NCT05649800 · RECRUITING
Vascular mEchanisms in, Stroke, dePression, dementiA, and deliRum: The VESPAR Project
This observational study is testing whether two non-invasive brain monitoring tools, Transcranial Doppler Ultrasonography and Near Infrared Spectroscopy, can detect changes in blood flow regulation in the brain across people with stroke, dementia, depression, or delirium, compared to healthy older adults. No drugs or treatments are being given. The researchers are mainly gathering data to design a larger study down the road. Think of it as early-stage groundwork, not a treatment trial.
Eligibility criteria
* Inclusion Criteria: * Healthy adults aged over 65 years, free from medical comorbidities or medications that can adversely affect cognitive function or cerebral haemodynamics; * Stable, well controlled comorbidities (e.g. hypertension); * A diagnosis of dementia (major neurocognitive disorder), depression, or delirium, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-V) criteria; * Participants on or off anti-dementia drug therapy (acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, NMDA receptor antagonists), and antidepressants; * A diagnosis of ischaemic (IS) or haemorrhagic (ICH) stroke according to clinical and/or radiological findings, within 72 hours of symptom onset * Exclusion Criteria: * Poorly controlled medical comorbidities affecting cerebral haemodynamics or cognitive function (e.g., heart failure, hypertension, type two diabetes); * Clinically unstable or too unwell to cooperate with the study protocol; * Lacks capacity or personal consultee to consent to the study.
The sponsor's own eligibility wording, lightly reformatted. The study team makes the final eligibility decision — worth discussing with your doctor.
Eligibility criteria as of 2025-12-01