Dementia Clinical Trials in Columbia, MO

The investigators aim to use smart-home sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor and detect Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD)-specific daily activities among older adults, with the goal of early symptom detection and personalized support. Dementia, which impacts memory and cognition, remains a global concern. In the United States, more than 6.7 million individuals aged 65 and older are living with ADRD, and projected annual healthcare costs are expected to reach $1 trillion by 2050. This underscores the need for deeper understanding and innovative support. To address the unique challenges associated with ADRD, such as cognitive decline, personalized strategies that promote independent well-being are essential. Smart-home sensors can support older adults with ADRD as they continue to live in their homes. These sensors provide real-time data on health and daily activities, offering insights into their daily lives. However, adoption of these technologies is low, and the practical application of AI remains limited. This highlights the need for further research to make these devices more accessible to this population. The investigators' aims include: Conducting focus groups with individuals with and without ADRD and their caregivers to identify daily activities that can be measured using in-home sensors; Collecting in-home sensor data from older adults with and without ADRD; and Using AI to develop a tool for recognizing daily activities. The integration of smart-home sensors with advanced data-analysis techniques holds significant potential for transforming the support and care provided to individuals with ADRD. Ultimately, the investigators' findings will contribute to improving the quality of life for affected individuals and alleviating the burden on caregivers and healthcare systems. Read Less

PREVENTABLE is a multi-center, randomized, parallel group, placebo-controlled superiority study. Participants will be randomized 1:1 to atorvastatin 40 mg or placebo. This large study conducted in community-dwelling older adults without cardiovascular disease (CVD) or dementia will demonstrate the benefit of statins for reducing the primary composite of death, dementia, and persistent disability and secondary composites including mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and cardiovascular events. Read Less

Over the next 30 years, more than 10 million persons living with dementia in the United States will receive care at home from an unpaid and untrained family caregiver. At home care is preferred by caregivers and persons with dementia alike, but increases the caregiver's risk of insomnia and related negative health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, cognitive disturbances and poor quality of life. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is a highly effective and established evidence based treatment for adults of all ages. Although relatively understudied in dementia caregivers, the research by our group and others suggests CBT-I is also efficacious in caregivers. Our team developed a brief (4 session) CBT-I protocol specifically adapted for dementia caregivers (CBT-I) and has shown in person and remote (i.e. telehealth) delivery of this protocol significantly reduces insomnia symptoms and improves mood (moderate to large effects). Given demands on caregivers' time and limited availability of trained CBT-I providers, a web-based version of CBT-I (WebCBT-I; the online treatment will be called NiteCAPP) is needed to increase the accessibility of this efficacious treatment. WebCBT-I will allow for flexible at home scheduling, and the skills needed to monitor caregiver treatment progress can be quickly and efficiently taught to healthcare providers. The overarching goal of this project is to develop and test WebCBT-I in caregivers of persons with dementia. Objectives 1. To examine the clinical and health characteristics, including sleep, pain, fatigue, cognitive abilities, and cardiovascular health in dementia caregivers with insomnia. 2. To examine changes in the primary clinical outcomes, including complaints of poor sleep, and fatigue. 3. To examine changes in the secondary clinical outcomes, including mood, daytime functioning, cognitive functioning, and cardiovascular health. 4. To examine the mechanistic variables, including arousal (heart rate variability, HRV). Read Less