Clinical Research Directory

Efficacy of Lecanemab at Different Therapeutic Doses for Alzheimer's Disease (AD) in Real-World Practice

This study will analyze the clinical indicators, imaging data, and serum biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients receiving different doses of the medication before and after treatment. It aims to clarify whether the therapeutic efficacy in the low-dose group is equivalent to that in the recommended-dose group, and meanwhile to determine the optimal dose range for effective pharmacotherapy.

Allopregnanolone Regenerative Therapeutic for Mild Alzheimer's Disease

A phase 2, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Allopregnanolone as a regenerative therapeutic for Alzheimer's disease.

LEvetiracetam to Prevent Seizures in Symptomatic Alzheimer's Disease in Adults With Down Syndrome

The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether levetiracetam can prevent epileptic seizures in patients with Alzheimer's disease associated with Down syndrome. It will also analyze whether it can delay the neurodegeneration associated with this disease. Patients will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: one group will receive the active drug (levetiracetam), and the other will receive a placebo. Both groups will receive the treatment for 96 weeks. Each patient will participate for a total of 2 years and 5 months.

Innate Immunity Stimulation Via TLR9 in Early AD

This single-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled study will recruit in total 39 participants with either Mild Cognitive Impairment due to Alzheimer's disease (MCI) or Mild Alzheimer's disease dementia (mild AD). There will be 3 Dose levels. An initial cohort of 13 subjects will be randomized to a Dose level 1 (0.1 mg/kg vs. placebo) lasting 8 weeks. An additional 13 subjects will be recruited and randomized into Dose level 2 (0.25 mg/kg vs. placebo) for 8 weeks and 13 subjects for the last Dose level 3 (0.5 mg/kg vs. placebo) for 8 weeks. The primary objective will be to assess safety and tolerability of CpG 1018.

Combined Brain Stimulation and Methylphenidate Treatment for Apathy in Dementia

This study evaluates whether the combined treatment of methylphenidate and non-invasive brain stimulation, called intermittent theta burst stimulation, can effectively treat apathy in individuals with Alzheimer's disease or mixed AD/vascular dementia

Fisetin in Mild Alzheimer's Disease

This pilot study will evaluate the safety and tolerability of the natural health product, fisetin, in older adults with mild cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer's disease dementia.

Clinical Trial Protocol: Alzheimer's Dementia Underlying Encephalopathy

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine if utilizing the Quest AD-Detect blood test, while patient's are hospitalized for a cognitive diagnosis (such as delirium or encephalopathy), will result in an earlier diagnosis of underlying Alzheimer's disease. * Will this blood test have the ability to distinguish between Alzheimer's disease and other causes of cognitive impairment in the inpatient setting? * Neurology Clinic will complete a 6-month post-hospitalization follow up with patients who have had the Quest AD-Detect Alzheimer's Disease blood test completed while they were inpatient to discuss the risk assessment portfolio

Individualized Brain Stimulation to Improve Mobility in Alzheimer's Disease

The objective of this study is to conduct a pilot, randomized sham-controlled trials to determine the feasibility and effects of a 10-session personalized tDCS intervention targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on cognitive function, dual task standing and walking, and other metrics of mobility in 24 older adults with mild AD living in supportive housing.

Therapeutic Efficacy of Monoclonal Antibody Drugs for Alzheimer's Disease Based on PET Research

Preliminary clinical trial results indicate that Aβ-targeting monoclonal antibody drugs can delay disease progression more effectively. However, some patients still progress slowly to the moderate stage during treatment despite maintaining low Aβ/tau pathological protein loads. For such cases, patients and their families are fully informed about the potential lack of efficacy with continued treatment, and the decision is left to their discretion. Information regarding whether treatment is continued is documented and followed up to determine whether sustained benefits can be achieved. Previous further studies on lecanemab suggest that patients with low or absent tau pathology derive more significant clinical benefits, though large-sample validation remains lacking. This project will therefore enroll patients at clinical stages 3-4 (0.5 ≤ CDR ≤ 1) and monitor those progressing to moderate AD (CDR = 2) during monoclonal antibody therapy. Using tau pathology stratification, the study aims to identify which AD patients are most suitable for monoclonal antibody treatment and evaluate whether therapy continuation yields sustained benefits in patients progressing to moderate dementia, as well as whether patient selection should integrate both pathological (a-c stage) and clinical diagnoses.

