Aging Brain Cohort Study-Longitudinal

Date Added
August 23rd, 2019
PRO Number
Pro00091014
Researcher
Julius Fridriksson

List of Studies

Keywords
Aging, Brain, Healthy Volunteer Studies
Summary

This study will examine the behaviors and brains of adults between the ages of 60 and 80. Our goal is to better understand changes associated with the aging process. This includes potential changes in behavior/cognition as well as potential biomarkers for these changes (i.e. biological data like DNA, brain scans or brain activity that are related to these changes). Participants in the study will complete a number of tests that measure their cognitive, language, and sensory abilities. We will collect information about their brains using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) and we will collect information about their genes using DNA extracted from blood samples. We will examine and compare the relationship between brain and behavior at 2 time points for the same 200 individuals. All data collected in this study will be stored in the Aging Brain Cohort repository study.

Institution
USC
Recruitment Contact
Briana Davis
803 576-8420
abcstudy@mailbox.sc.edu

Neuroimaging to Examine Behavior

Date Added
May 21st, 2019
PRO Number
Pro00087701
Researcher
Amber Jarnecke

List of Studies


Keywords
Alcohol, Anxiety, Brain, Healthy Volunteer Studies, Mental Health, Non-interventional, Stress Disorders, Substance Use
Summary

This study will examine the neural circuitry associated with craving, behavioral disinhibition, and threat-reactivity. The study will involve 2 visits. During the first visit, participants will complete questionnaires and interviews in a private room and do some tests to measure alcohol use. During the second visit, participants will complete a neuroimaging scan of their brain.

Institution
MUSC
Recruitment Contact
Amber Jarnecke
843-779-2159
jarnecka@musc.edu

Age-related changes in neuroplasticity impede recovery in post-stroke depression: a novel exercise and brain stimulation paradigm to prime neuroplastic potential

Date Added
December 4th, 2018
PRO Number
Pro00083079
Researcher
Ryan Ross

List of Studies

Keywords
Brain, Depression, Exercise, Stroke, Stroke Recovery
Summary

Stroke affects millions of Americans and is a leading cause of disability. In addition to chronic disability, many survivors experience depressive symptoms such as reductions in mood and motivation. Post-stroke depression (PSD) is associated with poorer recovery from stroke, increased health care costs and higher mortality. Additionally, PSD may interfere with the recovery of the nervous system after stroke. Effective treatment options for PSD are limited and often come with side effects, highlighting the need for alternative treatment approaches. Aerobic exercise (AEx) has positive effects on the nervous system, is a powerful anti-depressant, and has limited side effects, yet remains underutilized in stroke survivors with PSD. This study will examine the short-term effects of AEx on the nervous system in stroke survivors with and without PSD. The results will serve as a foundation for the study of AEx as a treatment for PSD.

Institution
MUSC
Recruitment Contact
Ryan Ross
843-792-3477
rossre@musc.edu

Connectome Biomarkers for Predicting Alzheimer's Risk in Traumatic Brain Injury

Date Added
July 17th, 2018
PRO Number
Pro00077915
Researcher
Jane Joseph

List of Studies


Keywords
Aging, Alzheimers, Brain, Dementia, Healthy Volunteer Studies, Memory Loss, Military
Summary

Traumatic Brain Injury is a risk factor for Alzheimer's Disease and other dementias. This study will use neuroimaging in Veterans and civilians with a history of TBI or without TBI to understand whether some of the brain changes that occur in Alzheimer's Disease are present in people with a history of TBI. The study is recruiting male and female military Veterans or civilians with or without TBI between the ages of 30 and 65.

Institution
MUSC
Recruitment Contact
Katherine Barlis
843-792-7709
barlis@musc.edu

Direct measurement of motor cortical responses to transcranial direct current stimulation

Date Added
May 15th, 2018
PRO Number
Pro00073545
Researcher
Nathan Rowland

List of Studies


Keywords
Brain, Central Nervous System, Movement Disorders, Muscle, Nerve, Nervous System, Parkinsons, Surgery
Summary

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has shown the potential to improve symptoms in patients with motor deficits, however its effects have not been consistent in randomized studies to date, limiting widespread adoption of this technology. A critical gap in our knowledge is a detailed understanding of how tDCS affects motor areas in the brain. We propose using tDCS while recording directly from motor cortex using subdural electrocorticography (sECoG) in patients undergoing deep brain stimulation surgery. We expect this novel approach to broaden our understanding of tDCS application and possibly lead to therapeutic advances in this population.

Institution
MUSC
Recruitment Contact
Ayesha Vohra
843-792-6210
vohra@musc.edu

Quantitative Neuroimaging Assessment of White Matter Integrity in the Context of Aging and AD

Date Added
December 19th, 2017
PRO Number
Pro00073604
Researcher
Andreana Benitez

List of Studies


Keywords
Aging, Alzheimers, Brain, Healthy Volunteer Studies
Summary

The purpose of this study is to use neuroimaging to understand how networks in the brain change over time. Although the single most significant risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) is age, the neurobiological processes underlying the transition from normal aging to AD are not well understood. Our group of researchers has developed ways to use MRI to detect small changes in certain parts of the brain. We will use neuroimaging to understand how the connections in the brain change over time in healthy aging. The goal is to discover which brain changes are present in healthy aging.

