NCT05795634

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about how genetics and the response to stress predicts cognitive decline in individuals with mild cognitive impairment. The main question\[s\] it aims to answer are:

  • Does the hormone response to acute stress predict the degree of cognitive impairment following acute stress?
  • Do genes associated with the risk for Alzheimer's disease influence the relationship between stress hormone response to stress and cognitive impairment following stress?
  • Do cognitive impairment following acute stress and genes associated with the risk for Alzheimer's disease predict cognitive decline and change in biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease 2 years later? Participants will have 3 in-person study visits. The first 2 will occur at baseline and the 3rd visit will occur 2 years later. During the visits, participants will provide blood and saliva samples, undergo a 10-minute social stress procedure, complete questionnaires, and take tests of memory and other thinking skills. Someone who knows the participant (a "study partner") will be asked questions about the participant's daily functioning at the first and 3rd study visits.

Trial Health

77
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
240

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for not_applicable

Timeline
34mo left

Started Mar 2023

Longer than P75 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress53%
Mar 2023Mar 2029

Study Start

First participant enrolled

March 1, 2023

Completed
6 days until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

March 7, 2023

Completed
27 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

April 3, 2023

Completed
4.9 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

March 1, 2028

Expected
1 year until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

March 1, 2029

Last Updated

January 29, 2026

Status Verified

January 1, 2026

Enrollment Period

5 years

First QC Date

March 7, 2023

Last Update Submit

January 27, 2026

Conditions

Keywords

StressNeuropsychologyEndocrineGeneticsBlood biomarkers

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

  • Change in mean memory test composite score

    Change in the mean composite score of the following memory tests: Neuropsychological Assessment Battery Word List Memory test, Morris Revision test, and a computerized Pattern Separation Task, with higher composite score indicating better memory

    Baseline and Visit 2 (up to 1 month) and Baseline to Visit 3 (up to 2 years)

  • Change in mean executive test composite score

    Change in the mean composite score of the following executive tests: phonemic (letter) fluency test, part B of the Trial Making Test, and the backwards trial of a Digit Span task, with higher composite score indicating better executive functioning

    Baseline and Visit 2 (up to 1 month) and Baseline to Visit 3 (up to 2 years)

Secondary Outcomes (1)

  • Change (in nanogram per liter; ng/L) in level of neurofilament light (NF-L)

    Baseline to Visit 3 (up to 2 years)

Study Arms (1)

Trier Social Stress Test

OTHER

All participants in the study will get undergo the same stress procedure

Behavioral: Trier Social Stress Test

Interventions

Acute psychosocial stress procedure; 5 minutes of public speaking and 5 minutes of mental arithmetic

Trier Social Stress Test

Eligibility Criteria

Age60 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Age 60 and older
  • Fluent English speaker
  • Able to provide informed consent for study procedures
  • Willing and able to return for 2-year-followup visit
  • Willing and able to provide an informant who can participate in the screening and 2-year study visits
  • BMI \>17 and \<30
  • Meets clinical and cognitive criteria for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) using National Institute on Aging (NIA)/Alzheimer's Association 2011 criteria (see below)

You may not qualify if:

  • Current smoker
  • Current or past history of major psychiatric illness, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Neurological disorder, including Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease
  • Current or past history of immune disorder, including multiple sclerosis
  • Current or past history of drug dependence
  • Treatment within the last six months with: neuroleptics, sedative hypnotics, or glucocorticoids
  • History of head injury with loss of consciousness for more than ½ hour, stroke, or seizure
  • General surgery within the last 3 months
  • Sensory impairment (poor vision or hearing) significant enough to interfere with ability to provide valid cognitive test data
  • Clinical and Cognitive Criteria for MCI due to AD
  • Cognitive concern reflecting a change in cognition reported by patient or informant or clinician (i.e., historical or observed evidence of decline over time)
  • Objective evidence of impairment in one or more cognitive domains, typically including memory (i.e., formal or bedside testing to establish level of cognitive function in multiple domains)
  • Preservation of independence in functional abilities
  • Not demented
  • Etiology of MCI consistent with AD pathophysiological process
  • +5 more criteria

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Baltimore, Maryland, 21224, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Cognitive DysfunctionAlzheimer Disease

Interventions

Psychological Tests

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Cognition DisordersNeurocognitive DisordersMental DisordersDementiaBrain DiseasesCentral Nervous System DiseasesNervous System DiseasesTauopathiesNeurodegenerative Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Disciplines and Activities

Study Officials

  • Cynthia A Munro, PhD

    Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Cynthia A Munro, PhD

CONTACT

Nicholas Bienko, MS

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
NA
Masking
NONE
Purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Intervention Model
SINGLE GROUP
Model Details: Prospective study using baseline characteristics to predict outcomes
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

March 7, 2023

First Posted

April 3, 2023

Study Start

March 1, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

March 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

March 1, 2029

Last Updated

January 29, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will share

Study investigators are committed to resource sharing, according to NIH policy. At the conclusion of the study, after the final freeze to the database, a public use database will be created and made available along with specifications for its use. Johns Hopkins University will share anonymized genomic sequence data by depositing these data in the database of Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGaP) (a controlled-access database funded by NIH). In addition, the investigators will share data from biosamples (saliva and blood samples), including genotype data, at the time of publication of the primary results or within 9 months of database lock, whichever comes first. These data will be shared via the Alzheimer's Clinical Trials Consortium (ACTC), and/or the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC).

Shared Documents
STUDY PROTOCOL
Time Frame
At time of publication of primary results or within 9 months of database lock, whichever comes first. No end data for data availability has been determined at this time.
Access Criteria
Researchers at academic institutions are eligible.

Locations