Laske Unit

Dementia Research

The Dementia Research Unit is a clinical research unit of the Department of Cellular Neurology and the Department of Psychiatry. It closely collaborates with the outpatient Memory Clinic.

DIAN Study
Other clinical studies & research projects
Staff
Publications

What is DIAN?

DIAN (Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network) is an international research partnership established 2008 in the U.S. DIAN focuses on hereditary forms of Alzheimer`s disease. Findings on the hereditary disease form will also improve our understanding of the sporadic form of the disease. Tübingen and Munich are the two German participating DIAN sites. They are both funded by the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE).

What is hereditary Alzheimer`s disease?

Hereditary Alzheimer's disease is caused by autosomal-dominant inherited mutations in one of the three genes APP, PSEN1, or PSEN2. Mutation carriers are 50 percent likely to pass the mutation on to each of their children. Hereditary Alzheimer's disease is extremely rare (less than 1% of all Alzheimer's disease cases) - but those who carry it have a very high chance to suffer from dementia, usually before the age of 60.

DIAN Observational Study

The aim of the DIAN Observational Study is to get a better understanding of the development of hereditary Alzheimer's disease and to advance the development of early biomarkers. Participants in the DIAN Observational Study will be examined every 12 to 24 months. The examinations include a detailed physical assessment and an interview by a physician, a detailed neuropsychological testing (with testing of memory functions and other aspects of cognitive performance), the taking of a blood sample, a lumbar puncture (collection of a cerebrospinal fluid sample), a MRI brain scan and a brain positron emission tomography scan (FDG PET/MRI and PiB PET/MRI).

DIAN Trials Unit

Participants in the DIAN Trials Unit will have the chance to participate in clinical trials. The aim is to test compounds thought to delay the onset or progression of the disease or even better to prevent it.

Study participation

Eligible to participate in the DIAN Observational Study or DIAN Trials Unit are persons whose biological parents or siblings have an autosomal dominant Alzheimer`s disease mutation (see above). Participants do not need to know whether they carry the gene and they may or may not show disease symptoms. The minimum age for participants is 18 years.

Support for affected families

Every year we organize a family meeting in Germany for families with hereditary Alzheimer`s disease. At these events, we share our latest research results of the DIAN Observational Study and DIAN Trials Unit and inform the families about available resources, care and legal options. Moreover, the families have time to get to know each other and exchange experiences.

With the help of the „Deutsche Alzheimergesellschaft” we created a closed online forum for DIAN families.

If you are interested in the DIAN Observational Study or DIAN Trials Unit, please contact our study coordinator Ms. Kuder-Buletta.

 

 

Contact to DIAN Tübingen

Head of DIAN Germany: Prof. Dr. Mathias Jucker
mathias.juckeruni-tuebingen.de; phone: +49 7071 29 86863

Principal investigator: Prof. Dr. Christoph Laske
christoph.laskemed.uni-tuebingen.de; phone: +49 7071 29 83444

Study Clinician: Oliver Preische
oliver.preischemed.uni-tuebingen.de; phone: +49 7071 92 54337

Study coordinator: Elke Kuder-Buletta
elke.kuder-bulettadzne.de; phone: +49 7071 92 54337

 

 

 Ingo Rappers/HIH

DIAN team Tübingen
(from left to right, front: Dr. Susanne Gräber-Sultan, Elke Kuder-Buletta
middle: Oliver Preische, Prof. Dr. Christoph Laske
back: Prof. Dr. Mathias Jucker)

 

More information:

 

CLINICAL STUDIES

  • DELCO­­DE (DZNE – Longitudinal Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Study)

The DELCODE study focuses on the characterization of subjective cognitive decline (SCD) in patients recruited from memory clinics at the DZNE sites in Germany. In addition, individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI), mild Alzheimer's disease (AD), first-degree relatives of AD patients, and cognitively unimpaired control subjects are studied. The total number of subjects to be enrolled is 1000. The study is sponsored by the DZNE.

  • APOLLOE4 Study: A Phase 3, Multicenter, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study of the Efficacy, Safety and Biomarker Effects of ALZ-801 in Subjects with early Alzheimer's Disease and APOE4/4 Genotype

ALZ-801, a novel prodrug of Tramiprosate, is a small molecule that inhibits the formation of soluble beta amyloid (Aβ-42) oligomers. In a previous study, Tramiprosate showed promising clinical efficacy in APOE4 homozygotes and heterozygotes subgroups of Alzheimer`s disease (AD) patients. In the current multicenter study, approximately 300 subjects with clinical diagnosis of early AD, carrying the APOE4/4 genotype, will be included.

