Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation and Motor Training in Traumatic Brain Injury Survivors
TBI, Attention Deficits, Motor Impairments
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for TBI focused on measuring TBI, Attention deficits, Upper extremity weakness
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Moderate to severe traumatic brain injury involving cognitive and/or motor deficits.
- Neurological injury >1 year prior to study enrollment
- Significant attention deficit
- For subjects with motor deficits (arms 2 and 3), sufficient voluntary movement and range of motion in the most-affected upper extremity to use the robotic arm system (Armeo Spring)
Exclusion Criteria:
- Pregnancy
- History of seizures within 6 months of study enrollment
- Major depression
- Cognitive impairment that may interfere with understanding instructions
- Severe limitations of upper extremity range of motion
- Agitation
- Other major neurological or psychiatric diseases
- Participation in other forms of therapy/ intervention for upper extremity motor recovery
- End-stage liver, kidney, cardiac or pulmonary disease
- A terminal medical diagnosis with survival <1 year
- History of drug or alcohol abuse in the last 3 years
- Adjustment of, or plan to adjust, psychoactive medications within the preceding 1 month, or within the study period.
- Current participation in another interventional trial targeting TBI
- Previous GVS treatment
- Contraindications to GVS such as implants
Sites / Locations
- Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Arm 3
Experimental
Active Comparator
Sham Comparator
Cognitive test with/without GVS
Armeo Spring +GVS
Armeo Spring + sham GVS
Subjects with attention span deficits and no significant motor impairments undergo solely a cognitive test. The test is carried out in multiple trials. For some of the trials (randomly selected), subjects receive galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS). For other trials, subjects received sham GVS. GVS is delivered using a device by A-M Systems.
Subjects with both attention span deficits and significant motor impairments undergo robot-assisted upper-limb rehabilitation in combination with galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS). Robot-assisted training is carried out using the Armeo Spring system by Hocoma AG. GVS is delivered using a device by A-M Systems.
Subjects with both attention span deficits and significant motor impairments undergo robot-assisted upper-limb rehabilitation in combination with sham GVS. Robot-assisted training is carried out using the Armeo Spring system by Hocoma AG. Sham stimulation is delivered by connecting the subject to a device by A-M Systems, but the device is not active.