Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) MRI for Cognitive Decline

September 25, 2020 updated by: University of Pennsylvania

Optimized Arterial Spin Labeling MRI for Cognitive Decline

The purpose of this study is to determine the value of Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) MRI, a measure of blood flow to the brain, in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and compare it to existing measures. In particular, the investigators will compare ASL MRI to Positron Emission Tomography (PET/CT), which measures brain metabolism reflecting how well cells in a patient's brain are functioning. In addition, the investigators will assess the relationship of these measures to specific protein levels associated with Alzheimer's Disease in the patient's cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord) obtained by lumbar puncture. By comparing the information that is available from these procedures to the patient's performance on cognitive tests, the investigators hope to learn which procedures most accurately reflect and assist in determination of the potential causes of cognitive difficulties that arise with MCI, and thus, which are most useful in the clinical setting. In particular, PET scans have been found to be very useful in diagnosis of MCI and Alzheimer's Disease, but the investigators want to find out if they can get the same, or better, information from an ASL MRI scan, which is less expensive and easier to acquire.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
102

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Pennsylvania
      • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
        • Penn Memory Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

55 years to 89 years (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

This project will focus on a population enriched in individuals with incipient AD (i.e. MCI). These subjects, as well as age-matched controls, will be recruited from the Alzheimer's Disease Center at the University of Pennsylania.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Males and females between the ages of 55 and 89.
  • Fluent in English
  • Part of the longitudinal cohort of the PMC/ADCC (must already be or agree to become a part of the Penn Memory Center cohort so baseline neuropsychological testing is available before study participation begins)
  • Adequate visual and auditory acuity to allow for neuropsychological testing
  • Women: post-menopausal or surgically sterile
  • Willing and able to complete all required study procedures
  • Completed 6 grades of education
  • Geriatric Depression scale less than 6 (assessed within 3 months)

PATIENTS ONLY:

  • Diagnosis of MCI
  • MMSE between 24 and 30
  • Has a study partner

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Any contraindication to MRI (i.e. presence of pacemaker, ferrous metal in the eye, severe claustrophobia that would preclude subject from completing the MRI, etc.).
  • Major depression, bipolar disorder, history of schizophrenia
  • History of substance abuse or dependence within the past 2 years.
  • Any medical or neurological condition that, in the opinion of the investigator, would compromise the subject's safety, successful participation in, or integrity of the study.
  • Pregnancy
  • Recent history of poorly controlled diabetes (e.g. multiple blood glucose reports of ≥ 180 mg/dl.)
  • Currently receiving medical or drug treatment contraindicating protocol participation e.g. anticoagulants such as Coumadin/Warfarin

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Controls
ASL-MRI and FDG-PET will be compared for ability to discriminate between Control subjects and adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment (prodromal AD). A lumbar puncture will be obtained in a proportion of the participants.
Drug: FDG-PET
Diagnostic: FDG-PET imaging to examine neuronal health
Other Names:
  • fluorodeoxyglucose
Other: ASL-MRI
Arterial-Spin Labeled MRI to examine cerebral blood flow
Other Names:
  • Arterial Spin Labeling
Procedure: Lumbar Puncture
Lumbar puncture to acquire a small amount of cerebrospinal fluid for protein level analyses. Note that this will not be required in all participants.
Other Names:
  • Spinal Tap
Mild Cognitive Impairment
ASL-MRI and FDG-PET will be compared for ability to discriminate between Control subjects and adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment (prodromal AD). A lumbar puncture will be obtained in a proportion of the participants.
Drug: FDG-PET
Diagnostic: FDG-PET imaging to examine neuronal health
Other Names:
  • fluorodeoxyglucose
Other: ASL-MRI
Arterial-Spin Labeled MRI to examine cerebral blood flow
Other Names:
  • Arterial Spin Labeling
Procedure: Lumbar Puncture
Lumbar puncture to acquire a small amount of cerebrospinal fluid for protein level analyses. Note that this will not be required in all participants.
Other Names:
  • Spinal Tap

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Composite region of interest (ROI) measure of cerebral blood flow (CBF) measured by ASL MRI versus composite ROI measure of cerebral metabolism measured by FDG PET
Time Frame: 2 weeks
Our primary aim is to determine if the diagnostic accuracy of 'state-of-the art' Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) MRI is as good as (i.e., noninferior to) the diagnostic accuracy of FDG-PET/CT in comparison of MCI patients to cognitively normal adults. To test if ASL in noninferior to FDG-PET, we will use an asymptotic z test statistic for equivalent studies described in an equation of Zhou et al. (2002). The test statistic compares the AUCs from ASL and FDG-PET/CT by appropriately accounting for the correlation between them.
2 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Prediction of longitudinal change in hippocampal volume
Time Frame: 1 year
Investigators will compare ASL MRI versus FDG PET in their ability to predict disease progression based on change in hippocampal volume. Investigators will define patients as 'progressors' if they display an atrophy rate greater than one standard deviation above the mean rate for healthy controls. Investigators will again use the composite ROI for ASL sequences and FDG-PET data to determine the best single or combination of predictors of progression.
1 year
Prediction of longitudinal change in clinical status (i.e. progression to Alzheimer's Disease)
Time Frame: 2 years
Investigators will compare ASL MRI versus FDG PET in their ability to predict disease progression based on conversion to clinical Alzheimer's Disease. Investigators will determine which measure best predicts conversion to clinical Alzheimer's Disease.
2 years

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Pennsylvania

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
August 1, 2012

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 11, 2018

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 31, 2018

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
October 22, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 12, 2012

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 16, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ACTUAL)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 28, 2020

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 25, 2020

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 815471
  • 5R01AG040271 (NIH)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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