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Can a Brain-Stiffness scan spot a treatable form of dementia?

NCT ID NCT02230124

Diagnosis Sponsor: Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
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 This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 22, 2026 · Last updated Jul 23, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial tests whether magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), a special MRI that measures tissue stiffness, can distinguish normal pressure hydrocephalus from brain atrophy. Current scans often cannot tell the two apart, leading to missed or delayed diagnosis. Researchers will compare MRE results in 35 adults with suspected hydrocephalus before and after a spinal fluid drainage procedure to see if the imaging signature matches clinical improvement.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) — a special MRI technique that measures brain stiffness
What this could lead to
If MRE proves reliable, it could offer a non-invasive way to diagnose normal pressure hydrocephalus and distinguish it from other causes of dementia, helping more people get the right treatment.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage study (35 people) testing a new imaging method. It may not prove accurate enough for routine use, and the technique requires specialized equipment not widely available.

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

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

35 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Mar 2007

Expected to finish

Dec 2028

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

45 to 95 years

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: * Age \>21; * One or more of the following complaints: memory loss/dementia, urinary incontinence, or progressive gait disturbance * Ventriculomegaly defined as temporal horn width \>2 mm or a FH:ID ratio\>30% on computed tomography or MRI, where FH is the maximal distance between the frontal horns and ID is the internal diameter from inner table to inner table of the skull at this level (Greenberg) * A diagnosis of any adult onset hydrocephalus (NPH, post-traumatic, post-hemorrhagic, obstructive, or idiopathic) will be considered for enrollment in this study Exclusion Criteria: * Implanted neuro-stimulator or cardiac pacemaker * Known coagulopathy; major organ dysfunction * End-stage congestive heart failure * Oxygen-dependent pulmonary disease, hepatic cirrhosis, or dialysis- dependent renal failure; or other condition which, according to the assessment of the treating surgeon or anesthesia team * Precludes consideration of elective surgery * Patients who may be pregnant will be excluded from this study as well

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

hydrocephalus normal pressure hydrocephalus obstructive hydrocephalus

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Hydrocephalus

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

    Lebanon, New Hampshire, 03756, United States

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