Participants will have two study visits (about 2 years apart) where they will undergo tests to assess mental function, fill out questionnaires, and undergo a blood draw, brain MRI and PET scan and provide a saliva sample. At the second visit, participants will not repeat PET scan. Participants will continue to be followed longitudinally every two years as long as the study is funded.

Participants are required to have a Co-Participant accompany them for the first portion of each visit. This individual must be a reliable informant that has contact with the participant at least once per week.

Institution
MUSC
Recruitment Contact
Katrina Madden
843-792-9186
IAMstudy@musc.edu

Neural Determinants of Age-Related Change in Auditory-Visual Speech Processing

Date Added
September 24th, 2017
PRO Number
Pro00070971
Researcher
James Dias

List of Studies


Keywords
Aging, Brain, Central Nervous System, Ears, Healthy Volunteer Studies, Hearing, Language, Minorities, Vision/ Eye
Summary

Older adults typically have trouble identifying the speech they hear, especially in noisy environments. Fortunately, compared to younger adults, older adults are better able to compensate for difficulties identifying the speech they hear by recruiting the visual system. However, the extent to which older adults can benefit from visual input, and how this influence relates to age-related changes in brain structure and function, have not been thoroughly investigated. The general purpose of this study is to determine how age-related changes in brain structure and function affect how well people hear and see. This study seeks participants with normal hearing to mild hearing loss, who also have normal or corrected-to-normal vision.

Institution
MUSC
Recruitment Contact
James Dias
(843) 792-3921
diasj@musc.edu

Apathy in Dementia Methylphenidate Trial 2 (ADMET 2)

Date Added
September 23rd, 2015
PRO Number
Pro00043151
Researcher
Jacobo Mintzer

List of Studies


Keywords
Aging, Alzheimers, Brain
Summary

With this research study, we want to learn if methylphenidate (RitalinĀ® and others) helps people with Alzheimer's disease and apathy (lack of interest or concern for things that others find moving or exciting).

Institution
MUSC
Recruitment Contact
Allison Lapp
843-724-2302
Allison.Lapp@rsfh.com

Remediating Emotion Deficits in PTSD: Probing and Modulating Neurocircuits

Date Added
November 4th, 2014
PRO Number
Pro00038957
Researcher
Lisa McTeague

List of Studies


Keywords
Anxiety, Brain, Depression
Summary

The current investigation uses a brain-based technique, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), which has helped to treat depression, to try to stimulate those brain regions understood to be essential to emotional experience and impaired in PTSD. In summary, the aim is to enhance emotion engagement and regulation and possibly uncover new brain-based interventions that could help ready the brain so an individual with PTSD could then fully engage and thus optimize emotion-focused psychotherapy.

Institution
MUSC
Recruitment Contact
Lisa McTeague
(843) 792-8274
mcteague@musc.edu

Repetitive TMS Modulates Dorsal Lateral Prefrontal-Ventral Medial Prefrontal Pathway to Decrease Craving in Smokers

Date Added
March 4th, 2014
PRO Number
Pro00032649
Researcher
Xingbao Li

List of Studies


Keywords
Brain, Smoking
Summary

Cigarette smoking causes significant morbidity and mortality in the United States. Smoking cessation is difficult, with the average smoker attempting to quit five times before permanent success. Moreover, the majority of smoking quit attempts result in relapse. Brain stimulation for smoke cessation is an exciting new area that builds on advancing neuroscience knowledge concerning the functional neurocircuitry of addiction. Cortical stimulation can now be performed non-invasively by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Several studies have shown that TMS can reduce cue-elicited craving in smokers. Previous research by our group has shown that a single session of 15 minutes high frequency (10 Hz) repetitive TMS (rTMS) at 100% motor threshold over the left dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) can reduce cue-induced craving compared to sham TMS. However, the mechanism by which craving is reduced by rTMS is poorly understood both at behavioral and neural levels. Neuroimaging studies in nicotine dependence have revealed cue-related responses in numerous brain areas, including frontal, parietal cortices and subcortical areas. Recently functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies by our group have shown that cue-induced craving induced brain activation in ventral medial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC), including medial frontal, orbital frontal and anterior cingulate. This Chair Research Development Fund (CRDF) pilot proposal will integrate two new techniques- TMS and fMRI to investigate DLPFC-VMPFC pathway in smokers. Using double-masked methods we hypothesize that cue-induced exposure will induce brain activity in VMPFC, and 15 minutes rTMS over DLPFC will reduce cue-induced craving through modulating DLPFC-VMPFC pathway (increased activity DLPFC and decreased activity VMPFC). In the one year of project, we plan to recruit 10 non-treatment-seeking nicotine-dependent cigarette smokers and 20 non-smoking participants, both males and females of all ethnic and racial groups between the ages of 18 and 60 to participate in the study. The participants will randomly receive two different types of brain stimulation: active rTMS or sham rTMS over the left DLPFC with a 1 week interval between treatments. MRI scans will be completed pre and post rTMS. The data from this pilot will provide the information needed for submitting a larger-scale investigation (R01) to investigate cue craving neutral pathway and develop a potential clinical applications of TMS in smoke cessation.

Institution
MUSC
Recruitment Contact
Xingbao Li
843 7925729
lixi@musc.edu



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