Brain scans may reveal Alzheimer's before symptoms start
NCT ID NCT04579120
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study uses brain scans (PET and MRI) to find early signs of Alzheimer's disease in 650 adults with normal cognition or early-stage symptoms. Participants receive special tracers that highlight amyloid and tau proteins in the brain. The goal is to understand how these biomarkers change over time and predict the onset of Alzheimer's symptoms.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this study could help identify early markers of Alzheimer's disease, potentially leading to earlier diagnosis and better treatment timing.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational study, not a treatment trial. It may not directly lead to new therapies, and results may not apply to all populations.
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.
- Participants
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About 650 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2021
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
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.
Who is studied
Participants are referred from the Washington University Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC). The ADRC is responsible for the recruitment, enrollment, and maintenance of the Total Registry (TR). The Knight ADRC primarily recruits participants by means of word of mouth and public service announcements from the greater metropolitan St. Louis area. A small percentage (\~17%) of participants are referred by a Washington University physician.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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: * Male or female, any race * Age \> 18 years * Participation in one of the ongoing projects affiliated with the Knight ADRC at Washington University and referred by the MAP staff and a Washington University physician. * Normal cognition or early-stage symptomatic AD * Willing and able to undergo study procedures. * Capacity to give informed consent and follow study procedures Exclusion Criteria: * Has any condition that, in the Investigator's opinion, could increase risk to the participant, limit the participant's ability to tolerate the research procedures, or interfere with the collection/analysis of the data (e.g., participants with severe chronic back pain might not be able to lie still during the scanning procedures); * Has hypersensitivity to either AV-1451 or PIB or any of its excipients; * Contraindications to PET, CT or MRI (e.g. electronic medical devices, inability to lie still for extended periods) that make it unsafe for the individual to participate; * Severe claustrophobia; * Currently pregnant or breast-feeding. Women must agree to avoid becoming pregnant and must agree to refrain from sexual activity or to use reliable contraceptive methods for 24 hours following administration of Flortaucipir injection; * Must not have participated in any clinical trial involving a study drug or device within the 30-days prior to study enrollment; * Must not participate in another drug or device study prior to the end of this study participation; * Current or recent (within 12 months prior to screening) participation in research studies involving radioactive agents such that the total research-related radiation dose to the participant in any given year would exceed the limits set forth in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 21 Section 361.1. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?FR=361.1
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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Washington University School of Medicine
RECRUITINGSt Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States
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