It is projected that by 2030, one in every five Americans will be of retirement age, and this demographic shift is expected to result in more people suffering from dementia. A key feature of the brain is its need for a constant supply of glucose and oxygen to meet the high energy costs of mental activity. This study aims to develop clinically practical, noninvasive imaging methods based on combined positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging to assess brain energy in order to better understand how this critical component of brain health is impacted by aging.
There are now close to six million people in the Unites States living with dementia and this number is only expected to grow as the population continues to age. The current lack of effective treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD) speaks to the need to better understand the multiple factors that contribute to this complex disease. There is growing evidence that age-related metabolic dysfunction in the brain plays a role in the disease's etiology. This concept has led to treatments aimed at improving brain energy production. Notably, ketogenic dietary supplements have been shown to increase brain ketone metabolism and improve cognitive performance in AD patients. However, the overall benefits to brain metabolism in the AD brain are unknown given the complexity of imaging both oxygen and glucose metabolism in a single session by positron emission tomography (PET). Taking advantage of hybrid PET/MR imaging, this study will combine PET and MRI methods to investigate the effects of a ketogenic supplement on brain oxygen and glucose metabolism in AD patients.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
17
Commercially available ketone ester drink
Placebo drink containing sunflower oil.
Lawson Research Institute
London, Ontario, Canada
Cerebral Metabolic Rate of Oxygen (CMRO2)
Statistical analysis of imaging data sets under placebo and ketosis conditions will be used to investigate increases in regional CMRO2 caused by ketosis.
Time frame: CMRO2 will be measured in both imaging sessions (placebo and ketosis)
Cerebral Metabolic Rate of Glucose (CMRGlu)
Statistical analysis of imaging data sets under palcebo and ketosis conditions will be used to investigate changes in regional CMRGlu caused by ketosis. Unlikek CMRO2, no difference in CMRGlu is expected between the two conditions for Alzheimer's patients.
Time frame: CMRGlu will be measued in both imaging session (placebo and ketosis)
Cognitive Function
A psychometrist will assess baseline cognition using the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-cog). The ADAS-cog will be repeated at the end of the second imaging session to test the potential cognitive benefits of the ketogenic supplement.
Time frame: Baseline and 7 Days
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