Could a common drug stop Alzheimer's before it starts?
NCT ID NCT05063851
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at whether memantine, a drug already used for Alzheimer's symptoms, might help prevent the disease in people at high risk. Researchers are testing it in 32 adults aged 50 to 65 who have a family history of dementia and carry the ApoE4 gene. The main goal is to see if this approach is practical for a larger prevention trial.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 32 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2021
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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50 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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. Be between the age of 50 and 65 years at time of informed consent. 2. Have a positive family history for dementia (minimum of 1 first degree relative). 3. Previously known or documented heterozygote or homozygote ApoE ε4 allele. 4. Be able to read and write and must have adequate hearing and visual acuity to complete the psychometric tests. 5. Be otherwise healthy for their age group or medically stable with or without medication on the basis of physical examination, medical history, vital signs, and 12-lead ECG performed at screening or at baseline. 6. Have Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) score of 27 or above. 7. Have a creatinine clearance (CrCl), estimated using the Cockcroft-Gault formula, greater or equal to 30 mL/minute. Exclusion Criteria: 1. A current clinical condition or requires a medication that raises the pH of their urine. 2. Severe renal or hepatic impairment. 3. Any other abnormality that could cause a possible cognitive deficit (including, but not limited to, vascular encephalopathy or large strokes). 4. Contraindications for MRI (e.g., prostheses, implants, claustrophobia, pacemaker) or PET imaging. 5. Neurodegenerative disorder known to cause neurocognitive decline 6. Relevant history of or current neurological disease other than preclinical AD, which may make interpretation of possible new neurological signs or symptoms difficult. 7. Clinically significant and active pulmonary, gastrointestinal, renal, hepatic, endocrine, or cardiovascular system disease 8. Ongoing cancer treatment 9. Clinically significant and active psychiatric disorder 10. Use of an investigational medical device within 3 months before the planned start of study. 11. Current participation in an interventional study with an investigational drug component. 12. Major surgery (e.g., requiring general anesthesia) within 8 weeks before screening, or will not have fully recovered from surgery, or has major surgery planned during the time the subject is expected to participate in the study. 13. Requires treatment with an AChE inhibitor or any of the following: acetazolamide, methazolamide, amantadine, ketamine, dextromethorphan.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia, 22908, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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