Alzheimer Disease, Fall
Conditions
Keywords
Preclinical Alzheimer Disease, Falls, Functional Mobility, Older Adults
Brief summary
This longitudinal cohort study investigates cognitively normal participants with and without preclinical Alzheimer disease (AD) in order to examine: (1) the relationship between falls and functional mobility in preclinical stages of AD; and (2) a hypothesized model of central and peripheral mechanism(s) underlying falls and functional mobility in preclinical stages of AD.
Detailed description
Alzheimer disease (AD) is a slowly progressive neurodegenerative disease. Conversion to symptomatic AD occurs slowly over years through a series of preclinical stages marked by changes in molecular biomarkers. It is unknown whether functional mobility and falls are preclinical markers of AD. This longitudinal clinical study evaluates a cohort of cognitively normal individuals who are currently undergoing comprehensive clinical, neuropsychological, and biomarker evaluations at the Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (Knight ADRC). They receive an annual in-home evaluation of fall risks and functional mobility and prospective ascertainment of falls. Comparisons of assessments of functional mobility will be performed with regard to measures of brain pathology (i.e., amyloidosis, tau, and neurodegeneration) to allow researchers to characterize when changes in falls and functional mobility occur during preclinical stages of AD. This study also examines the central and peripheral system mechanism(s) underlying falls and functional mobility in preclinical AD using structural equation modeling.
Interventions
None listed
Sponsors
Washington University School of Medicine
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Study design
Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
65 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
1. 65 years of age or older 2. cognitively normal (Clinical Dementia Rating \[CDR\] score of 0) * A pilot sub-study collecting stool will also enroll a few individuals with CDR\>0 for comparison. 3. have biomarkers (CSF), and/or neuroimaging (positron emission tomography \[PET\] and/or magnetic resonance imaging \[MRI\]) within 2 years of enrolling in this study.
Exclusion criteria
* History of Parkinson's disease.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Fall Severity | Per 12 month time period | Prospective monthly fall reporting was collected using an automated phone/email system. Severity of falls was calculated using a previously published algorithm. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORSusan L Stark, PhD
Washington University School of Medicine
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORBeau Ances, MD, PhD, MSc
Washington University School of Medicine
Participant flow
Recruitment details
Participants were recruited on a rolling basis and assessed annually for up to four years during the project period. Some participants did not complete all four years of assessments due to being recruited and enrolled later in the project period.
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | — |
|---|---|
| Age, Continuous | 74.1 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 5.9 |
| Education | 16.6 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 2.4 |
| Preclinical AD status Preclinical AD negative | 192 Participants |
| Preclinical AD status Preclinical AD positive | 102 Participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized Black/African American | 44 Participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized More than one race | 2 Participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized White | 309 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 208 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 147 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk |
|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 13 / 355 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 355 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 355 |
Outcome results
None listed