UPenn Observational Research Repository on Neurodegenerative Disease (UNICORN)

January 21, 2026 updated by: University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania Centralized Observational Research Repository on Neurodegenerative Disease (UNICORN)

The aim of this study is to create a repository of both cross-sectional and longitudinal data, including cognitive, linguistic, imaging and biofluid biological specimens, for neurodegenerative disease research and treatment.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The Principal Investigator (PI) at the University of Pennsylvania seeks to better understand neurodegenerative diseases and is continually expanding research efforts and collaborations regarding the factors which may contribute to these illnesses. Investigators seek to better understand the basis of neurodegenerative conditions by creating a multimodal repository, including: clinical data such as demographic characteristics, vital signs and motor scales; cognitive and speech data; neuroimaging data; and biological specimens with associated biofluid biomarkers and genetic data. Investigators pursue acquiring these data from neurodegenerative disease patients, people at risk for neurodegenerative disease due to a family history, and unaffected adults. Targeted conditions include frontotemporal degeneration (FTD), primary progressive aphasia PPA), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal syndrome (CBS), familial frontotemporal lobar degeneration (fFTLD), non-amnestic variants of Alzheimer's disease including logopenic progressive aphasia and posterior cortical atrophy, and Lewy body disease. This study aims to collect clinical and cognitive data, imaging data, and biospecimen samples from people whose background can inform research and treatment for neurodegenerative diseases, and make these samples and data available to qualified researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and collaborating academic centers and industry partners.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

1000

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 Backup

Study Locations

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

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

To better understand neurodegenerative diseases, the investigators will include people living with these illnesses, people at risk of developing these illnesses, and people without neurodegenerative disease who wish to contribute to science as controls.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

This protocol will include 3 groups of people:

  1. People with a clinical diagnosis of a neurodegenerative disease. such as frontotemporal degeneration(FTD), primary progressive aphasia(PPA), Lewy body disease(LBD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS), progressive supranuclear palsy(PSP), corticobasal syndrome(CBS), posterior cortical atrophy(PCA), Alzheimer's disease(AD), Parkinson's disease(PD)
  2. People with a family history of neurodegenerative disease who may or may not be symptomatic, and may or may not be mutation carriers such as familial frontotemporal lobar degeneration (fFTLD) or familial ALS,
  3. People with no known neurological disease who will provide control data.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Anyone who is under the age of 18.
  • Anyone with a condition or in a situation which, in the Investigator's opinion, could confound the study findings or may interfere significantly with a person's participation, including but not limited to neurological, psychological and other medical conditions (such as cardiac, neurosurgical, infectious conditions).
  • Individual participants may be excluded from some, but not all, study procedures for safety reasons when they have a contraindication or at the discretion of the Investigator. For example, persons with metal implants which are not MRI-safe will not be able to take part in imaging, and those on blood thinning medications may not be able to take part in lumbar puncture.
  • Pregnant women; if a woman becomes pregnant during the study, research activities that may increase risk to the patient and the unborn fetus will be stopped until the end of pregnancy, at which point participation can be resumed.

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

  • Observational Models: Cohort
  • Time Perspectives: Other

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Cross-sectional
Other: No intervention
No intervention
Longitudinal
Other: No intervention
No intervention

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Status of progression - changes in neuropsychological tests.
Time Frame: This is a natural history study-participants are followed from date of enrollment until death, withdraw, or funding is no longer available, or until 600 months have passed.
The changes of neuropsychological tests (well known cognitive measures such as: Naming test, CVLT, MoCA, Oral Trails, etc.) in neurodegenerative diseases over time.
This is a natural history study-participants are followed from date of enrollment until death, withdraw, or funding is no longer available, or until 600 months have passed.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Status of progression - changes in language processing.
Time Frame: This is a natural history study-participants are followed from date of enrollment until death, withdraw, or funding is no longer available, or until 600 months have passed.
The effect of changes in language processing (e.g. effortful speech, lexical-semantic representations) as categorized by impaired speech fluency, motor speech deficits and semantic memory deficits in neurodegenerative diseases over time.
This is a natural history study-participants are followed from date of enrollment until death, withdraw, or funding is no longer available, or until 600 months have passed.
Status of progression - changes in social disinhibition.
Time Frame: This is a natural history study-participants are followed from date of enrollment until death, withdraw, or funding is no longer available, or until 600 months have passed.
The effect of changes in social behavioral testing, which categorized by rule violation (social disinhibition) progression in neurodegenerative diseases over time.
This is a natural history study-participants are followed from date of enrollment until death, withdraw, or funding is no longer available, or until 600 months have passed.
Status of progression - changes in biofluids.
Time Frame: This is a natural history study-participants are followed from date of enrollment until death, withdraw, or funding is no longer available, or until 600 months have passed.
The change of disease status as categorized by biomarkers in biofluids in neurodegenerative diseases over time.
This is a natural history study-participants are followed from date of enrollment until death, withdraw, or funding is no longer available, or until 600 months have passed.
Status of progression -changes in Neuroimaging
Time Frame: This is a natural history study-participants are followed from date of enrollment until death, withdraw, or funding is no longer available, or until 600 months have passed.
The progressive changes of images in multimodal neuroimaging techniques in neurodegenerative diseases over time.
This is a natural history study-participants are followed from date of enrollment until death, withdraw, or funding is no longer available, or until 600 months have passed.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Pennsylvania

Collaborators

United States Department of Defense
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Alzheimer's Association

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: David Irwin, MD, University of Pennsylvania

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)

May 29, 2020

Primary Completion (Estimated)

May 30, 2070

Study Completion (Estimated)

May 30, 2070

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 11, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 16, 2021

First Posted (Actual)

January 20, 2021

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 22, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 21, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 842873
  • R01AG054519 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • P01AG066597 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Information about study participants will be kept confidential and managed according to the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Only deidentified data will be shared. We will not share individual participant identifiable data with other researchers outside of the institution, unless the participant allows us to by signing a separate data release form.

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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