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Cognitive Decline clinical trials at University of California Health

8 in progress, 5 open to eligible people

Showing trials for
  • Biomarker Exploration in Aging, Cognition and Neurodegeneration

    open to eligible people ages 60-105

    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.

    at UC Irvine

  • Brain Health Together: A Live-Streaming Group-Based Digital Program

    open to eligible people ages 55-85

    The purpose of this study is to develop and test a comprehensive Brain Health Together program for older adults living with cognitive decline.

    at UCSF

  • Brain Health Virtual Reality Study

    open to eligible people ages 50-85

    The Interventions for Brain Health Virtual Reality Study is a NIH-funded clinical research trial at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Health under the supervision of the study principal investigator Dr. Judy Pa. The overarching goal of this trial is to use a novel virtual reality (VR) based intervention that simultaneously engages physical and cognitive activity aimed at improving brain health and cognition in older adults. The investigators will compare 3 types of interventions: physical activity, VR cognitive activity, and combined VR physical and cognitive activity over 16 weeks to evaluate physical and brain health changes.

    at UCSD

  • Active Mind Trial: An Adaptive Randomized Trial to Improve Function and Delay Dementia

    open to eligible people ages 55-89

    Older adults at risk for dementia show a variety of cognitive deficits, which can be ameliorated by different cognitive training (CT) exercises. The best combination of CT exercises is unknown. The aim is to discover the most efficacious combination of CT exercises as compared to cognitive stimulation (which will serve as a stringent, active control) to modify the functional trajectories of older adults' with MCI, who are at high risk for dementia. The primary objective of the U01 phase was to design and pilot-test an adaptive, randomized clinical trial (RCT) of cognitive training (CT) combinations aimed to enhance performance of instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) among persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). In the R01 phase, the objective is to identify the best combination of CT exercises to delay dementia onset among persons with MCI. The longitudinal endpoint goal is reducing incident dementia. The primary aim of the study is to determine which CT combination has the best probability to delay dementia by producing the largest IADL improvements. The study further aims to explore neuroimaging and novel blood-based biomarkers.

    at UCSF

  • Quality Improvement and Clinical Utility PrecivityAD2(TM) Clinician Survey

    open to eligible people ages 55 years and up

    There is a major unmet need for timely, non-invasive, and low-burden evaluation of patients presenting with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. MCI impacts 12-18% of people in the United States over age 60 years (Alzheimer's Association. Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) available at https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-dementia/related_conditions/mild-cognitive-im pairment. Accessed August 16, 2022). MCI does not substantially interfere with daily activities, although complex functional tasks may be performed less efficiently (Knopman DS, Petersen RC. Mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia: a clinical perspective. Mayo Clin Proc. 2014;89(10):1452-1459. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2014.06.019). Approximately 30% of MCI patients have Alzheimer's disease (AD) as a cause of their symptoms (Lopez,OL, Kuller LH, Becker JT, et al. Incidence of dementia in mild cognitive impairment in the cardiovascular health study cognition study. Arch Neurol. 2007;64(3):416-420.doi:10.1001/archneur.64.3.416)). In contrast, dementia is defined by chronic, acquired loss of two or more cognitive abilities caused by brain disease or injury, often associated with significant interference with the ability to function at work or at usual activities. (Knopman DS, Petersen RC. Mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia: a clinical perspective. Mayo Clin Proc. 2014;89(10):1452-1459. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2014.06.019). Approximately 60-80% of dementia patients have AD as a cause of their symptoms (Alzheimer's Association. Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) available at https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-dementia/related_conditions/mild-cognitive-im pairment. Accessed August 16, 2022).

    at UCSF

  • Computerized Cognitive Training in MS

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    WHO: 40 participants with a confirmed diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) able to engage in moderate physical activity. WHY: The purpose of this study is to evaluate two computerized brain training tools, which include light physical activity, to see if they can help improve cognitive functions, such as memory and attention, for patients with MS. WHAT: Complete a set of tests (physical and cognitive) at baseline, wear a Fitbit Flex device at home for the duration of the study, 3 supervised sessions for 4 weeks at UCSF, one visit for physical and cognitive tests at one week after the final supervised session, and one final visit 6 months after the final supervised session. WHERE: 20 participants at the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences (675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA); 20 participants at Lausanne University Hospital (Rue du Bugnon 46, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland)

    at UCSF

  • Blood Pressure on Cognition and Cerebral Hemodynamics in PD

    Sorry, not yet accepting patients

    The goal of clinical trial is to learn about how blood pressure fluctuations affect cognitive performance (thinking abilities) and brain blood flow in persons with Parkinson's disease with and without orthostatic hypotension (low blood pressure when standing). The main questions it aims to answer are: - Is there a certain level of blood pressure that correlates with change in cognitive performance while upright? - Is there a certain level of change in brain blood flow that correlates with change in cognitive performance when upright? - How does cognitive performance differ between persons with Parkinson's disease that have orthostatic hypotension and those without orthostatic hypotension? - How does cognitive performance differ between the supine (laying down) and upright positions? - How do blood pressure and brain blood predict changes in cognitive performance over two years? Participants in this study will undergo the following procedures: - Complete a screening visit with questionnaires, medical history, physical exam, and head-up tilt-table test. - Attend one baseline study visit, during which they will undergo a battery of computerized cognitive tests repeated twice: once while laying down and once while upright on a tilt table. Simultaneously, during the experiments we will measure blood pressure using a wrist-worn device and inflatable arm cuff and will measure brain blood flow using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), a non-invasive device that uses light sensors to detect changes in brain blood flow. - Attend one two-year follow-up visit, during which they will repeat a battery of computerized cognitive tests repeated twice: once while laying down and once while upright on a tilt table. During this visit, like before, we will measure blood pressure using a wrist-worn device and inflatable arm cuff and will measure brain blood flow using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Researchers will compare participants with Parkinson's disease with and without orthostatic hypotension in the laying down and upright positions to see if there are changes in thinking abilities between these groups.

    at UCSD

  • High-dose Vitamin D Supplements in Older Adults

    “Seniors can help researchers test how vitamin D might improve brain health!”

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    This Phase II randomized clinical trial aims to test if supplementation with high dose oral vitamin D will successfully correct vitamin D insufficiency, compared to treatment with standard (RDA) dose vitamin D in a diverse community-based elderly cohort. The effect of high-dose vs. standard-dose vitamin D on altering cognitive trajectories will also be assessed and data will be expected to be used in designing a potential definitive Phase III trial in elderly groups at risk for dementia. A total of 180 elderly persons with longitudinal biomarkers, neuropsychological testing and brain MRI scans will be enrolled, with 152 (~50 with MCI, 50 with mild AD and 50 with no cognitive impairment) expected to complete the 3½-year study. One-half of each diagnostic group will be randomized to treatment with high-dose vitamin D3 (4,000 IU daily) or to standard dose Vitamin D (600 IU capsule daily + ~200 IU dietary = ~800 IU total/day). Longitudinal MRI analyses will provide an estimate of the treatment effect size on brain atrophy rate. Vitamin D receptor genotype polymorphisms and their impact on response to oral supplementation will also be examined. If vitamin D supplementation improves cognitive outcome, this could have a large impact on the public health, since low vitamin D status is a common, readably treatable condition which may provide a novel window to prevent dementia and AD. Furthermore, the higher prevalence of AD and dementia in African Americans and Latinos could be partially attributable to vitamin D insufficiency.

    at UC Davis

Our lead scientists for Cognitive Decline research studies include .

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