Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) for Alzheimer's Disease

September 25, 2019 updated by: Andres M. Lozano, University Health Network, Toronto

Modulation of Cognitive Function Using Electrical Brain Stimulation in Patients With Early Alzheimer Disease

Background: Alzheimer disease (AD) is a debilitating brain disorder that affects over 4.75 million people in the US and Canada. People with AD have difficulty remembering general facts and previously experienced autobiographical events. Animal and human research demonstrates that this type of memory depends on neural function within specific brain areas, and that it may be possible to enhance memory with electrical stimulation of these brain areas. We have recently shown that deep brain stimulation (DBS) of a brain area called the fornix enhances memory in a human.

Hypotheses: We hypothesize that fornix DBS will safely enhance memory in early AD patients by activating memory circuits in the brain.

Methods: Six early AD patients will take part in a phase I clinical study over a 1-year period. The study involves bilateral fornix DBS implantation, detailed neuropsychological and neurological testing, and brain imaging to detect alterations in brain activity induced by stimulation. These assessments will occur one month before surgery, then again at one month, 6 months, and 12 months after surgery.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

6

Phase

  • 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 Locations

  • Canada
    • Ontario
      • Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5T 2S8
        • Toronto Western Hospital

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

Ages Eligible for Study

40 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Men and women aged 40 to 80 years old, who
  • Satisfy the diagnostic criteria for probable AD,
  • Have received the diagnosis of AD within the past 2 years,
  • Have a CDR of 0.5 or 1.0, and
  • Score between 20 and 28 on the Mini Mental State Examination

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pre-existing structural brain abnormalities,
  • Other neurologic or psychiatric diagnoses, or
  • Medical comorbidities that would preclude them from undergoing surgery

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental
Procedure: Bilateral fornix DBS implantation,
Fornix DBS for Alzheimer Disease
Other Names:
  • DBS

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
memory performance on neuropsychological tests
Time Frame: one year
one year

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University Health Network, Toronto

Investigators

  • Study Director: Adrian W Laxton, MD, Toronto Western Research Institute
  • Principal Investigator: Andres M Lozano, MD, PhD, Toronto Western Research Institute
  • Principal Investigator: David Tang-Wai, MD, Toronto Western Research Institute

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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)

March 1, 2007

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 30, 2010

Study Completion (Actual)

June 30, 2010

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 9, 2008

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 11, 2008

First Posted (Estimate)

April 14, 2008

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 27, 2019

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 25, 2019

Last Verified

September 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 06-0095-B

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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