MIMA Pilot Study: MIcrostructure of the Medial Temporal Lobe in Early Alzheimer's Disease (MIMA-P)

June 15, 2026 updated by: Rennes University Hospital
Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD) may or may not develop Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia. Yet identifying patients at risk is crucial: delaying the onset of the disease by 5 years could reduce prevalence by 50%. To achieve this, we need affordable biomarkers combined with clinically meaningful assessment tools. Current approaches (cognition, imaging or Tau and Amyloid peptide assays) lack precision or specificity (e.g., age-related memory deficits) and involve invasive and costly procedures, sometimes inaccessible in France (e.g., the "AT(N)" framework). Recently, quantitative diffusion MRI (dMRI) has identified in-vivo gray matter microstructural changes linked to hyperphosphorylated Tau protein, which are of great diagnostic value. Still, we ignore whether and how these changes are responsible for early memory impairment in AD. The MIMA-P project will combine multi-compartment models of the high-resolution diffusion signal with a cognitive assessment of memory based on recent models of medial temporal lobe function to assess the relevance of a new affordable, rapid and non-invasive early marker of the disease.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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.

Detailed Description

The study will combine multi-compartment models (e.g. Archer et al., 2020; Parker et al., 2020) of high-resolution diffusion MRI within medial temporal lobes regions of interest defined through the ASHS algorithm (Yushkevich et al., 2015), with theoretically driven cognitive assessment medial temporal lobes functions. The '4 mountains test' and the 'Memory entities' test will allow specific probing of hippocampal and rhinal cortices functions, respectively (Hartley et al., 2007; Besson et al., 2020).

25 patients with 'subjective cognitive decline-plus' (hereafter 'SCD', criteria of Jessen et al., 2014) and 25 patients with mild neurocognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease (hereafter 'MCI', criteria of Albert et al., 2011) matched for gender, socio-professional category and level of education. The 25 healthy volunteers required have already been included in a different study.

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.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

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.
50

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • France
      • Rennes, France
        • Recruiting
        • CHU Rennes
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Pierre-Yves JONIN, PhD
        • Contact:
          • Pierre-Yves JONIN, PhD

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • aged between 50 and 80
  • native French speaking
  • right-handed
  • with a level of education equal to or higher than the Certificat d'Etudes Primaires (primary school leaving certificate)
  • free of any medical or psychiatric condition likely to interfere with cognition, other than a diagnosis of SCD / MCI
  • affiliated with a social security scheme
  • having received oral and written information abou the protocol and having signed a consent form to participate in this research
  • patients with 'subjective cognitive decline-plus' (hereafter 'SCD', criteria of Jessen et al., 2014) or patients with mild neurocognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease (hereafter 'MCI', criteria of Albert et al., 2011)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • contraindications to MRI : Abdominal circumference + upper limbs stuck to the body > 200 cm; Implantable pacemaker or defibrillator; Neurosurgical clips; Cochlear implants ; Neural or peripheral stimulator; Intra-orbital or encephalic metallic foreign bodies; Endoprostheses fitted less than 4 weeks ago and osteosynthesis devices fitted less than 6 weeks ago; Claustrophobia.
  • sensory deficit interfering with experimental tests
  • pregnant or breast-feeding women
  • adults under legal protection (safeguard of justice, curatorship, guardianship), persons deprived of liberty
  • 7-items modified Hachinski ischemic score >2 (Hachinski et al., 2012)
  • Dementia (McKhann et al., 2011)

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

  • Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
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.
Experimental: SCD+
Patients with subjective cognitive decline-plus due to Alzheimer's disease (or "DCS" in french)
Diagnostic test: high-resolution diffusion MRI
The study will combine multi-compartment models (e.g. Archer et al., 2020; Parker et al., 2020) of high-resolution diffusion MRI within medial temporal lobes regions of interest defined through the ASHS algorithm (Yushkevich et al., 2015), with theoretically driven cognitive assessment medial temporal lobes functions. The '4 mountains test' and the 'Memory entities' test will allow specific probing of hippocampal and rhinal cortices functions, respectively (Hartley et al., 2007; Besson et al., 2020).
Other Names:
  • Memory tests
Experimental: MCI
Patients with mild neurocognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease (or "TCL" in french)
Diagnostic test: high-resolution diffusion MRI
The study will combine multi-compartment models (e.g. Archer et al., 2020; Parker et al., 2020) of high-resolution diffusion MRI within medial temporal lobes regions of interest defined through the ASHS algorithm (Yushkevich et al., 2015), with theoretically driven cognitive assessment medial temporal lobes functions. The '4 mountains test' and the 'Memory entities' test will allow specific probing of hippocampal and rhinal cortices functions, respectively (Hartley et al., 2007; Besson et al., 2020).
Other Names:
  • Memory tests

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
Diffusion-MRI based parameters estimates of medial temporal lobe gray matter microstructure
Time Frame: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Free-water and free-water corrected Fractional anisotropy are two parameters that can be estimated through Multi-Compartment Modelling of the diffusion MRI signal within medial temporal lobes gray matter. We will compute these parameters for the hippocampus and the surroundings rhinal cortices. These measures will be compared between patients and healthy controls.
2 hours and 30 minutes

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
Diffusion-MRI based parameters estimates of medial temporal lobe gray matter microstructure
Time Frame: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Free-water and free-water corrected Fractional anisotropy are two parameters that can be estimated through Multi-Compartment Modelling of the diffusion MRI signal within medial temporal lobes gray matter. We will compute these parameters for the hippocampus and the surroundings rhinal cortices. These measures will be compared across patients groups.
2 hours and 30 minutes
Relationships between medial temporal lobe gray matter microstructure and memory
Time Frame: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Free-water and free-water corrected Fractional anisotropy are two parameters that can be estimated through Multi-Compartment Modelling of the diffusion MRI signal within medial temporal lobes gray matter. We will compute these parameters for the hippocampus and the surroundings rhinal cortices. Memory accuracy scores will be computed for the two memory tasks "The '4 mountains test' and the 'Memory entities' test" . Correlational analyses will be performed across groups between gray matter microstructure estimates and memory scores.
2 hours and 30 minutes

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.
Rennes University Hospital

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Pierre-Yves JONIN, PhD, Rennes University Hospital

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 (Actual)

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.
July 2, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
July 3, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
March 2, 2029

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 19, 2023

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.
October 19, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

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.
October 25, 2023

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.
June 17, 2026

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.
June 15, 2026

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.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • 35RC23_8900_MIMA-P

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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