NCT05231798RecruitingPhase 2
Cholinergic Integrity in Down Syndrome in Association With Aging, Alzheimer's Disease Pathology, and Cognition
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 22 Jun 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
Progressive age-related cognitive deficits occurring in both AD and DS have been connected to the degeneration of several neuronal populations, but mechanisms are not fully elucidated. The most consistent neuronal losses throughout the progression of AD are seen in cholinergic neurons where these losses negatively affect cognition, particularly in attention, learning, and memory formation. Evidence of reduced cholinergic integrity in DS is largely limited to animal models and post-mortem human data. The investigators propose to use molecular, functional, and structural biomarkers to assess the cholinergic integrity in adults with DS. The investigators anticipate using the data gathered in this pilot study to inform future study designs to determine AD risk stratification in DS by identifying individuals who show an accelerated decline in cholinergic integrity that correlates with cognitive and neurobehavioral changes. Also, our cholinergic biomarkers may identify whether individuals with DS are likely to respond to pro-cholinergic interventions, including the novel cholinergic modulators that are being developed to enhance cholinergic-sensitive cognitive functioning. The investigators anticipate using the data gathered here to inform future treatment studies in TRC-DS and beyond where novel cholinergic treatments may offer opportunities for early intervention in DS and be complementary to disease-modifying approaches such as anti-amyloid treatments.
- Status (registry)
- Recruiting
- Phase (registry)
- Phase 2
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 30 (estimated)
- First submitted
- 17 Jan 2022
- Start date
- 19 Aug 2021
- Primary completion date
- 30 Apr 2027
- Lead sponsor
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Diseases
- Alzheimer disease
- NCT number
- NCT05231798
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional · Phase 2
- Planned participants: 30
- From 19 Aug 2021 to the primary completion date, 30 Apr 2027
- 1 site in 1 country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Prior treatment
- 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)
- Concurrent participation in a clinical trial for an investigational product or concurrent participation in a longitudinal study with overlapping outcome measures/procedures is prohibited
Other illness
- 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)
- 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
- Clinical diagnosis of dementia
Lab values
- 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)
Other
- Participants unable to complete MRI and PET procedures
- IQ less than 40 (as assessed by Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test, Second Edition (KBIT-2).
- Pregnancy, breast-feeding
- 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.
- Clinically significant abnormalities in screening laboratories
- Participants whom the Site PI deems to be otherwise ineligible
Who the study is looking for
- Diagnosis of Down syndrome (DS), including mosaic DS or partial trisomy 21.
- Provision of signed and dated informed consent form and if needed, assent with signed consent by a legally authorized representative (LAR).
- Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study
- Male or female, aged 18-55 inclusive.
- In good general health as evidenced by medical history with no diagnosis of dementia.
- 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
- Adequate visual and auditory acuity to allow neuropsychological testing
- For females who are not surgically sterile or post-menopausal by two years: negative pregnancy test 24 hours prior to PET scan.
- Mental Age of 4 years or greater (based upon the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test, 2nd Edition)
- English must be first/native language
- Reliable Study Partner (may be caregiver, sibling, parent) who can provide information about the subject's clinical symptoms and history
Age in the registry: 18 years to 55 years · Sex: All · Accepts healthy volunteers
Sites (1)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center Clinical Research Center Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Nashville | United States | Recruiting |
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.