Environmental Pollutants and Neurological Disorders

Environmental pollutants have emerged as a major global health concern, with growing evidence linking exposure to both traditional contaminants such as heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic) and novel pollutants-including micro- and nanoplastics, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), antibiotics, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals-to adverse neurological outcomes. These pollutants can cross or disrupt the blood-brain barrier, accumulate in neural tissue, and trigger oxidative stress, inflammation, epigenetic modifications, and metabolic reprogramming. Brain tumours and cerebrovascular diseases represent two major categories of neurosurgical disorders with high morbidity and mortality. However, their interaction with environmental pollutant exposure remains poorly understood. Recent studies suggest that pollutant-induced molecular alterations, such as aberrant DNA methylation, lipid metabolism disruption, and neurovascular endothelial dysfunction, may contribute to tumour initiation, malignant progression, aneurysm formation, and stroke occurrence. Given the increasing human exposure to these pollutants and the lack of large-scale clinical data, it is urgent to establish a systematic investigation in neurosurgical patients. This study aims to profile pollutant exposure (heavy metals, PFAS, microplastics, and other novel contaminants) using multi-biospecimen analysis (blood, urine, hair, tumour and peri-tumour tissues), and to explore their mechanistic links to the pathogenesis of brain tumours and cerebrovascular diseases. The findings are expected to provide new evidence for understanding environment-brain interactions and to identify potential biomarkers for disease risk stratification and prevention.

Clinical Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Huperzine A Controlled-Release Tablets in Patients With Mild-to-Moderate Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type

This study is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, active- and placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial. The dose confirmation stage is designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of different doses of huperzine A controlled-release tablets in patients with mild-to-moderate dementia of the Alzheimer's type, with the goal of providing a basis for dose selection in the subsequent efficacy confirmation stage. The efficacy confirmation stage aims to assess the effect of huperzine A controlled-release tablets on cognitive function and functional abilities in patients with mild-to-moderate dementia of the Alzheimer's type.In the open-label extension stage, all subjects will receive huperzine A controlled-release tablets until Week 52, to further evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of the treatment.

Daily Light and Sound Stimulation to Improve Brain Functions in Alzheimer's Disease

In this trial, the safety and effect of daily exposure to light and sound stimulation on people with mild Alzheimer's Disease (AD) will be studied. COVID-19 Amendment: Due to the ongoing suspension of all in-person humans subject research across MIT in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, all enrolled participants who have not completed their 6-month visit will have their visit postponed to 9 months with a follow up at 18 months. Subjects who have completed their 6-month visit will still be instructed to continue and return at Month 12 for an evaluation. OPTIONAL: If the subject would like to come in for an evaluation between Month 9 and 18, we will invite participants to come on Month 12 to complete cognitive testing and EEG.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) for Agitation in Dementia (AD)

This study will explore the effect of ECT treatments plus usual care (ECT+UC) in reducing severe agitation in patients with moderate to severe dementia including Alzheimer's Disease, Vascular dementia, Frontotemporal dementia, and Dementia with Lewy Bodies. The study will also determine the tolerability/safety outcomes of ECT+UC.

Alzheimer's Autism and Cognitive Impairment Stem Cell Treatment Study

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the use of autologous Bone Marrow Derived Stem Cells (BMSC) as a means to improve cognitive impairment as occurs in Alzheimer's Disease and other dementias and to improve behavior and socialization issues which occur in adult Autism Spectrum Disorder. The use of Near Infrared Light, in conjunction with the use of BMSC, will also be assessed.