 

 

 

 

 

RESEARCH PROJECTS

  • Intestinal microbiome in patients with Alzheimer's disease and healthy controls

The intestinal microbiome and its metabolic function is studied in 100 patients each with Alzheimer's disease (AD), with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and healthy controls. Aims are whether the intestinal microbiome and associated metabolic patterns remain stable or change over a one year period, and how this is related to cognitive changes of study participants. The research findings may provide new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of AD. The study is sponsored by the Applied Clinical Research program (AKF) in Tuebingen.

  • Computer-based Drawings - A new approach for the detection of cognitive impairment in patients with mild cognitive impairment and with Alzheimer's disease

The dominant feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive decline in cognitive performance. This cognitive decline already occurs in preclinical stages of AD. However, commonly used screening procedures, such as the mini-mental status test, are of limited use in the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment. The aim is to investigate whether tablet-based acquisition of visuo-constructive abilities such as drawing a clock or a tree can be used to identify AD patients at high risk of developing the disease with higher accuracy and earlier than common neuropsychological tests. The study is performed in outpatients visiting the Memory Clinic in Tuebingen.

  • High Resolution Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Alzheimer's disease

Important advancements in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been accomplished in the last decade, with significant contributions from the field of neuroimaging. Despite these advancements, a completely unambiguous answer regarding diagnosis is only available by post-mortem histology. The aim of the present study is to achieve in-vivo resolution that is beginning to approach postmortem histology in living AD patients by MRI at 9.4 T. This work is in collaboration with the MPI (Prof. Scheffler).



 


 
Name
Research Group
Phone
Email
Dr. Susanne Gräber-Sultan
Dr. Susanne Gräber-SultanNeuropsychologist (DZNE)
Section for Dementia Research

+49 (0)7071-
29-87606

 
Dr. Anna Hofmann
Dr. Anna HofmannClinician (DZNE)
Section for Dementia Research

+49 (0)7071-
29-86855

 
 Elke Kuder-Buletta
Elke Kuder-BulettaStudy Nurse (DZNE)
Section for Dementia Research

+49 (0)7071-
92-54337

 
Prof. Dr. Christoph Laske
Prof. Dr. Christoph LaskeResearch Group Leader
Section for Dementia Research

+49 (0)7071-
29-82444

 
 Reda Timofejavaite
Reda TimofejavaitePhysician
Section for Dementia Research

+49 (0)7071-
29-86855

 

Perneczky R, Hansen N, Hofmann A, Laske C, Priller J, Grimmer T, Frölich L, Düzel E, Jessen F, Wiltfang J; German Network Memory Clinics - Diagnostic Tools Working Group. Blood-Based Biomarkers for Early Alzheimer's Disease Diagnosis in Real-World Settings. Methods Mol Biol. 2024;2785:3-14 (Abstract)

Berezhnoy G, Laske C, Trautwein C. Metabolomic profiling of CSF and blood serum elucidates general and sex-specific patterns for mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease patients. Front Aging Neurosci. 2023 Aug 24;15:1219718 (Abstract)

Laske C, Müller S, Preische O, Ruschil V, Munk MHJ, Honold I, Peter S, Schoppmeier U, Willmann M. Signature of Alzheimer's Disease in Intestinal Microbiome: Results from the AlzBiom Study. Front Aging Neurosci. 2022 Apr 19;16:792996 (Abstract)

Preische O, Schultz SA, Apel A, Kuhle J, Kaeser SA, Barro C, Gräber S, Kuder-Buletta E, LaFougere C, Laske C, Vöglein J, Levin J, Masters CL, Martins R, Schofield PR, Rossor MN, Graff-Radford NR, Salloway S Ghetti B, Ringman JM, Noble JM, Chhatwal J, Goate AM, Benzinger TLS, Morris JC, Bateman RJ, Wang G, Fagan AM, McDade EM, Gordon BA, Jucker M; Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network. Serum neurofilament dynamics predicts neurodegeneration and clinical progression in presymptomatic Alzheimer's disease. Nature medicine 2019; 25(2):277-283 (Abstract)

Müller S, Herde L, Preische O, Zeller A, Heymann P, Robens S, Elbing U, Laske C. Diagnostic value of digital clock drawing test in comparison with CERAD neuropsychological battery total score for discrimination of patients in the early course of Alzheimer's disease from healthy individuals. Sci Rep 2019 Mar 5; 9(1):3543 (Abstract)

 

Unit Leader
Prof. Dr. Christoph Laskechristoph.laske@uni-tuebingen.deAddress

Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research
Department Cellular Neurology
and
University Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy

Osianderstraße 24
72076 Tübingen

Phone: +49 (0)7071 29-83444