Memory Fitness Alzheimer's Treatment

	Stanford / VA / NIA Aging Clinical Research Center Palo Alto Veterans Health Care System 3801 Miranda Ave 151Y, Palo Alto, CA 94304 Phone: 650-852-3287 Fax: 650-852-3297 http://alzheimer.stanford.edu
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ACRC's NIA Alzheimer's Disease Core Center

CURRENT RESEARCH on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias

CLINICAL TRIALS (NIA PRESS RELEASE)

Cholesterol Lowering Agents to Slow Progression of Alzheimer's Disease (CLASP) Assessing Cognition: Interactive Voice Response Systems (IVR Study) Vitamins to Slow Alzheimer’s Disease (VITAL Study) Valproate In Dementia (The VALID Study)

CHOLESTEROL LOWERING AGENTS TO SLOW PROGRESSION OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE (CLASP) Researchers have found that lowering cholesterol levels with certain medications may have a positive impact on brain function and may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The CLASP Study is a national clinical research study designed to examine the effectiveness of Simvastatin (Zocor), a widely used cholesterol lowering medication, in slowing memory decline in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. The CLASP Study is sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study and funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA). Participants in this study will be given either Simvastatin or placebo (inactive pill) for 21 months. Throughout the study, participants will be assessed regularly by physicians and other qualified health care professionals. Volunteers must be diagnosed with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease and have a study partner who is familiar with the participant’s health to accompany the individual to all eight clinic visits during the 21-month period. Stanford researchers are currently seeking volunteers for the CLASP Study. For additional information regarding this research study, please contact Alena Kleytman at (650) 849-0339 or by Email. View more info HTML PDF View flyer HTML PDF   (Viewing PDF requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

ASSESSING COGNITION: INTERACTIVE VOICE RESPONSE SYSTEMS (IVR Study) The IVR Study assesses cognitive changes using a touch-tone phone system. The convenience of answering questions by dialing a toll-free number from one’s home phone may make it easier for clinicians and researchers to detect small changes in memory. We are currently seeking older adults age 65 and older to participate in this research study. Participants will need a study partner, and both will be asked to complete seven brief phone assessments and attend four clinic visits over a 6-month period. Both study subjects and study partners will be compensated up to a total of $250 for participation. For additional information regarding this research study, please contact Shannon Hsu at (650) 849-0222 or by Email. View flyer HTML PDF

VITAMINS TO SLOW ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE (VITAL Study) The VITAL Study is a nationwide clinical research study to evaluate whether large daily doses of the nutritional supplements folate, vitamins B6 and B12 will slow the rate of cognitive decline in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. VITAL is sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study and funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA). Participants in this study will be given either daily high doses of folate, vitamin B6 and B12 or placebo (inactive pill) for 18 months to determine whether these supplements are beneficial to individuals with AD. Throughout the study, participants will be assessed regularly by physicians and other qualified health care professionals. The VITAL study has begun recruiting subjects at Stanford. For additional information regarding this research study or to inquire about participating, please contact Alena Kleytman at (650) 849-0339 or by Email. View flyer HTML PDF

VALPROATE IN DEMENTIA (The VALID Study) Valproate is an FDA approved anticonvulsant medication which may be helpful in slowing cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease and other related symptoms. The VALID Study is a nationwide clinical research study to evaluate whether Valproate is effective in delaying, weakening or preventing difficult behaviors in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers will also examine whether Valproate has an effect on slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease overall. VALID is sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study and funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA). Participants in this study will be assigned at random to receive Valproate or placebo (inactive pill) for 26 months. Throughout the study, participants will be assessed regularly by physicians and other qualified health care professionals. This study has begun recruiting subjects. For additional information regarding this research study or to inquire about participating, please contact Alena Kleytman at (650) 849-0339 or by Email. View flyer HTML PDF

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Home | About the ACRC | Research | Educational Videos | Geriatric Depression Scale | Collaborators | Additional Resources | Contact | Links

© 2004 Stanford/VA/NIA Aging Clinical Research Center

Alzheimer's Association - http://www.alz.org/AboutAD/Treatment/Clinical.asp

Stanford VA Palo Alto CA - http://arcc.stanford.edu/research.html

Washington State - http://depts.washington.edu/adrcweb/clinicalresearch.shtml

Maryland - http://www.alzgmd.org/research.php

THE ALZHEIMER'S LIFEPLAN AND HOW YOU CAN USE IT

With the access to the personal memory fitness testing platform, your visits to The Alzheimer's LifePlan can form organization for your personal Alzheimer's management. It is always easier to do something if there is a pattern of activity and a social value attached. We hope you find both of these here, and valuable resources that help you live a long and healthy - Alzheimer's free life.

You access membership accounts - and the GUEST GUEST account through the system's "Login Menu".  As all visitors use this single GUEST GUEST account - the data and personal test scores of all individuals taking tests or entering vital sign information is mixed together.

When you click on a text link for "Member Services" or Guest Account, you will land at the Membership Services Login Menu. If you use GUEST as your User Name, and GUEST as your Password - you will be taken to the GUEST GUEST membership "My Profile" account:

After you enter GUEST in the User Name Text Box - and GUEST in the Password text box; when you cursor over the "LOGIN" text box and click on it - you will be taken to the "My Profile" of the GUEST GUEST account.

Each member of the Alzheimer's LifePlan Online Community has a personal page just like this one. You are welcome to explore the GUEST GUEST account as often as you like - just keep in mind that others are using this account as well - so depending on traffic and congestion - some parts may be slow - inclucing the memory fitness testing console. So, please be considerate of others.

Your purpose here is to access the controil panel of the Memory Fitness Testing Platform - again this is the specific Guest Guest control panel - to get there you will notice on the left hand navigation column - the text "Memory Tests".

Clicking on the text "Memory Tests" will open the GUEST GUEST test comtrol console - here you will design the memory fitness test you are about to take.

As you saw in the earlier presentations, our memory fitness test consists of a series of images - when you see an image reappear within the same test (repeat), you are to depress the spacebar. Depressing the space bar is all you have to do - but before you begin a test - you have some design options you need to build into the platform.

The first option you want to set will be the number of images there will be in the test.  This shouldn't restrict your access to the Guest account, or your approaching the memory fitness testing platform.

Note that the grayy bar with the "# Pictures  40" box has a drop down box too.

If you click on that drop down box, you'll see that there are settings for "40", "26", "16" available to you.

We recommend you select "26" for your first tests - you have to change or check the setting each time you design a test. Learning on the 26 image test is a good place to start as average memory fitness (if there is such a thing) will allow you to score well consistently. 

Your scores on your first few tests aren't important - in fact you'll probably discard them from your records - as you will be learning how tricking this simple test - and your brain's attempts to always be right for you will spoil a few test sessions.

With the "26" selected the console # Pictures should look like this.  

If you notice the line just below the # Pictures gray bar - the "Picture Time 3" box appears.

We are going to recommend you use the default setting of 3 seconds for your first tests.

You should know that you can "throttle" your tests by changing the time each picture is exposed during a test.

It may not seem like much right now - but the differences between taking a 26 image test with three seconds of exposure for each image and the same test with two seconds - is remarkably more challenging.

With the number of images and time for each image exposed set - you are ready to download the test into your computer - so there is no chance of the online connection or transferance of data between your computer and the testing platform's servers - to download the test you cursor over the "START TEXT" box and click there.

This "OK" graphic means your computer is set and ready to present the first image of the test you just designed.

OK - relax, clear your mind and think about what is going to happen.

Clear mind right? Deep Breath right?

You depress the spacebar

The First Image - Do nothing because image has not appeared before in this test - it's forst remember?

In three seconds (because that is the time you set) - the next image will appear:

This is not a repeated image - so you do nothing.

After three seconds - the next image will appear.

This is not a repeated image either - so you do nothing.

A quick note here - The images are shuffled around in these tests. Some are of objects like these three have been - but they could be of letters, and words.

As you take more tests - especially if they in the same day or testing session - your brain will remember images they have taken from earlier tests - so you have to remind your brain that each test takes a snapshop of its ability to remember images within each test it is taking.

You'll get the hang of it.

The next image.

This is a repeat - Depress the Space Bar

As soon as you depress the space bar - the next image will appear:

Holy Cow! This is a repeat too! Depress the Sapce Bar

That is all you have to do while taking the test - it's fun, exciting, and also gives your brain a good workout!

After the last image of the test fades away:

You get your Test Results.

You'll note this was a 26 image test - I made one mistake- I said the #10 image was a repeat - it wasn't - I probably recalled seeing it from tests I was taking while gathering the images for this presentation.

Any way you look at it, its not bad.

In fact, there is about 250,000 pieces of information presented here - just about my brain's ability to form short-term recall messages.  One set of Test Results is a good  thing - but in no way a diagnostic tool for Alzheimer's. What is of value here, is that you will learn how to design a test that is moderately challenging for your brain - and then take the test often.

Doing this over a period of time builds your brain's memory fitness - but it also builds a historic record of your brain's normal recent memory forming performance - a score if you will. If you keep this record and share it with your doctor or family members, you will have a reference to judge against future memory disorders - regardless of what they are.

If you go back to the "My Profile" page, you'll see that next to the "START TEST" text box, there is a "GRAPH HISTORY" text box.

IF you cursor over the "GRAPH HISTORY" box and click on it, you'll see the graphic baseline history of the GUEST GUEST 26 image memory fitness tests:

You can expect to see radical differences between the test results in this account - because like yourself, visitors here are learning the testing procedure. The test you just took will be located at the end of graph.

You will see the date, time, Picture Time setting (3 in this case), the percentage score and the "VIEW" button.

If you Click on the "VIEW" button your full Test Results page - the one you saw right after the last image faded - will come up.

Click on "My Profile" and you will be taken back to the main membership page of the GUEST GUEST account:

Members use their personal accounts to manage their personal Vital Sign and Memory Fitness Baseline records. As you develop your personal Alzheimer's Prevention program, you should set some diet, fitness (mental and physical) programs, and goals of progress for yourself.

Feel free to explore the personal record keeping areas of the GUEST GUEST account, and consider joining the Alzheimer's LifePlan Online Community - meaning you would have your own account just like this one.

Membership requires a one time payment ($50) for a personal account that runs through 2012.

You can leave the GUEST GUEST account anytime by clicking the "Log-Off" text  - or the "Return to Alzheimer's LifePlan" text and logo in the upper left hand corner of the My Profile page.

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