Clinical Research Directory

Chronic Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease by Gamma Light and Sound Therapy

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by significant memory loss, toxic protein deposits amyloid and tau) in the brain, and changes in the gamma frequency band on EEG. The investigator's lab found that boosting gamma waves in AD mouse models using light and sound stimulation at 40Hz not only reduced amyloid and tau in the brain, but also improved memory. The investigators developed a light and sound device for humans that stimulates the brain at 40Hz that can be used safely at home. For the present study, 60 participants with mild Alzheimer's disease will be enrolled and will use this light and sound device at-home daily for 6-months. Investigators will measure changes in brain waves with EEG, blood biomarkers, the microbiome via fecal samples, functional and structural MRI scans, memory and cognitive testing, and questionnaires at 3 in-person visits throughout the study. After the 6-month time point, participants will have the option of continuing in the study for at least one year and completing yearly study visits. This study will provide critical insight into extended therapy involving non-invasive 40Hz sensory stimulation as a possible therapeutic strategy for mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.

China Cognition and Aging Study

The aim of this study is to establish and perfect the China Cognition and Aging Study (China COAST) cohort, to clarify the epidemiology, influencing factors, genetic characteristics, pathogenesis, disease characteristics and diagnosis and treatment status of dementia and its subtypes in China. It is of great significance to establish a relatively comprehensive national database of cognitive disorders, improve the clinical diagnosis and treatment level of cognitive disorders, and formulate prevention and treatment strategies for dementia. The primary aims of China COAST are as follows: 1. To use the prospective cohort to establish a large database research platform, so as to provide comprehensive epidemiological data, clinical and neuropsychological evaluation data, biological samples, and laboratory tests and imaging data. 2. To update the prevalence and incidence rate of dementia and its subtypes every 2-3 years, and clarify the conversion pattern from normal elderly to MCI and from MCI to dementia. 3. To explore the known or unknown protective and risk factors of dementia and its major subtypes (AD, VaD, other dementia). 4. To discover new pathogenic genes and susceptible genes of dementia and its major subtypes (AD and VaD), as well as new mutation sites of known pathogenic genes. To study the genetic variation, mutation and polymorphism of PSEN1, PSEN2, APP and APOE genes in dementia patients, and to understand their distribution and roles in the pathogenesis. 5. To study the biomarkers (body fluid, genetics, imaging) with diagnostic value of MCI, AD (sporadic and familial) and VaD, to define their cut-off values, and to establish prediction models. 6. To study the diagnostic criteria of cognitive normal, MCI, dementia and their subtypes (clinical and molecular subtypes) in the cohort, and to make psychological assessment scales with high sensitivity and specificity, and in line with the characteristics of Chinese people. 7. To find potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia and to study the prevention and intervention effect of non-pharmacological treatment on APOE ε4 carriers, MCI and AD or other dementia patients，which included improvements in education, nutrition, health care, and lifestyle changes. This needs a long time follow-up. 8. To explore the relationship between dementia as well as its major subtype AD and cerebral and systemetic circulatory disorders (for example, mixed dmentia), as well as potential therapeutic strategies. 9. To carry out investigation and researches about dementia related education, improve the awareness of dementia, and strengthen the management of dementia. 10. To investigate the level of stigma and discrimination and its influencing factors in patients with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers.

A Pivotal Study of Sensory Stimulation in Alzheimer's Disease (Hope Study, CA-0011)

This is a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, adaptive-design pivotal study of sensory stimulation in subjects with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Up to approximately 670 subjects will be randomized to 12 months of daily treatment with either Active or Sham Sensory Stimulation Systems. Efficacy will be measured using the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study- Activities of Daily Living (ADCS-ADL) assessment and a combined statistical test (CST) of the ADCS-ADL and the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE).

