Investigating the Link Between Late-Onset Major Depression and Alzheimer's disease
Introduction:
Depressive
symptoms are quite common. In a subset of older adults, they may actually
represent the earliest clinical manifestation of Alzheimer’s disease (AD)
developing long before the more typical symptoms of this disease such as
progressive memory decline. Work from Dr. Pomara and other collaborators
suggest that depressed elderly may have an elevation in a protein called
amyloid beta (Ab) in the blood which has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease. NIMH grant award: The National Institute
of Mental Health awarded a 5-year grant (approximately $1.7 million) to Dr.
Pomara to confirm this finding and to test its potential usefulness to identify
depressed elderly and those with a history of depressive symptoms who may have
early AD. As part of this study, these individuals and the controls will
be followed for three years with annual cognitive assessment and measurement of
plasma Ab. Importance of the study: If successful, this
research could lead to the development of a simple blood test for the detection
of depressed elderly at risk for AD. Additionally, because of emerging
promising amyloid-lowering treatments for AD, these interventions could also
have a role for the treatment of elderly depressed individuals with elevated Ab who have not responded
to conventional antidepressants. Please note that this is not a treatment
study. Who
may qualify for participation in this research study? The
study requires enrollment of: · Individuals 60 years or
older who are
currently depressed or have a history of
depressive symptoms; and · Controls may be
eligible Where
is the study being conducted? The
study is being conducted at the Nathan Kline Institute (NKI) and at the New
York University (NYU)/Bellevue General Clinical Research Center. The MRI of the
head which is being done at screening will be performed at NKI. The
lumbar puncture, which is optional, will be performed by an experienced
neuroradiologist at the Corinthian Diagnostic Radiology, 345 East 37th
Street # 204, New York, NY 10016 . How
many clinic visits does it require? You will
be asked to come for 4 visits during the first year of your participation for
the Prescreening, Screening, MRI, and Baseline Visits. An additional
visit would be required for the optional lumbar puncture. You will then
be followed annually for 3 years, requiring 2 visits per
year. Each visit may last for
2 to 3 hours. Additional time will be required for the MRI and for
the optional lumbar puncture procedures which will be approximately 2 hours and
3 hours, respectively.
What will be performed during the visits?
The
following procedures may be performed during the visits: -medical and psychiatric evaluations -physical and neurological exams -ECG -routine blood and urine tests -urine drug screen - neuropsychological tests -MRI of head (Screening only) -Blood tests for APOE genotyping and amyloid
beta -Optional: Lumbar puncture for CSF amyloid beta determination
(Baseline and at 3rd year follow-up only) Will I know the results
of my tests? A copy of your
routine blood and urine tests and ECG results may be provided to you upon your
request. No other test results will be given to you since they are for
research purposes only. Will I be paid for
participating? Yes. You will be
compensated as follows: $40 for the prescreening visit; $50 for the screening
visit and an additional $50 for the MRI; $60 for the baseline visit; $75 for
each visit during the annual assessments. An additional $250 will be
provided for each lumbar puncture procedure. Who can I call for an
appointment? For further information
or to make an appointment, please
call: Dr. Antero
Sarreal at 845-398-6532 Dr. Raymundo
Hernando at 845-398-5578 Dr. Corazon de la Pena at
845-398-6533