Functional Importance of the Noradrenaline System in connection with Memory Impairments and Alzheimer's Disease
Background and aims
Noradrenaline is a neurotransmitter. The brain synthesizes all of its noradrenaline in the locus coeruleus, a small nucleus in the brainstem. It is known that this nucleus is affected early on in the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Little is known, however, about how this relationship affects the symptoms and the course of the disease.
Findings obtained from study of this relationship could conceivably lead to treatment strategies that specifically target the noradrenaline system.
Course of the study
Study participants with mild Alzheimer's dementia, and patients with slight memory impairments, will be examined via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electroencephalography (EEG) and measurement of pupil width.
Principle Investigator: Prof Dr. med. Dipl.-Psych. Klaus Fließbach
Start of the study: 2013
Status: Data acquisition completed, data analysis in progress