ECIF: Effect of Cognitive Intervention in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) on Functional Cortical Networks in fMRI

Sponsor
University of Rostock (Other)
Overall Status
Unknown status
CT.gov ID
NCT01329601
Collaborator
DZNE, German Center for Neurodegenerative Disorders, Germany (Other)
24
1
2
11
2.2

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

The study aims to detect the effect of a structured cognitive rehabilitation program, teh stage specific intervention STACog, on cognitive performance and functional activation in fMRI in a group of patients with mild cognitive impairment and dementia due to Alzheimer's disease compared to a waiting group control sample. Baseline performance in cognitive tests and fMRI will further be assessed compared to healthy control subjects.

Condition or Disease Intervention/Treatment Phase
  • Behavioral: StaCog, stage specific cognitive Intervention
  • Behavioral: booklet based training
Phase 4

Detailed Description

Subject of the proposed project is to offer based on existing theoretical principles and methods stage-related, reproducible, relevant to everyday life group training in German for people with aMCI and slightly severe AD and compared with a - in terms of goal variables - to be less effective prestigious intervention . It is believed that the "active treatment" - in the intervention group, the overall level of functioning can longer be maintained and that positive transfer effects on non-cognitive level - to achieve and cognitive level - here at nationals. In addition, information is expected that the conversion rate of people with dementia and aMCI cut to a further loss of independence in humans can be delayed slightly with severe AD. The project aims to provide data to estimate the effect sizes of intervention can be determined on the basis of group size and duration of ongoing investigations.

Involving functional imaging measures, the intervention study, an adequate platform for the detection of intervention effects on neurobiological basis using fMRI dar. Here, the cerebral blood flow in specific activation as a measure of neuronal and synaptic activity and integrity both in cross-section of a subsample of healthy elderly people studied determined and changes in cerebral activity patterns in people with severe AD, aMCI or slightly in comparison pre-/post interventions. There are detectable much earlier in the pathogenesis of functional changes as structural, using fMRI, the study is to make a significant contribution to prove whether a modular cognitive intervention altered neural and synaptic activity and whether this change is accompanied by an improvement in cognitive performance.

A complete and proven effectiveness of cognitive group training could make a significant contribution that people with MCI and severe AD easily submit their own initiative mental condition, and add itself to sustain the intellectual, emotional and social potential. As a long-term perspective, the results for the optimization of cognitive intervention programs and continue to implement the organizations of the open and contribute stationary the elderly and specialized medical facilities and other medical facilities.

Study Design

Study Type:
Interventional
Anticipated Enrollment :
24 participants
Allocation:
Non-Randomized
Intervention Model:
Parallel Assignment
Masking:
None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose:
Treatment
Official Title:
Effect of the Stage Specific Cognitive Intervention Program on Functional Cortical Activation in Alzheimer's Disease
Study Start Date :
Jan 1, 2011
Anticipated Primary Completion Date :
Oct 1, 2011
Anticipated Study Completion Date :
Dec 1, 2011

Arms and Interventions

Arm Intervention/Treatment
Experimental: Cognitive Intervention

StaCog intervention to improve cognitive performance and activities of daily living in AD and MCI

Behavioral: StaCog, stage specific cognitive Intervention
StaCog intervention to improve cognitive performance and activities of daily living in AD and MCI
Other Names:
  • Cognitive rehabilitation
  • Active Comparator: Booklet-based training

    Home based training of episodic memory using paper-pencil exercizes

    Behavioral: booklet based training
    Home based training of episodic memory using paper-pencil exercizes
    Other Names:
  • Active behavioural control
  • Outcome Measures

    Primary Outcome Measures

    1. California Verbal Learning Test [Detecting changes between two different time points (baseline and 6 months)]

      Cognitive test for episodic memory

    Secondary Outcome Measures

    1. functional cortical activity in fMRI [Detecting changes between two different time points (baseline and 6 months)]

      Measure of cortical activation during n-back letter recognition with emotional modulation

    Eligibility Criteria

    Criteria

    Ages Eligible for Study:
    55 Years and Older
    Sexes Eligible for Study:
    All
    Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
    No
    Inclusion Criteria:
    • diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment, Amnestic type (single domain) according to Petersen criteria or a low grade AD according to ICD-10/NINCDS-ADRDA
    Exclusion Criteria:
    • Major depression

    • severe visual and acoustic impairment

    • severe physical impairments

    • known malignancy

    • laboratory elevated inflammatory markers (ESR, CRP, leukocytes)

    • stroke

    • brain trauma

    • epilepsy

    • previous participation in a memory training

    • patients receiving drug treatment (antidepressants, neuroleptics, anti-dementia, other brain performance enhancing drugs) at least three months prior to study initiation for the duration of the project are at a stable dosage

    Contacts and Locations

    Locations

    Site City State Country Postal Code
    1 Department of Psychiatry, University of Rostock Rostock Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Germany 18147

    Sponsors and Collaborators

    • University of Rostock
    • DZNE, German Center for Neurodegenerative Disorders, Germany

    Investigators

    • Principal Investigator: Stefan J. Teipel, Prof. Dr., Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Rostock

    Study Documents (Full-Text)

    None provided.

    More Information

    Publications

    None provided.
    Responsible Party:
    , ,
    ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
    NCT01329601
    Other Study ID Numbers:
    • Int_HRO_1
    First Posted:
    Apr 6, 2011
    Last Update Posted:
    Apr 6, 2011
    Last Verified:
    Jan 1, 2011
    Keywords provided by , ,
    Additional relevant MeSH terms:

    Study Results

    No Results Posted as of Apr 6, 2011