Time-in-bed Restriction in Older Adults With Sleep Difficulties With and Without Risk for Alzheimer's Disease

Dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease affects approximately 5.6 million adults over age 65, with costs expected to rise from $307 billion to $1.5 trillion over the next 30 years. Behavioral interventions have shown promise for mitigating neurodegeneration and cognitive impairments. Sleep is a modifiable health behavior that is critical for cognition and deteriorates with advancing age and Alzheimer's disease. Thus, it is a priority to examine whether improving sleep modifies Alzheimer's disease pathophysiology and cognitive function. Extant research suggests that deeper, more consolidated sleep is positively associated with memory and executive functions and networks that underlie these processes. Preliminary studies confirm that time-in-bed restriction interventions increase sleep efficiency and non-rapid eye movement slow-wave activity (SWA) and suggest that increases in SWA are associated with improved cognitive function. SWA reflects synaptic downscaling predominantly among prefrontal connections. Downscaling of prefrontal connections with the hippocampus during sleep may help to preserve the long-range connections that support memory and cognitive function. In pre-clinical Alzheimer's disease, hyperactivation of the hippocampus is thought to be excitotoxic and is shown to leave neurons vulnerable to further amyloid deposition. Synaptic downscaling through SWA may mitigate the progression of Alzheimer's disease through these pathways. The proposed study will behaviorally increase sleep depth (SWA) through four weeks of time-in-bed restriction in older adults characterized on amyloid deposition and multiple factors associated with Alzheimer's disease risk. This study will examine whether behaviorally enhanced SWA reduces hippocampal hyperactivation, leading to improved task-related prefrontal-hippocampal connectivity, plasma amyloid levels, and cognitive function. This research addresses whether a simple, feasible, and scalable behavioral sleep intervention improves functional neuroimaging indices of excitotoxicity, Alzheimer's pathophysiology, and cognitive performance.

Multimodal Assesment of Alzheimer Patients

The goal of this study is to learn more about the changes in the brains of patients with cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The main questions the study aims to answer are: 1. What findings can be used to earlier detect patients that will develop Alzheimers? 2. Which differences are seen between healthy and cognitively impaired patients? 3. Which differences are seen between patients with Alzheimers disease? Participants will undergo: * Cognitive tests * Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) * Electroencephalography (EEG) * Blood sample collection * Fecal sample collection * A randomized group will undergo polysomnography analysis.

Does BCG Vaccination Reduce Biomarkers of Alzheimer's Disease?

The goal of this clinical trial is to test whether vaccination with the BCG vaccine may improve the blood level of a biomarker of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in participants who are cognitively- and functionally- intact elderly (70-80 years old) participants, who display pathologically high levels of the blood biomarker. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does BCG vaccination lower the plasma level of phosphorylated Tau protein (p-tau181). * Do vaccinated participants remains stable cognitively. Participants will be asked to: * Undergo cognitive and behavioral evaluation. * Receive 3 BCG vaccinations over the course of 1 year. * Perform blood tests on several occasions. All participants will be treated and followed.

Reducing Risk of Dementia Through Deprescribing

A cluster-randomized controlled trial (RCT) called "Reducing Risk of Dementia through Deprescribing" (R2D2) to evaluate the impact of a deprescribing intervention on important cognitive and safety outcomes.

NYSCF Scientific Discovery Biobank

The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute is performing this research to accelerate diverse disease research using cells from the body (such as skin or blood cells) to make stem cells and other types of cells, conduct research on the samples, perform genetic testing, and store the samples for future use. Through this research, researchers hope to identify future treatments or even cures for the major diseases of our time.

Establish Diagnostic and Prognostic Models for Preclinical AD Patients Based on Multimodal MRI, Behavioral, Genetic, and Plasma Biomarkers

To establish the diagnostic and prognostic models that could help the preclinical identification of subjects at higher risk of clinical progression to mild cognitive impairment and dementia based on combined features of baseline demographic, cognitive, behavioral, multimodal MRI, genetic, and plasma data.