Alzheimer Disease, Apathy in Dementia, Dementia, Mild Behavioural Impairment, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Neurocognitive Disorders
Conditions
Keywords
Apathy, Alzheimer's disease, Neurocognitive disorder, Mild behavioural impairment
Brief summary
Apathy is a common, early, and disabling symptom in dementias and mild behavioural impairment such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and is characterized by lack of interest and enthusiasm. Both repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a form of non-invasive brain stimulation, and methylphenidate, a medication, have been shown to improve apathy. This pilot study will investigate rTMS as a treatment for apathy in neurocognitive disorders and mild behavioural impairment in individuals receiving methylphenidate and individuals not receiving medication for apathy.
Interventions
DEVICErTMS
repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
DRUGmethylphenidate
methylphenidate
Sponsors
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* mild or major neurocognitive disorder OR mild behavioural impairment * Apathy for at least 4 weeks * Stable dose of medication (\>4 weeks) that may affect cognition or behaviour * Care partner who spends at least 10 hours a week with the subject
Exclusion criteria
* Current major depressive episode * Agitation, delusions, hallucination * Medical contraindications to rTMS * Currently taking an amphetamine product * Central nervous system abnormalities, Tourette's syndrome, or motor tics * Current participation in another clinical trial
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Neuropsychiatric Inventory-apathy | 2 weeks | Measure of apathy on a scale from 0 to 12 with a higher score indicating greater apathy |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed