New study aims to uncover Alzheimer's clues in down syndrome
NCT ID NCT05231798
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at how certain brain cells (cholinergic neurons) change with age in adults with Down syndrome, and how that relates to Alzheimer's disease risk. Researchers will use brain scans and EEGs to measure these changes in 30 adults aged 18-55 who do not have dementia. The goal is to better understand who might benefit from future treatments, but no treatment is given in this study.
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 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Aug 2021
- Expected to finish
-
Apr 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
-
18 to 55 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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. Diagnosis of Down syndrome (DS), including mosaic DS or partial trisomy 21. 2. Provision of signed and dated informed consent form and if needed, assent with signed consent by a legally authorized representative (LAR). 3. Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study 4. Male or female, aged 18-55 inclusive. 5. In good general health as evidenced by medical history with no diagnosis of dementia. 6. Permitted CNS-active medications, stable in dose for at least 4 weeks or longer. If new medications have been started, the medical monitoring team will review on case-by-case basis to recommend timing of baseline cognitive testing 7. Adequate visual and auditory acuity to allow neuropsychological testing 8. For females who are not surgically sterile or post-menopausal by two years: negative pregnancy test 24 hours prior to PET scan. 9. Mental Age of 4 years or greater (based upon the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test, 2nd Edition) 10. English must be first/native language 11. Reliable Study Partner (may be caregiver, sibling, parent) who can provide information about the subject's clinical symptoms and history Exclusion Criteria: 1. Any significant disease or unstable medical condition that could affect neuropsychological testing (i.e., unstable cardiac problems, chronic renal failure, chronic hepatic disease, severe pulmonary disease) 2. Participants in whom magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is contraindicated including, but not limited to, those with a pacemaker, presence of metallic fragments near the eyes or spinal cord, or cochlear implant (Dental fillings do not present a risk for MRI) 3. Participants unable to complete MRI and PET procedures 4. IQ less than 40 (as assessed by Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test, Second Edition (KBIT-2). 5. Pregnancy, breast-feeding 6. History within the last 5 years of a primary or recurrent malignant disease with the exception of non-melanoma skin cancers, resected cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in situ, basal cell carcinoma, cervical carcinoma in situ, or in situ prostate cancer with normal prostate-specific antigen post-treatment 7. Clinically significant abnormalities in B12 or TFTs that might interfere with the study. A low B12 is exclusionary unless follow-up labs (homocysteine (HC) and methylmalonic acid (MMA)) indicate that it is not physiologically significant. A high TSH is exclusionary unless follow-up T3/T4 levels indicate that it is not physiologically significant. 8. Clinically significant abnormalities in screening laboratories 9. For participants undergoing CSF collection: a current blood clotting or bleeding disorder, or significantly abnormal PT or PTT at screening or if on anti-coagulation (e.g warfarin) 10. Participants whom the Site PI deems to be otherwise ineligible 11. Clinical diagnosis of dementia 12. Concurrent participation in a clinical trial for an investigational product or concurrent participation in a longitudinal study with overlapping outcome measures/procedures is prohibited
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Alzheimer disease are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
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
-
Vanderbilt University Medical Center Clinical Research Center
RECRUITINGNashville, Tennessee, 37212, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a massive data registry crack the code of Parkinson's and related brain diseases?
- Can a gentle electric current calm the mind in Alzheimer's?
- Alzheimer's vaccine aims to clear amyloid before memory fades
- Blood, eye, and brain scans team up to spot Alzheimer's earlier
- Can a home device slow Alzheimer's? pilot study tests pulsed electromagnetic therapy
- Eye scans as a window to the body: study probes retinal imaging across diseases