep biomarkers in older adult patients undergoing major orthopedic surgery. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. To define sleep/circadian biomarkers of delirium (sleep duration, regularity, stability and timing of rhythm) in a prospective observational study. 2. To determine if plasma Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology/inflammatory burden interacts with or moderates the relationship between a sleep/circadian biomarker and post-operative delirium (POD) risk. 3. To determine whether sleep/circadian regulation interacts with the genetic risk of AD to influence POD/cognitive decline. Participants will be asked to: 1. Donate several blood samples both intraoperatively and postoperatively 2. Complete baseline and postoperative neurocognitive assessments 3. Wear an actigraphy data collection watch for the two weeks prior to their surgery Read Less

The purpose of this research study is to understand the factors that underlie changes in thinking and memory with increasing age. The investigators will test the usefulness of MRI, PET, and cognitive testing in detecting subtle changes in the brain that precede cognitive decline. An addendum to this study includes additional PET scans to examine the relationship between tau protein in the brain and cognitive decline. Tau is a protein that is known to form tangles in the areas of the brain important for memory, and these tau tangles are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. This sub-study research aims to look at the tau accumulation in the brain using an investigational drug called MK-6240, which is a radio tracer that gets injected prior to a positron emission tomography (PET) scan. Read Less

The proposed research is a randomized crossover trial designed to assess changes in postprandial cognitive function and the gut-brain axis in adults with subjective cognitive complaints who consume 1 study snack per day for 1 week. Read Less

The goals of the proposed research are to first determine the minimal and/or optimal dose of a digital intervention required for cognitive enhancement, and then to examine the impact of several potential moderators of treatment effects (i.e., cognitive decline, AD polygenic hazard score, cardiovascular risk, and race/ethnicity). This knowledge gained from his high-impact study with transform the field of cognitive interventions, paving the way for a precision medicine model for cognitive enhancing interventions that improve quality of life for older adults and individuals with cognitive deficits at risk of developing dementia. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to collect normative test values and demographic information for normative and referential data for a rapid, portable, computerized neurocognitive testing device from healthy adults 50 and older. Read Less

The research team is creating a foundational infrastructure in order to develop a precision medicine approach for geriatric patients who require surgery with anesthesia. The team plans to build the first of its kind comprehensive database of demographic and risk factor questionnaire responses, biobanked blood specimens, intraoperative electroencephalography (EEG), and inclusive cognitive testing throughout patient interaction starting at the preop appointment until a year later. This will be used to create a predictive model of periooperative neurocognitive disorders. Read Less

Electrical activity in the brain known as "gamma" brainwaves help connect and process information throughout the brain. These gamma waves are diminished in Alzheimer's disease. New research in Alzheimer's disease mouse models shows that exposure to light flickering at the rate of 40 flashes per second or 40Hz increased gamma brainwaves and led to clearing of beta amyloid plaques in the brain, a key abnormality in Alzheimer's disease. This project will test the ability of a novel iPad App (AlzLife https://www.alz.life/) that delivers light therapy at 40 Hz combined with cognitive therapy to improve cognition, function, and quality of life in Alzheimer's disease. Read Less

The overall research objective of this proposal is to determine the acute and chronic impact of transcranial photobiomodulation on indices of cerebral vascular health and neurocognitive function. Read Less