Swallowing Impairments in Adults With and Without Alzheimer's Disease

Conditions

• Alzheimer Disease
• Caregiver Burden
• Dysphagia
• Healthy Aging

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

60 Years - N/A

Healthy Volunteers

Accepted

Study Details

This research study is investigating whether people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) experience more changes to swallowing than their healthy age-matched peers. The prevalence of swallowing impairments in moderate-severe AD is high (85-93%), yet little is known about how swallow function evolves throughout the disease course in people with AD. The overall objective of this study is to evaluate swallowing function in adults with and without Alzheimer's disease. The investigator will also be involving the primary caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's that are enrolled in the study to better understand the impact of swallowing impairments on the primary caregivers of those with Alzheimer's Disease. Healthy adults and individuals with Alzheimer's disease will: * undergo tests of cough and swallow function * undergo tests of grip and tongue strength * complete questionnaires Caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease will also complete questionnaires.

Key Dates

Start date

Apr 21, 2025

Status verified

May 2026

Primary completion

Feb 28, 2027

Completion

Feb 29, 2028

Study Design

Enrollment

240 participants (estimated)

Arms

• Arm: Healthy community dwelling adults
  Healthy adults ≥ 60 years old with no prior history of neurological or respiratory diseases, swallowing impairments, or history of head and neck surgery, cancer, or radiation to the head or neck will be enrolled in this study.
• Arm: Adults with Alzheimer's Disease and their caregivers
  Adults with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers will be enrolled in this study.

Primary Outcome Measure

Swallowing safety [ Time Frame: During baseline visit at time of enrollment. ]

Central Contacts

• Cara Donohue, PhD CCC-SLP
  615-852-5085
  [email protected]

Locations (1)

Find similar trials in Nashville, TN

Related Studies

• Non-invasive Markers of Esophageal Function in Adults
  Enrolling By Invitation · Vanderbilt University Medical Center · Nashville, Tennessee
• Trial-Ready Cohort-Down Syndrome (TRC-DS)
  Recruiting · University of Southern California · Phoenix, Arizona
• Cholinergic Integrity in Down Syndrome in Association With Aging, Alzheimer's Disease Pathology, and Cognition
  PHASE2 · Recruiting · Vanderbilt University Medical Center · Nashville, Tennessee
• Vanderbilt Memory and Aging Project
  Recruiting · Vanderbilt University Medical Center · Nashville, Tennessee