Promoting Research in Advanced Dementia: Early Clinical Results of the Alzheimer Center Reina Sofía Foundation

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Olazarán, Javier^{a; *} | Agüera-Ortiz, Luis^b | Osorio, Ricardo S.^a | León-Salas, Beatriz^a | Dobato, José Luis^a | Cruz-Orduña, Isabel^a | González, Belén^a | Valentí, Meritxell^a | Gil-Ruiz, Nuria^a | Frades, Belén^c | Ramos-García, M.I.^a | Martínez-Martín, Pablo^c

Affiliations: [a] Alzheimer Disease Research Unit, CIEN Foundation, Carlos III Institute of Health, Alzheimer Center Reina Sofia Foundation, Madrid, Spain | [b] CIBERSAM, Carlos III Institute of Health, Madrid, Spain | [c] CIBERNED, Carlos III Institute of Health, Madrid, Spain

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Javier Olazarán, Unidad de Investigación Proyecto Alzheimer, Centro Alzheimer Fundación Reina Sofía – Fundación CIEN, Valderrebollo 5, Madrid 28031 Spain. Tel.: +00 34 913852200; Fax: +00 34 913852118; E-mail: jolazaran@fundacioncien.es.

Abstract: The Alzheimer Center Reina Sofía Foundation (ACRSF) was envisaged to address the complex and multi-disciplinary research and care needs posed by Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative dementias. Patients may be admitted at ACRSF either as inpatients (i.e., nursing home) or outpatients (i.e., day-care center). The research program includes clinical, social, biochemical, genetic, and magnetic resonance investigations, as well as brain donation. We present the inception of the clinical research protocol for the ACRSF, the early results, and the amendments to the protocol. Foreseen as distinct populations, inpatient and outpatient results are presented separately. Data were collected from 180 patients (153 inpatients, 27 outpatients) (86% AD), with informed consent for participation in the research program of the ACRSF. Most patients (95%) had moderate to severe dementia. Nursing home patients were older, displayed marked gait dysfunction, and were significantly more dependent in the activities of daily living (ADL), compared to the day-care patients (p < 0.05). Some cognitive, ADL, and quality of life (QoL) scales were eliminated from the protocol due to floor effect or lack of specificity of contents for advanced dementia. New measurements were added for evaluation of cognition, apathy, agitation, depression, ADL, motor function, and QoL. The final assessment is expected to be sensitive to change in all the clinical aspects of advanced degenerative dementia, to promote multidisciplinary and, desirably, inter-center collaborative research and, eventually, to contribute to the improvement of treatment and care for these patients.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease, clinical research protocol, geriatric assessment, inpatients, nursing homes, outpatients, primary senile degenerative dementia

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-2011-110875

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 211-222, 2012