MRI of Alzheimer's Disease Imaging Amyloid Plaques in Persons With and Without Memory Problems
Condition: Alzheimer's Disease
MeSH terms: Alzheimer Disease; Plaque, Amyloid
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      The study will investigate the possibility of detecting early signs of Alzheimer's disease
      using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). If plaques, types of damage, can be imaged by MRI,
      the procedure could be used in clinical trials and may also help in the clinical diagnosis of
      patients. Alzheimer's disease, a progressive disease, is a major cause of functional
      disability and institutionalization, affecting 4.5 million people in the United States, a
      number that will more than triple by 2030 as the population ages.

      Patients ages 55 to 90 who have mild symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and who are in good
      health may be eligible for this study. Twenty patients will be recruited from Johns Hopkins'
      Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. There will also be a control group of 20 people without
      the disease.

      Healthy patients and volunteers will have a clinical MRI brain scan and a neurological
      examination at Johns Hopkins Hospital before the 7T MRI scan. Also, patients will have a
      Mini-Mental State Examination, a standardized test to evaluate memory, done at Johns Hopkins
      within 4 weeks of the 7T MRI. This study uses a device situated at the NIH Bethesda campus
      that operates at a high magnetic field strength of 7 Tesla, that is, the unit used to measure
      the strength of a strong magnet. The Food and Drug Administration has categorized MRI up to 8
      Tesla as not a significant health risk. MRI scanning is routinely done at magnetic field
      strengths up to 4T. MRI images are created through the use of a large magnet and radio waves.
      During the procedure, patients lie on a table moved into a strong magnetic field. They are
      asked to lie still but can easily hear and speak to research staff. A respiratory belt is
      placed around the chest, and a finger probe is placed on the finger, to monitor breathing and
      heart rate. For obtaining a better picture, a special lightweight coil may be placed on or
      around the patient's head. The scan takes from 20 minutes to 2 hours, with most scans at 45
      to 90 minutes. Due to limited experience with the use of 7T MRI and its investigational
      nature, patients will be asked to complete a questionnaire immediately after the study. They
      will be asked about their comfort level and if they experienced unusual sensations. Answers
      will be reviewed with patients by an experienced MRI investigator to get details of any
      unusual sensations reported. If patients experience unusual sensations, they are followed up
      by phone within 24 hours.

      This study wi...
    

Detailed description: 
      Objective:

      The objective of the proposed pilot study is to investigate the possibility of detecting
      early signs of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) using high field (7T) MRI. If plaques can be imaged
      by MRI, the procedure could be used as a measure of efficacy in clinical trials of AD, and
      replace more invasive methods such as positron emission tomography (PET). This procedure
      might also be helpful in the clinical diagnosis of patients.

      Study Population:

      The target population is a group of 20 Alzheimer's patients with mild cognitive impairment.
      As reference, an age-matched control group (n=20) will be recruited from the normal adult
      population.

      Design:

      Our working hypothesis is that high resolution MRI at 7T allows detection of amyloid plaques
      in AD. To test this hypothesis, subjects from AD and control population will each undergo an
      MRI at 7T to image brain structure at high resolution. Brain cortical structures will then be
      compared between the two groups and investigated for abnormalities.

      Outcome Measure:

      As outcome measure of this study, it will be determined if (sub) cortical plaques typical of
      AD are detectable with high field MRI.
    

Keywords: MRI; Alzheimer Disease; Amyloid; AD; Healthy Volunteer; HV