VITAL ( Vitamins to Slow Alzheimer’s Disease) is a nationwide research study investigating whether a vitamin pill containing high doses of folate, vitamin B6 and B12 will slow the rate of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). High dose supplements of folate and vitamin B6 and B12 can lower homocysteine levels, and there is some evidence that people with AD have elevated levels of homocysteine. The study is sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study at the University of California , San Diego , and funded by the National Institute on Aging, part of the U.S. Government’s National Institutes of Health. Boston University Medical Center is one of the Alzheimer’s Disease Center sites participating in this 18 month trial.
Who is eligible to participate?
- Persons with mild to moderate AD
- Age 55 or older
- English speaking
- On stable medications for 4 weeks prior to screening visit
- Must have a study partner- a friend or relative who can accompany you to all the clinic visits.
What happens at the visits?
- Interested persons (study participants) attend the screening visit with a study partner to see if they are eligible for the study. At this visit study participants will undergo a short physical examination, give some blood samples, have an electrocardiogram (EKG) and answer questions about their health and medications. A brief memory test will be administered.
- If eligible, they will go to the study clinic for one visit every three months for a total of six visits. Study participants will undergo a short physical examination, give some blood samples and answer questions about their health and medications. Memory testing will be administered. The study participant will take a study pill once a day.
- Study partners will be asked to come in with study participants on all visits and answer questions about the study participant’s health status and provide information about their own resource use.
Where is the study taking place?
Boston University Medical Campus
How can I find out more?
Please contact: Margaret M. Brickley, MS, NP, Study Coordinator at 617-414-1191 or email: brickley@bu.edu
Key personnel
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