reposted from here
surprised there are over 500 projects funded
surprised there are over 500 projects funded
How Fast Your Eyes Move Could Predict Cognitive Impairment
Posted by Maggie McGuire, February 05, 2014
While not every person with Parkinson’s disease (PD) will experience cognitive impairment, we know it’s something PD patients and their family members think about. While researchers are pursuing treatments to address cognitive dysfunction, scientists are also looking for a way to predict who with PD may progress to this symptom.
The Michael J. Fox Foundation recently funded four projects looking for a cognition biomarker. This research may reveal disease processes that could be targets for new therapies, help test those therapies by letting scientists measure their effects and select which patients are candidates for therapies.
To learn more about these studies and the more than 500 active research projects that MJFF is supporting, visit our Funded Grants page.
Computer-based Saccade Measures
Travis H. Turner, PhD
Medical University of South CarolinaMeasuring fast eye movements could show change in cognitive functioning.Saccades are fast eye movements that shift visual focus for tasks like reading, visual searching and coordinating safe movement, and research has shown that the speed, accuracy and control of saccades is related to cognitive functioning in Parkinson’s. This team is testing the ability to measure saccades using a low-cost, easy-to-use computer-based task. If successful, this tool could help diagnose PD patients with cognitive decline and measure the effects of therapeutic intervention.
Travis H. Turner, PhD
Medical University of South CarolinaMeasuring fast eye movements could show change in cognitive functioning.Saccades are fast eye movements that shift visual focus for tasks like reading, visual searching and coordinating safe movement, and research has shown that the speed, accuracy and control of saccades is related to cognitive functioning in Parkinson’s. This team is testing the ability to measure saccades using a low-cost, easy-to-use computer-based task. If successful, this tool could help diagnose PD patients with cognitive decline and measure the effects of therapeutic intervention.
Assessment of Plasma Glucosylceramides and Ceramides
Michelle M. Mielke, PhD
Mayo ClinicHigher levels of a lipid could predict risk of developing cognitive impairment.Metabolism of two lipids (glucosylceramide and ceramide) is altered in PD, and PD patients with a GBA gene mutation have higher levels of glucosylceramide and an increased risk of cognitive impairment. Researchers hypothesize, therefore, that higher levels of these lipids in PD patients with and without the GBA mutation may be able to predict cognitive decline. Scientists are using data and samples already collected to measure lipid levels and then compare to cognitive assessments. If their theory is correct, this research could lead to a blood-based predictive biomarker for cognitive decline.
Michelle M. Mielke, PhD
Mayo ClinicHigher levels of a lipid could predict risk of developing cognitive impairment.Metabolism of two lipids (glucosylceramide and ceramide) is altered in PD, and PD patients with a GBA gene mutation have higher levels of glucosylceramide and an increased risk of cognitive impairment. Researchers hypothesize, therefore, that higher levels of these lipids in PD patients with and without the GBA mutation may be able to predict cognitive decline. Scientists are using data and samples already collected to measure lipid levels and then compare to cognitive assessments. If their theory is correct, this research could lead to a blood-based predictive biomarker for cognitive decline.
Altered Amyloid-beta Processing
Jan Petter Larsen, MD, PhD
Norwegian Centre for Movement DisordersProtein levels could help select patients for clinical trials testing cognitive therapies.Some PD patients who develop dementia early in their disease show an accumulation of the protein amyloid-beta in the brain in postmortem studies. Researchers have recently found abnormal amyloid-beta concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with newly diagnosed PD. This project will measure amyloid-beta and other proteins that play a role in amyloid-beta processing in CSF of more than 100 PD patients. Using seven-year follow-up data, researchers will compare those levels to the individuals’ cognitive state. If CSF protein levels could be used as a cognition biomarker, they would help select patients for clinical trials testing preventive therapies.
Jan Petter Larsen, MD, PhD
Norwegian Centre for Movement DisordersProtein levels could help select patients for clinical trials testing cognitive therapies.Some PD patients who develop dementia early in their disease show an accumulation of the protein amyloid-beta in the brain in postmortem studies. Researchers have recently found abnormal amyloid-beta concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with newly diagnosed PD. This project will measure amyloid-beta and other proteins that play a role in amyloid-beta processing in CSF of more than 100 PD patients. Using seven-year follow-up data, researchers will compare those levels to the individuals’ cognitive state. If CSF protein levels could be used as a cognition biomarker, they would help select patients for clinical trials testing preventive therapies.
Imaging Tracer to Study Acetylcholine Receptors
Martijn L.T.M. Müller, PhD
University of MichiganExpression of a receptor in the brain might be associated with cognitive decline.Scientists know that cognitive impairment with PD is often associated with loss of the neurotransmitter acetycholine, but replacement therapy does not always work. This leads to the hypothesis that a subtype of the transmitter’s receptors may also be involved in cognitive decline. Researchers will image expression of the nicotinic subtype of acetycholine receptors and then conduct psychological testing to compare for association. These findings could illuminate a new target for therapeutic development and also could show which patients may benefit most from this type of drug treatment.
Martijn L.T.M. Müller, PhD
University of MichiganExpression of a receptor in the brain might be associated with cognitive decline.Scientists know that cognitive impairment with PD is often associated with loss of the neurotransmitter acetycholine, but replacement therapy does not always work. This leads to the hypothesis that a subtype of the transmitter’s receptors may also be involved in cognitive decline. Researchers will image expression of the nicotinic subtype of acetycholine receptors and then conduct psychological testing to compare for association. These findings could illuminate a new target for therapeutic development and also could show which patients may benefit most from this type of drug treatment.
See other projects MJFF is supporting around cognitive impairment and PD and watch our Funded Grants page for new studies funded through our Cognition Biomarkers program.
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