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PET scans reveal how inflammation drives Alzheimer's variants

NCT ID NCT04576793

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Columbia University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 06, 2026 · Last updated Jul 07, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study uses special PET scans to measure brain inflammation and tau protein buildup in people with different forms of Alzheimer's disease, including those with memory, vision, or language problems. Researchers aim to understand how inflammation relates to other brain changes and symptoms over time. Participants include older adults with mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's variants, and healthy volunteers.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
11C-ER176 and 18F-MK6240 (radioactive tracers for PET scans)
What this could lead to
If successful, this could clarify how brain inflammation relates to Alzheimer's progression and symptoms, potentially guiding future treatments.
What could go wrong
This is an observational imaging study, not a treatment trial. The tracers are experimental and may not reliably measure inflammation or tau across all participants.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Phase 2

Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.

Participants

About 100 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Nov 2020

Expected to finish

May 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

50 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion criteria: 1. Age 50 and over at time of screening. 2. At screening, must have no cognitive impairment, or meet criteria for amnestic Alzheimer's disease, posterior cortical atrophy, or logopenic variant primary progressive aphasia. Diagnoses will be made based on history, exam, neuropsychological testing, brain MRI, and consensus diagnosis. 3. Patients must have Clinical Dementia Rating scale score of 0.5 or 1 at enrollment. Controls must have Clinical Dementia Rating scale score of 0 at enrollment. 4. Subjects unable to provide informed consent must have a surrogate decision maker. 5. Written and oral fluency in English or Spanish. 6. Able to participate in all scheduled evaluations and to complete all required tests and procedures. 7. In the opinion of the PI, the subject must be considered likely to comply with the study protocol and to have a high probability of completing the study. Exclusion criteria: 1. Past or present history of a brain disorder other than Alzheimer's disease (including presence of cortical infarct on MRI even in absence of clinical stroke). 2. Serious medical conditions, which make study procedures of the current study unsafe. Such serious medical conditions include uncontrolled epilepsy and multiple serious injuries. 3. Contraindication to MRI scanning. 4. Conditions precluding entry into the scanners (e.g. morbid obesity, claustrophobia, etc.). 5. Exposure to research related radiation in the past year that, when combined with this study, would place subjects above the allowable limits. 6. Exact medication exclusions are up to the discretion of the PI in consultation with the MD liaison.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Alzheimer disease Cognitive Dysfunction Inflammation logopenic progressive aphasia posterior cortical atrophy

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Alzheimer disease

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Columbia University Irving Medical Center

    RECRUITING

    New York, New York, 10032, United States

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