Dementia, Dementia Alzheimers, Frontotemporal Dementia, Pick's Disease With Dementia
Conditions
Brief summary
Washington University Early Recognition Center is conducting a research study to examine brain functional connectivity and network patterns in participants with dementia.
Detailed description
This study extends the assessment of brain connectivity and function, being conducted in the Human Connectome Project (HCP), to psychiatrically ill populations. The HCP consortium has made significant improvements in MRI instrumentation, data acquisition, preprocessing, and analysis. These improvements are currently providing publicly available data on the structure, function, and connectivity of young adult human (age 22-35) brains at unprecedented spatial resolution, temporal resolution, and accuracy. This study will focus on individuals aged 45-85 years who have a diagnosis of dementia, or are healthy controls. Additionally, similar to the HCP, the investigator will study the effect of genetics on the patterns of brain connectivity in various psychiatric populations. DNA will be collected non-invasively from saliva. Furthermore, this investigator will study cortisol levels in hair samples as an additional assessment to help characterize brain imagining findings.
Interventions
DEVICEMRI Brain Imaging
Up to two Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan sessions will be done, altogether totaling just under 3 hours of scanning. MR scanners measure brain anatomy and activity using very strong magnets. No X-rays or radiation are involved.
BEHAVIORALMental Health Assessment and Computerized Cognitive Test
Participants will be asked to complete questionnaires and will be asked questions that address a broad range of personal life experiences involving social, occupational, domestic, and other behaviors.
Sponsors
Washington University School of Medicine
Study design
Observational model
CASE_CONTROL
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
45 Years to 85 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Ages 45-85 * Has consented to participate or has an LAR present that has consented to participate * DSM-5 diagnosis of Dementia
Exclusion criteria
* Any genetic disorder, such as cystic fibrosis or sickle cell disease * Multiple Sclerosis * Cerebral Palsy * Loss of consciousness for \>30 minutes * Pregnancy * Hospitalization for stroke, brain aneurysm, brain hemorrhage, or subdural hematoma
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Brain Imaging | within one month of study enrollment | The current project aims to uncover latent, homogenous, connectivity phenotypes using neuroimaging tools, which are free from the limitations of traditional diagnostic boundaries, and which correlate with clinical characteristics. The investigator will use resting state functional connectivity MRI (rs-fcMRI), diffusion MRI (dMRI) and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) to identify brain signatures that cut across psychiatric disorders. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| DNA testing through saliva | within one month of study enrollment | Saliva samples will be collected from participants for DNA extraction and the development of lymphoblastoid cell lines. DNA is used for research purposes only, for studies assessing brain connectivity. |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Hair sample for cortisol measurement | within one month of study enrollment | To see how cortisol levels can help characterize brain imaging findings |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed