The BEACoN Study- Biomarker Exploration in Aging, Cognition and Neurodegeneration
University of California, Irvine
Summary
The purpose of this research study is to understand the factors that underlie changes in thinking and memory with increasing age. The investigators will test the usefulness of MRI, PET, and cognitive testing in detecting subtle changes in the brain that precede cognitive decline. An addendum to this study includes additional PET scans to examine the relationship between tau protein in the brain and cognitive decline. Tau is a protein that is known to form tangles in the areas of the brain important for memory, and these tau tangles are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. This sub-study research aims to look at the tau accumulation in the brain using an investigational drug called MK-6240, which is a radio tracer that gets injected prior to a positron emission tomography (PET) scan.
Description
This study investigates the relationship between Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology, brain structure and function, as well as cognition in non-demented older adults. The goal is to develop a more complete understanding of the factors that lead to cognitive decline in the elderly and progression to AD. The investigators will enroll 200 cognitively intact adults between the ages of 60-85 years old from the UCI Alzheimer's Disease Research Center or directly from the local community. Study procedures will include: 1) PET amyloid scans with Amyvid™ radiotracer (florbetapir-F18) and PET tau scans w…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 60+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Aged 60 or older; 2. Speaks fluent English or Spanish; 3. Visual and auditory acuity adequate for neuropsychological and computerized testing; 4. Good general health with no disease(s) expected to interfere with the study; 5. Willing and able to participate for the duration of the study and in all study procedures including MRI and PET; 6. Normal cognition defined as a Clinical Dementia Rating of 0 and a Mini-Mental State Examination score of 25 or higher. FAST Stage 1 or 2. 7. Subjective memory or other cognitive complaints will be included. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Si…
Interventions
- RadiationAmyloid PET scan
Amyloid Positron Emission Tomography scan using radio tracer florbetapir-F18
- DrugTau PET scan using MK-6240
Tau Positron Emission Tomography scan using radio tracer MK-6240
- BehavioralNeurocognitive testing
A battery of clinical neuropsychological assessments and computerized cognitive tasks will be used to test participants' memory and cognitive abilities.
- OtherMRI
High-resolution structural, functional, and diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging scans will be collected during the study.
Location
- University of California, IrvineIrvine, California