Mild Cognitive Impairment clinical trials at UCSD
7 in progress, 4 open to eligible people
AAV2-BDNF Gene Therapy in Early Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment
open to eligible people ages 50-80
This is a first-in-human clinical trial to test whether a protein administered into the brain continuously by gene therapy, Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), will slow or prevent cell loss in the brains of people affected by Alzheimer's disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment. The protein may also activate cells in the brain that have not yet deteriorated. Gene therapy refers to the use of a harmless virus to have brain cells make the potentially protective protein, BDNF.
La Jolla, California and other locations
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.
San Diego, California
Neurofeedback to Improve Working Memory in Mild Cognitive Impairment
open to eligible people ages 50-85
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has been identified as an early phase of Alzheimer's disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disorder expected to affect 13.9 million Americans by 2060. AD causes a progressive cognitive decline, including problems related to learning and memory, that adversely affects life quality. Treatment intervention at the MCI stage of the disease could potentially slow down the rate at which people may convert from MCI to AD. Increasing evidence suggests that abnormal activity in frontal regions of the brain is associated with cognitive deficits observed in AD. Furthermore, previous research has shown that neurofeedback (NFB) training targeting these regions can improve memory, making it a potential treatment for AD. NFB is a technique where an individual learns to change his/her brain function in a particular direction, once that function has been made accessible through a visual or auditory metaphor. We are proposing a novel, computer-based brain-training program to enhance frontal gamma oscillatory activity in individuals with MCI. Results from this study will build the scientific foundation necessary for larger clinical trials dedicated to improving treatment options and outcomes for patients with MCI.
La Jolla, California
Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative 4
open to eligible people ages 55-90
Since its launch in 2004, the overarching aim of the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) Study has been to validate biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) clinical trials. ADNI4 continues the previously funded ADNI1, ADNI-GO, ADNI2, and ADNI3 studies that have combined public/private collaborations between academia and industry to determine the relationships between the clinical, cognitive, imaging, genetic and biochemical biomarker characteristics of the entire spectrum of AD.
La Jolla, California and other locations
Learn About the Safety of BIIB080 Injections and Whether They Can Improve Symptoms of Participants With Mild Cognitive Impairment Due to Alzheimer's Disease (AD) or Mild AD Dementia Between 50 to 80 Years of Age
Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients
In this study, researchers will learn more about a study drug called BIIB080. The study will focus on participants with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia due to AD. The main question researchers are trying to answer is if BIIB080 can slow the worsening of AD more than placebo. It will focus on what dose of BIIB080 slows worsening of AD the most. To help answer this question, researchers will use the Clinical Dementia Rating-Sum of Boxes, also known as the CDR-SB. - Clinicians use the CDR-SB to measure several categories of dementia symptoms. - The results for each category are added together for a total score. Lower scores are better. Researchers will also learn more about the safety of BIIB080. The study will be split into 2 parts. The 1st part is the Placebo-Controlled Period. The 2nd part is the Long-Term Extension (LTE) Period. The 2nd part of the study will help researchers learn about the long-term safety of BIIB080, and how it affects the participant's daily life, thinking, and memory abilities in the longer term. A description of how the study will be done is given below. - After screening, participants will first receive either a low dose or high dose of BIIB080, or a placebo, as an injection into the fluid around the spinal cord (cerebrospinal fluid). A placebo looks like the study drug but contains no real medicine. - Participants will receive BIIB080 or placebo once every 12 weeks or 24 weeks. - After 76 weeks of treatment in the Placebo-Controlled Period, eligible participants will move onto the Extension Treatment period, which will last 96 weeks. - In the extension period, participants who received placebo will be switched to high dose BIIB080 every 12 or 24 weeks. - Participants may be in the study for up to 201 weeks, or about 4 years. This includes the screening and follow-up periods. - Participants can continue to take certain medications for AD. Participants must be on the same dose of medication for at least 8 weeks before the screening period. - After the screening period, most participants will visit the clinic every 6 weeks.
San Diego, California and other locations
Assessing and Improving the Durability of Compensatory Cognitive Training for Older Veterans
Sorry, accepting new patients by invitation only
Veterans have numerous risk factors (e.g., PTSD, TBI, cerebrovascular problems) for later-life cognitive and functional decline. Evidence supports the effectiveness of strategy-based cognitive rehabilitation therapies, including compensatory cognitive training (CCT), for such decline. However, questions remain about the length of time that CCT-driven improvements in cognitive and everyday function last, and whether additional 'booster' training sessions could provide additional benefit to aging Veterans who previously underwent treatment. This study examines the long-term durability of CCT in Veterans aged 55+ and provides an opportunity to develop and pilot test a series of CCT booster sessions that can be personalized toward individual everyday functional goals.
San Diego, California
TREAD: Time Restricted Eating Intervention for Alzheimer's Disease
Sorry, not yet accepting patients
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if restricting the time of eating to allow for prolonged fasting at night may reduce sleep disturbances, cognitive decay, and pathology in patients diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or early to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD). It will also learn about the feasibility of practicing 14 h of nightly fasting in this group of older adults. The main questions it aims to answer are: - Does prolonged nightly fasting of 14 h can reduce markers of AD pathology and aging and reduce cognitive and sleep alterations in MCI and AD patients? - Can patients with MCI and early /moderate AD sustain time-restricted eating for 6 to 12 months? Researchers will compare participants who fast for 14 h per night during 6 months to those who fast for less than 10 h/night. Researchers will also compare participants that fast for 6 months to those who fast during 12 months, to determine the effective duration of the intervention. Finally, researchers will evaluate whether following the time-restricted eating diet alongside a partner actively following the same diet, will increase adherence to the protocol compared to subjects that fast alone. Participants will: - Fast for 14 h a night (stop eating at 8 pm and start eating the following morning at 10 am) for 6 or 12 months - Visit the clinic three times (at the beginning of the study, 6 and 12 months later) - Provide blood samples and take a cognitive test during clinic visits - Keep a diary (or use an app on a smart phone) to record time of eating - Wear an activity tracker watch
San Diego, California
Our lead scientists for Mild Cognitive Impairment research studies include Mark Tuszynski, M.D., Ph.D. Paula Desplats, PhD Judy Pa.
Last updated: