Cognitive Testing in Different Aetiologies of Dementia
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Cognitive Testing in Different Aetiologies of Dementia
IRAS ID
226653
Contact name
Elizabeth Coulthard
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
North Bristol NHS Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
226653, IRAS
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 12 days
Research summary
Each type of dementia has a typical cognitive profile, for example, memory and visuospatial processing may be impaired to varying extents in Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Parkinson’s disease dementia and Lewy body dementia. However, there are undoubtedly individual differences in cognitive function between patients with the same dementia. In order to tailor therapy for an individual patient, we first have to be able to identify the precise deficits in each patient. Here we propose using computerised tasks to test two cognitive domains, memory and visuospatial processing, in patients with dementia.
We are particularly interested in memory as we have designed a computerised cognitive task that allows us to distinguish between impairment of different types of memory and demonstrated that dopamine therapy
boosts medium term memory. We hypothesise that some patients with dementia will have a medium term memory deficit that may be amenable to treatment with dopaminergic therapy in a future clinical trial.Recent work has also suggested that visuospatial processing is abnormal in patients with dementia. Identification of abnormal visuospatial function may be important in classifying dementia type and also may provide a basis for future trials of medications that can improve visuospatial attention. We plan to run our computerised cognitive tasks in patients with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, Vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s Disease Dementia, as well as patients with mild cognitive impairment. We hypothesise that many patients with these dementias will have a medium term memory deficit and that a distinct pattern of visuospatial deficits will distinguish between different types of dementia and help to predict the type of dementia that may develop in patients with mild cognitive impairment. We hope that our work will provide the basis for future therapeutic trials in dementia.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - South Yorkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/YH/0243
Date of REC Opinion
13 Nov 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion