Relationship Between Vestibular Function and Topographic Memory

Status unconfirmed

Conditions studied: Normal Elderly Population

In brief

The purpose of this study is to evaluate visual and nonvisual topographic memory impairment and its relationship to vestibular function in humans. Topographic memory refers to the ability to remember current and past locations in topographic (navigational) space and to make and/or adjust to spatial transformations using such memories. Performance on each of these topographic memory tasks will be compared to performance on a set of comparable nontopographic memory tasks. Topographic impairments represent some of the earliest cognitive deficits observed in Alzheimer's Disease, and the brain areas involved in topographic memory are the first to show degenerative changes.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT01780896

Run by

Biomedical Development Corporation

People needed

50

Starts

2013-02-01

Expected to finish

2013-06-01

Last updated by the study team

2013-02-01

Who can join

Age: 70 and older, up to 85. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Males or females of all racial and ethnic groups between the ages of 70 and 85 years of age;
• Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) (http://www.mocatest.org) score of >24;
• No known history or current evidence of stroke, trauma, psychiatric illness, or other insult to the brain;
• No current use of psychoactive medicine other than caffeine (100 mg/day) or alcohol (1-2 drinks per night);
• Normal sleep (at least an average of 7 hours for four days prior to participation);
• Able and willing to comply with study requirements including following instructions to complete vestibular and neuropsychological testing; and
• Have full understanding of all elements of provide signature and dating of the written informed consent prior to the initiation of procedures specified in protocol.

You may not qualify if…

• <70 or >85 yrs of age;
• MOCA score of <25;
• History, or current evidence, of stroke, trauma, psychiatric illness, or other insult to the brain;
• Prior history of inner-ear balance problems;
• Current use of psychoactive medicine other than moderate caffeine or alcohol use;
• Acute or chronic sleep deprivation during the week prior to participation (<7 hours/night on average for four nights prior to participation).
• Other Restrictions:
• No alcohol use on the night before the vestibular testing
• 7 hours minimum sleep the night before vestibular testing
• No eye make-up can be worn on the day of the vestibular test due to possible interference with vestibular-ocular reflex testing apparatus

Where it is running

• Ears of Texas, PA — San Antonio, Texas, United States
• Michael Roman, PhD, LSSP — San Antonio, Texas, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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