Investigating the Locus Coeruleus in Alzheimer's Disease using MRI
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Gaining new insight into the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease: investigating the role of the locus coeruleus using neuromelanin-sensitive MRI
IRAS ID
209654
Contact name
Ruihua Hou
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Southampton
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
The locus coeruleus (LC) is a tiny nucleus in the brain stem which produces an important chemical substance called noradrenaline (NA). While cognitive decline in Alzheimer Disease (AD) has primarily been related to dysfunction within the cholinergic system, evidence indicates that there is extensive LC degeneration in AD which is among the earliest pathologies. However, most evidence comes from animal and post-mortem studies. The absence of reliable non-invasive direct measures of LC activity in humans remains challenging. Our research group have developed a novel imaging protocol to directly measure LC signal changes using a high-resolution MRI imaging technique, which is different from conventional MRI technique.
The pilot study proposed here aims to test the feasibility of using the proposed imaging technique to detect signal changes within the LC in patients with mild cognitive impairment and AD and matched healthy controls. In addition, the study will also examine the links between LC signal changes and some key biological and physiological measures. Findings from this pilot study will be used to inform a future larger investigation of the role of the LC in individuals with AD and mild cognitive impairment. The proposed work will help us to advance our understanding of the role of the LC in disease progression of AD. This will also help us to identify new detection markers to assist diagnosis and new treatment for patients with AD in the near future.
REC name
North West - Haydock Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/NW/0675
Date of REC Opinion
26 Sep 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion