Alzheimer"s Imaging Biomarkers in Obesity

Last updated: May 16, 2024
Sponsor: Cyrus A Raji
Overall Status: Active - Recruiting

Phase

N/A

Condition

Obesity

Diabetes Prevention

Metabolic Disorders

Treatment

N/A

Clinical Study ID

NCT05077579
202102186
  • Ages 40-60
  • All Genders
  • Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Summary

High body fat at midlife, as evidenced by overweight or obese body mass index (BMI), is increasingly understood as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. However, the underlying processes and mechanisms that may underlie this risk remains unknown. With this project, the Investigator proposes to create a new cohort of cognitively normal 120 midlife individuals, age 40-60 years. The investigator and research staff will characterize the participant's overweight or obese status using metabolic tests including, an oral glucose tolerance test, fasting plasma insulin, fasting plasma glucose, and hemoglobin A1c measurements. This testing will generate categories of metabolically abnormal overweight and obese (MAOO), metabolically normal overweight and obese (MNOO), and metabolically normal lean participants (MNLP). Research staff will evaluate differences between these groups on neuroimaging with the newer classification framework of Alzheimer's biomarkers with amyloid (A), tau (T), and neurodegeneration (N), or ATN. Neurodegeneration will be assessed by atrophy on brain MRI as reflected by regional volumes on Freesurfer. Staff will also evaluate MR neuroimaging markers for neuroinflammation using a newer method called diffusion basis spectrum imaging (DBSI), developed at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University in St. Louis in collaboration with The Charles F. and Joanne Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (Knight ADRC).

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Male and female, 40-60 years of age and any race;

  2. MMSE = or greater than 25 or a Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR)=0;

  3. Willing and able to undergo MRI

  4. Willing to complete PET scans, including [11C]PiB and 18F-AV-1451 (Flortaucipir)radioactive tracer injection under protocols IRB #201409014 & 201906028

  5. Willing to participate in the metabolic subtyping of metabolically normal orabnormal overweight or obese status for the following three groups: a. Group 1: MAOO criteria: i. BMI ≥25 but <45 kg/m2; ii. Maximum body circumference < 165 cm to ensure participants fit into the PET/CT and MR scanners; iii. Fastingblood glucose: ≥100 mg/dl or blood glucose 2 h after an OGTT: ≥140 or fastinginsulin: >20 µu/ml; b. Group 2: MNOO criteria: i. BMI ≥ 25 but <45 kg/m2; ii. Maximum body circumference < 165 cm to ensure participants fit into the PET/CT and MR scanners; iii. Bloodglucose 2 h after an OGTT: iv. HbA1c < 5.7% v. Fasting insulin: < 20 µu/ml; c. Group 3: MNLP criteria: i. BMI ≥18.5 but < 25.0 kg/m2; ii. Maximum bodycircumference < 165 cm to ensure subjects fit into the PET/CT and MR scanners; iii.Fasting blood glucose: < 100 mg/dl; iv. Blood glucose 2 h after an OGTT: < 140mg/dl; v. HbA1c < 5.7% vi. Fasting insulin: < 20 µu/ml;

Exclusion

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Any condition that in the opinion of the Investigator or designee could increase therisk to the participant, limit the participant's ability to tolerate the researchprocedures or interfere with the collection of the data, (e.g., currently taking adrug for treatment of obesity);

  2. Intend to have bariatric surgery;

  3. Inability to tolerate to lie still during the scanning procedures (e.g., severe,chronic back pain);

  4. Severe claustrophobia;

  5. Women who are currently pregnant or breast-feeding;

  6. Currently receiving an active obesity study drug (or placebo) or in an obesityclinical trial;

  7. Laboratory Evaluations exclusion: • Oral glucose tolerance test should not beperformed in patients who already fulfill the criteria for diabetes mellitus. Theseinclude: - History of Type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus - Prior documentation of afasting plasma glucose >7.0 mmol/L or two or more occasions or clinical symptoms ofdiabetes e.g. polydipsia, polyuria, ketonuria and rapid weight loss with a randomplasma glucose of >11.1 mmol/L • Other contraindications for venous access as partof OGTT or blood draws: - Venous fibrosis or shunt grafts in both upper extremities

  • Ongoing cellulitis or infection, particularly in the upper extremities. - Presenceof a hematoma at the site of vascular access. - History of hypoglycemicencephalopathy that can occur with prolonged fasting
  1. MRI exclusion: • Contraindications to MRI (e.g., certain incompatible electronicmedical devices that make it potentially unsafe for the individual to participate).All participants must be willing to undergo at least two MRI screenings, supervisedby Level II MRI personnel as designated by the American College of Radiology (ACR).

Study Design

Total Participants: 240
Study Start date:
October 18, 2021
Estimated Completion Date:
December 31, 2026

Connect with a study center

  • Washington University School of Medicine

    Saint Louis, Missouri 63110
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

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