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Find more clinical trials

Cerebrospinal Fluid Clearance in Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease

Start: July 30, 2018
End: August 2022
Enrollment: 70

What Is This Study About?

In a process known as clearance, cerebrospinal fluid carries waste products from the brain to the bloodstream. This study will use positron emission tomography (PET) scanning to examine whether impaired clearance of amyloid protein from the brain causes amyloid to build up in the brain and increase the risk for Alzheimer's disease. Researchers will collect positron emission tracer (PET) scans to measure the amount of two proteins, amyloid and tau, in the brain. Participants will also undergo a lumbar puncture and an MRI brain scan to assess any changes in brain structure. 

Do I Qualify To Participate in This Study?

Minimum Age: 40 Years

Maximum Age: 100 Years

Must have:

  • English as a first language or proficient in English (score of >11 on the WAIS vocabulary test)
  • Normal cognition (Clinical Dementia Rating = 0, Global Deterioration Scale <2)
  • Good general health

Must NOT have:

  • Uncontrolled high blood pressure or metabolic disease
  • Neurodegenerative disorders (i.e., Parkinson's disease, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal disorders)
  • Dementia or mild cognitive impairment
  • Lifelong major depression; lifelong DSM-IV Axis 1 disorders
  • Mental retardation
  • Substance abuse
  • Prohibited medications:
    • Medications limiting validity of neuropsychological tests or imaging
    • Antidepressants with anticholinergic properties
    • Monoamine oxidase inhibitors 
    • Regular use of narcotic analgesics (more than twice per week)
    • Neuroleptics
    • Alzheimer's medications (Aricept, Exelon, Razadyne, Namenda)
    • Parkinsonian medications (Sinemet, amantadine, bromocriptine, pergolide, selegeline)
    • Participants are not excluded for using over-the-counter memory-enhancing or -protecting medications, such as ginkgo biloba or vitamins
  • Implanted medical devices incompatible with magnetic resonance imaging imaging
  • Heart failure stage D as defined by the American Heart Association
  • Chronic kidney disease in stage 4 or greater as defined by the National Kidney Foundation
  • Brain tumor and other neoplastic disorders outside the brain where disease itself or its treatment (e.g., radiation, chemotherapy) is likely to affect brain structure or function
  • Major stroke
  • Significant head trauma
  • Hydrocephalus

If I Qualify, Who Do I Contact?

Contact study personnel listed either under the general study contact or the location nearest you.

Need Help?

Contact NIA’s Alzheimer’s and related Dementias Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center at 800-438-4380 or email ADEAR.

Where Is This Study Located?

Who Sponsors This Study?

Lead: New York University School of Medicine

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03663387

alzheimers.gov

An official website of the U.S. government, managed by the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health