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Vitamin E in Aging Persons With Down Syndrome

Phase 3
Conditions
Down Syndrome
Alzheimer Disease
Interventions
Drug: multivitamin
Drug: Placebo
Registration Number
NCT00056329
Lead Sponsor
New York State Institute for Basic Research
Brief Summary

The goal of this study is to determine the safety and efficacy of the administration of vitamin E, which has been shown to delay the progression of Alzheimer's disease, in slowing the rate of cognitive/functional decline in older persons with Down syndrome.

Detailed Description

The growing success of therapeutic interventions (including the antioxidant Vitamin E) for Alzheimer's disease in the general population requires a solution to the methodological problems so that therapeutic trials can be conducted in the aging population with Down syndrome which will ultimately improve their quality of life as well as that of their families and caregivers. The experience gained in this trial will be useful to the design of appropriate cognitive measures of Alzheimer's disease in persons with Down syndrome in subsequent trials.

The goal of this international three-year study is to determine whether the administration of vitamin E, which has been shown to delay the progression of Alzheimer's disease, will slow the rate of cognitive/functional decline in persons age 50 or older with Down syndrome. Persons with Down syndrome functioning at all levels of intellectual disability will be eligible. Men and women of approximately equal numbers and people from minorities and ethnic groups other than Caucasian will be included. A total of 350 individuals with Down syndrome, 50 years of age and older, have been recruited at approximately 21 trial sites. The study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group design with stratification by geographic site and presence of Alzheimer disease according to DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association) criteria for diagnosing this disease.

Apolipoprotein E (Apo E) genotype will be determined at the screening visit to allow secondary analyses of the impact of Apo E genotype (that may influence Alzheimer's disease risk) on outcome measures and the response to treatment. DNA specimens will also be stored for possible future genetic analyses, with trial sites allowing for non-participation in this procedure. Visits will occur at baseline and then at 6 monthly intervals, with each visit including interval medical history, current and interval medications, side effects checklist, adverse events, pill count, institutionalization status, cognitive, functional, and behavioral measures, and DSM-IV diagnostic assessment for Alzheimer's disease.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
UNKNOWN
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
350
Inclusion Criteria
  • Presence of clinically determined Down syndrome (karyotypes optional).
  • Medically stable.
  • Medications stable over 3 months.
  • Appropriately signed and witnessed consent form.
  • Involvement/cooperation of informant/caregiver.
Exclusion Criteria
  • Medical/neurological condition (other than Alzheimer's disease) associated with dementia.
  • Brief Praxis Test score <20.
  • Modified Hachinski score >4.
  • Major depression within 3 months.
  • History of any disorder of blood coagulation (inherited or acquired).
  • Current use of anti-coagulants.
  • Use of experimental medications within 3 months.
  • Regular use of vitamin E greater than 50 units per day during the previous 6 months.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
1Vitamin Evitamin E plus multivitamin
1multivitaminvitamin E plus multivitamin
2multivitaminplacebo with multivitamin
2Placeboplacebo with multivitamin
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Brief Praxis Test, measuring cognitive functions expressed as performances of simple, short, sequences of voluntary movementsScreening, Baseline, every 6 months for 36 months
Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Fuld Object Memory Test (Modified), New Dot Test, Orientation Test, Vocabulary Test, Behavior & Function Down Syndrome Rating Scale, Clinical Global Impression of Change (CGI-C)Screening, Baseline, and every 6 months for 36 months

Trial Locations

Locations (22)

University of Illinois at Chicago

🇺🇸

Chicago, Illinois, United States

George Jervis Clinic

🇺🇸

Staten Island, New York, United States

Third Age, Inc.

🇺🇸

Lexington, Kentucky, United States

University at Albany, SUNY

🇺🇸

Albany, New York, United States

May South, Inc.

🇺🇸

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Clinical Research Center of New Jersey

🇺🇸

Voorhees, New Jersey, United States

Roskamp Institute Memory Clinic

🇺🇸

Tampa, Florida, United States

Centre for Developmental Disabilities Studies

🇦🇺

Ryde, New South Wales, Australia

Institute for the Study of Disadvantage and Disability

🇺🇸

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

University Memory and Aging Center, Case Western Reserve University

🇺🇸

Cleveland, Ohio, United States

University of Connecticut Health Center

🇺🇸

Farmington, Connecticut, United States

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine

🇺🇸

Springfield, Illinois, United States

Nathan Kline Institute

🇺🇸

Orangeburg, New York, United States

Down Syndrome Research Foundation

🇨🇦

Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada

Mercer Institute for Research on Ageing, St. James Hospital

🇬🇧

Dublin, Ireland, United Kingdom

Greenfields Monyhull Hospital

🇬🇧

Kings Norton, Birmingham, England, United Kingdom

McLean Hospital

🇺🇸

Belmont, Massachusetts, United States

Westchester Institute for Human Development

🇺🇸

Valhalla, New York, United States

Surrey Place Centre

🇨🇦

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Kings College: London

🇬🇧

London, England, United Kingdom

Saskatoon City Hospital

🇨🇦

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

University of Cambridge

🇬🇧

Cambridge, England, United Kingdom

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