Alzheimer’s Disease Research and Outreach in the New Normal: Transitioning to the Virtual World

Abstract Following disruptions to research, clinical trials, and support for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), 2020 taught us important lessons about the need for creativity, flexibility, and resourcefulness during an urgent and global public health crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic showed that we have knowledge and technology that can be rapidly implemented, adopted, and utilized by many sectors to allow the continued care and research of our older adult population with ADRD. Thus, this symposium will address virtual methods that are transforming ADRD research and support. First, Dr. Rhodus will discuss the implementation of online assessments in clinical trials at an Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and the effects of sociodemographic disparities in online accessibility. Next, Dr. Bazzano will describe methods of remote collection of brain health data through tablets, smartphones, and wearables in the Bogalusa Heart Study. Then, Dr. Andersen will report on the transition from in-person to virtual assessments of cognitive and physical function in centenarian studies and address strategies for inclusivity of individuals with limited technology experience. Next, Dr. Fazio will introduce Project VITAL which aims to impact social isolation by increasing accessibility to virtual education and support for care community staff, family caregivers, and individuals with dementia. Finally, Dr. Penfold will report on the translation of a paper-based, face-to-face intervention for reducing caregiver burden into a self-directed online learning program. Overall, these presentations highlight successes and challenges in incorporating virtual-based methods to maintain engagement with participants, individuals with ADRD, and caregivers during the pandemic and beyond.

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A New Normal? Continued Impact of COVID19 on Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Research

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.527 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 137-137

Author(s):

Elizabeth Rhodus ◽

Allison Gibson ◽

Shoshana Bardach ◽

Erin Abner ◽

Gregory Jicha

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Older Adults ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Clinical Trials ◽

Race And Ethnicity ◽

Future Research ◽

Research Engagement ◽

Disease Research ◽

Study Planning ◽

Psychosocial Implications

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented challenges in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) clinical trials research. Scientists continue to grapple with the potential and multifaceted consequences of COVID-19. This presentation will discuss strategies used at a U.S. Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center to implement virtual methods to counter COVID-19’s impact on safety for continued research engagement; address the disparate impact by age, race, and ethnicity for online accessibility; and plans for virtual engagement in future research. As scientists navigate lasting implications of COVID-19, future study planning, design, and management will likely be altered. Specifically, increased awareness of participant-centered approaches, inclusion of psychosocial implications, and focus on ways to meet older adults’ unique needs of virtual accessibility will be needed. We must be intentional to counter COVID-19’s lasting impact on ADRD clinical trials research while maintaining rigor and reproducibility to uphold and progress advances toward treatment and cures for ADRD.

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Neuroimaging and fluid biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease

Oxford Textbook of Neurologic and Neuropsychiatric Epidemiology ◽

10.1093/med/9780198749493.003.0002 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 9-20

Author(s):

Vijay R Varma ◽

Yi-Fang Chuang ◽

Madhav Thambisetty

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Clinical Trials ◽

Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Evidence Base ◽

Clinical Settings ◽

Global Public Health ◽

Public Health Challenges

Neuroimaging and fluid biomarkers have revolutionized the way we define Alzheimer’s disease (AD), identify at-risk individuals, diagnose those with symptoms, and may eventually enable us to treat patients in the earliest stages of the disease. We review advances in imaging the principal pathological hallmarks and functional perturbations in the AD brain and map progress in identifying cerebrospinal fluid and blood biomarkers of AD. Together, these modalities have provided invaluable insights into the evolution of AD decades before the onset of cognitive impairment. While they have been rapidly adopted into clinical settings, the evidence base for this remains contested. However, the clear value of neuroimaging and fluid biomarkers is in their relevance to clinical trials and the recruitment of individuals who perceive themselves to be at sufficiently high risk to warrant joining research studies testing experimental AD treatments. This marks a paradigm shift in our efforts to overcome one of the global public health challenges of our time.

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Therapeutic Noninvasive Brain Stimulation in Alzheimer’s Disease

Current Alzheimer Research ◽

10.2174/1567205013666160930113907 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 362-376 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Irene Gonsalvez ◽

Roey Baror ◽

Peter Fried ◽

Emiliano Santarnecchi ◽

Alvaro Pascual-Leone

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Clinical Trials ◽

Brain Stimulation ◽

Randomized Clinical Trials ◽

Therapeutic Potential ◽

Noninvasive Brain Stimulation ◽

Promising Alternative ◽

Health Crisis ◽

Therapeutic Trials

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a looming public health crisis that currently lacks an effective treatment. Noninvasive Brain Stimulation (NBS), particularly transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), offers a promising alternative approach to pharmacological interventions for an increasing number of neurological and psychiatric conditions. The aim of this review is summarize data from therapeutic trials of NBS in AD and other dementing illnesses. Despite the potential of NBS, there is limited theoretical framework and a lack of guidelines for its applications to AD. Several published clinical trials failed to report key parameters of the interventions thus limiting the utility of the study to assess efficacy and safety. Our review concludes with some suggestions for future studies aimed to advance research into NBS as a potential treatment for the symptoms and disabilities caused by AD and to enable comparison of results across trials. Ultimately, appropriately powered, and controlled, multi-site randomized clinical trials will be needed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of NBS in AD.

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Invited commentary

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.bp.114.161729 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 207 (1) ◽

pp. 52-54 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Calum Sutherland ◽

Ashleigh C. Duthie

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Clinical Trials ◽

Population Study ◽

Large Scale ◽

Lithium Treatment ◽

Health Crisis ◽

Scale Population

SummaryAlzheimer's disease clinical trials are failing at an alarming rate, highlighting the desperate need for novel thinking to combat this escalating health crisis. A recent large-scale population study indicates that lithium treatment reduces dementia development, supporting preclinical mechanistic evidence that this commonly used agent might be clinically valuable in dementia.

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