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Locus-coeruleus Function in Normal Elderly and AD Risk
Sponsor: NYU Langone Health
Summary
Growing evidence suggests that Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathological changes begin decades before clinical symptoms and tau abnormalities in the locus coeruleus (LC) can be observed since midlife. We have previously demonstrated functional vulnerability of the LC to aging and stress, as well as an association between higher cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tau and impaired sleep phenomena influenced by the LC. We now aim to test whether LC dysfunction can be measured in preclinical AD stages by LC targeted imaging, and whether it objectively affects sleep architecture and attention. We will test this hypothesis in 30 cognitively normal older adults by performing a full clinical evaluation, one night of polysomnography, a lumbar puncture to obtain cerebrospinal fluid, \[11C\]MRB PET-MR, and attention testing. This study has the potential to identify a new mechanism by which tau pathology contributes to sleep and attention dysfunction and may provide a new therapeutic target for AD prevention.
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
55 Years - 75 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
30
Start Date
2020-08-06
Completion Date
2024-03-26
Last Updated
2026-05-28
Healthy Volunteers
Yes
Conditions
Interventions
Nocturnal polysomnography (NPSG)
Nocturnal polysomnography (NPSG) to measure REM sleep and sleep spindles characteristics.
Lumbar Puncture (LP)
Lumbar puncture (LP) to measure CSF P-Tau, T-Tau and Aβ42/40 ratio.
PET-MR measurement with a norepinephrine transporter (NET)-selective radiotracer (S,S)-[11C]Omethylreboxetine ([11C]MRB)
PET-MR measurement with a norepinephrine transporter (NET)-selective radiotracer (S,S)-\[11C\]O-methylreboxetine (\[11C\]MRB) to measure NET availability.
Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT)
Psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) and the OddBall to measure test taskattention performance.
Locations (2)
NYU Grossman School of Medicine
New York, New York, United States
Icahn School of Medicine Mount Sinai
New York, New York, United States