Alzheimer, dementia, ageing, oldest old
Conditions
Interventions
None
Sponsors
VU University Medical Center
Eligibility
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: To be eligible for this study, candidates must meet all of the following criteria: • Age ≥ 90 years • Candidate is able to walk 400 meter independently (with or without walking aid) • No significant visual or hearing impairment (as judged by clinician) Cognitively intact group (cases): o MMSE ≥ 27 points o Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) = 0.0 points Demented group (control): o MMSE: 20-28 points inclusively o Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) ≥ 1 point(s) o Determination that this dysfunction is due to cognitive functional loss and not physical impairment, as judged by a neurologist or internist-geriatrician.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: A potential participant who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study: • Clinical diagnosis of severe AD • Severe head trauma, with loss of consciousness • Brain tumour (past, present) • Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or recurrent psychotic disorders • Stroke resulting in physical impairment • Non-AD neurodegenerative disorders (e.g. Huntington disease, cortical basal degeneration, multiple system atrophy, CreutzfeldtJacob disease, primary progressive aphasia, Parkinson’s disease, diffuse Lewy body disease, frontotemporal dementia, primary vascular dementia) • Epilepsy, currently using antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) • Brain infections (e.g. herpes simplex encephalitis) • Cancer with terminal life expectancy (life expectancy 80 mmol/mol) • Known thyroid disease without treatment • History of recreational drug use • Alcohol consumption: >35 units per week (1 unit = 10ml of pure alcohol) • Physical morbidity or illness which will not permit attendance at visit sessions • Contraindication for MRI (e.g. metal implants, pacemaker etc.) • Medications that may impair cognition, at the discretion of the investigator, e.g.: o Benzodiazepine with known effects on cognitive functioning o Lithium carbonate o Antipsychotics including atypical agents o Antidepressants with known effects on cognitive functioning o Parkinson’s disease medicines
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| The primary objectives are: 1. To understand how clinical markers and biomarkers previously identified (and published) in younger and older dementia cohorts apply to the extreme elderly. 2. To identify novel biomarkers linked with resilience to developing AD in extreme elderly subjects. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| The secondary objectives are: 1. Generate normative data for the oldest old. 2. To measure the concordance between amyloid pathology as assessed in CSF and by PET in the oldest old. | — |
Contacts
Public ContactN. Legdeur
VUmc Alzheimercentrum
Outcome results
None listed