Citation

Mattos MK, Sereika SM, Beach SR, Kim H, Klunk WE, Knox M, Nadkarni NK, Parker LS, Roberts JS, Schulz R, Tamres L, Lingler JH. J. Alzheimers Dis. 2019; 71(4): 1071-1079.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, IOS Press)

DOI

10.3233/JAD-190091

PMID

31322563

PMCID

PMC6839594

Abstract

As calls for transparency in human subjects research grow, investigators conducting Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarker research are increasingly required to consider their ethical obligations regarding the return of AD biomarker test results to research participants. When disclosing these test results to potentially vulnerable participants, investigators may face unique challenges to identify adverse events, particularly psychological events. The purpose of this paper is to describe our research team's experience with developing and implementing a process for enhanced adverse event monitoring following the return of amyloid-β (Aβ) imaging results to research participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Ethical and logistical considerations are presented along with preliminary findings from an ongoing randomized controlled trial of Aβ imaging results disclosure in MCI. Following receipt of amyloid imaging results, participants underwent 14 days of adverse event monitoring using ecological momentary assessment (EMA), a strategy to capture health, behaviors, and mood as they occur in participants' natural settings in real time. EMA telephone calls were placed at random during waking hours to screen for mood changes. Investigators were alerted for positive depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation screenings, or for two days of failed call attempts. Preliminary feasibility of twenty-four participants with MCI who participated in EMA mood assessments was successfully completed 83% (SD = 0.4) of the time over 14 days with no alerts for anxiety or depression screening items. EMA, when used with standard adverse event monitoring, is a promising and novel approach to maximize early detection of negative psychological reactions following AD biomarker results disclosed in research settings.

Language: en

Keywords

Humans; Suicidal Ideation; Affect; Prognosis; ethics; Alzheimer Disease; Ethics, Research; Amyloid; ecological momentary assessment; cognitive dysfunction; Ecological Momentary Assessment; Cognitive Dysfunction; Truth Disclosure; Plaque, Amyloid; Amyloid beta-Peptides; Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography; research subjects