Stanford Seeks Volunteers for Two Alzheimer’s Studies

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine are seeking volunteers for two different studies related to Alzheimer’s disease. One involves a drug that may slow brain deterioration in people already diagnosed with the disease, while the other involves monitoring the brains of elderly people to help identify changes that may signal the onset of Alzheimer’s. Both studies are being overseen by Jerome Yesavage, MD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and director of the Stanford/VA Aging Clinical Research Center.

Drug treatment study

The researchers want to determine if the drug Memantine is as effective in patients diagnosed with mild cases of Alzheimer’s disease or its precursor, mild cognitive impairment, as it is in moderate to severe cases of Alzheimer’s.

The yearlong study will examine whether Memantine can slow or stop the deterioration of the brain and if it can help delay, weaken or prevent difficult behaviors in people with early stage Alzheimer’s. Researchers will use magnetic resonance imaging to determine the drug’s effectiveness. Participants will get MRI brain scans at the beginning of the study. Half the volunteers will then get Memantine, the rest placebos. At the end of the year, they will repeat the brain scans and compare them with the initial ones.

Memantine works by partially blocking NMDA receptors, which are a type of receptor for the chemical glutamate. The drug helps ensure that the right amount of glutamate is available to support the chemical environment needed for the brain to process, store and retrieve information, resulting in learning and memory.

The study, which is sponsored by Forest Laboratories Inc., needs volunteers between the ages of 50 and 90 who have been diagnosed with probable Alzheimer’s disease and who are able to ingest oral medication. Participants must also have a caregiver/study partner who can provide informed consent to participate and who can attend all clinic visits to report on the study participant’s activities and behavior.

For more information, contact Aimee Stepp at (800) 943-4333 or (650) 493-5000, ext. 65654.

Neuroimaging study

Researchers are attempting find brain or blood signals that may signal the development of Alzheimer’s through a comprehensive new study launched last month by the National Institutes of Health. The Stanford/VA center is one of 58 study sites across the United States and Canada seeking volunteers for the project.

The comprehensive study, called the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, will monitor 800 volunteers between the ages of 55 and 90 over the next three years. Through MRI and positron emission tomography (PET), the study will monitor the brain for telltale changes that precede or accompany memory loss. Researchers will also sample blood and cerebrospinal fluid in search of biological markers that can be correlated with Alzheimer’s.

Researchers are seeking three types of 55- to 90-year-old volunteers to participate in this study: People who are in good general health and have no memory problems; people who are in good general health but have memory problems or concerns, and people who have a diagnosis of early Alzheimer’s disease. Each volunteer will receive an MRI or PET scan every six months to monitor brain changes. In addition, subjects will have blood and, in some cases, cerebrospinal fluid drawn and analyzed.

Participants must be fluent in English or Spanish and have a friend or relative who can accompany them to clinic visits or answer questions over the phone. To volunteer or for additional information, contact Kelly Landy at (650) 852-3287.

Stanford University Medical Center integrates research, medical education and patient care at its three institutions — Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford. For more information, please visit the Web site of the medical center’s Office of Communication & Public Affairs at http://mednews.stanford.edu.