Active clinical trials for "Brain Injuries"

The purpose of this study is to determine the incidence of vestibular dysfunction in traumatic brain injury patients admitted to acute inpatient rehabilitation. This study also seeks to validate the AbilityLab Vestibular Screening Tool (AVeST) and the AVeST+, tools designed to quickly screen individuals for vestibular dysfunction following traumatic brain injury.

The effect of early, prehospital norepinephrine use in patients with traumatic shock on mortality is unknown. Recent existing observational evidence from single system data (US, France, Japan) are conflicting. The investigators hypothesize that prehospital norepinephrine is associated with decreased mortality when used in patients with traumatic shock.

The neurotrophic protein S100B has been promoted as a neuromarker for decades, and to reflect the severity of brain injury. On the other hand, S100B is a tumor marker. The interpretation of its serum levels may be altered by a contribution from extracerebral sources and its renal elimination. In the present study we investigate the relevance of S100B as a prognostic factor, as well as the correlation with different CT classifications in a large cohort of patients with and without brain injury. Furthermore, we examine whether S100B is elevated in brain tumors.

Background: A traumatic brain injury (TBI) could mean a person is at high risk for other long-lasting problems. These problems could include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and post-concussive syndrome (PCS). For example, about 700,000 Americans each year who have a TBI later go on to have PTSD also. Depression and PCS are also common in people who had a TBI. Some people will have these problems later. These problems can seriously interfere with a person s life. Some people will not have these problems at all. There are many reasons for this difference. Researchers think the main reason is that people have different genetic and environmental influences. Right now, we only have few kinds of treatments to prevent or treat these problems after a TBI. The few treatments we have often do not work well. It is important to understand what factors make a person at high risk for these problems after a TBI. This could allow researchers and doctors to help address these problems early. Addressing these problems earlier may help a person have better health in the long run. Objectives: To study the biological changes that happen after mild to moderate TBI which could be linked to the onset of PTSD, depression, and post-concussive syndrome To study brain mechanisms that could explain risks for getting a psychiatric disorder after mild to moderate TBI. This will be done using a test called functional MRI (fMRI). This test takes images of the brain while a person is doing a simple task. Eligibility: Men and women who are 18 to 65 years old. Had a mild to moderate TBI (including concussion) in the last month. Design: 5 outpatient visits to the NIH Clinical Center over one year. The first visit is a screening visit to see if you can join the study. This visit must happen within 30 days of the TBI. The visit includes lab work (blood and urine), a history and physical exam done by a physician or nurse practitioner, and a psychiatric interview with a behavioral health nurse. Visits 2, 3, 4 and 5 happen at one, three, six and twelve months post-injury. At these visits participants may have some or all of the following tests: blood and saliva collection, urine collection, questionnaires and interviews to assess symptoms, a test to see your response to stress (called hydrocortisone challenge), and fMRI brain imaging. This study does not provide treatment. This study is not a substitute for seeing a primary care provider. This study should not replace any therapies you may be taking.

This is a descriptive retrospective study designed to measure the efficacy of remifentanil sedation and the ability to perform frequent neurological examinations of patients with traumatic brain injuries.

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a prevalent and costly public health problem with disabling consequences. More than one million civilians with mTBI are treated in US hospitals and emergency departments each year (Faul, et al., 2010). While the exact number is debated, approximately 10-15% of individuals with mTBI will experience prolonged and disabling post-concussive symptoms (Stranjalis, et al., 2008; Ruff and Weyer Jamora, 2009), and 34% will experience a psychiatric illness in the first year after injury (Fann, et al., 2004). In addition, at least 188,270 military service members sustained a TBI from 2000 to mid August 2010, and nearly 77% of these injuries were mild (Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, 2010). Many individuals require treatment for resulting mTBI symptoms. The proposed study builds on preliminary research conducted by the investigators to develop and test the effectiveness of a social work delivered education and reassurance intervention for adults with mTBI (SWIFT-Acute) against usual care. The proposed study will assess acceptability and obtain preliminary effectiveness data for an enhanced social work assessment and intervention for adults with mTBI (SWIFT) discharged from the Emergency Department (ED). SWIFT includes early education, reassurance, coping strategies, resources and a brief alcohol use intervention in the ED plus follow up telephone counseling, needs assessment and case management referral to necessary services. The intervention targets cognitive, physical, psychiatric and functional outcomes; specifically, post-concussive symptoms, depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, alcohol use, community functioning and successful linkage to community resources. It is hypothesized that SWIFT will be acceptable to patients and that participants in the SWIFT group will report superior outcomes on measures of post-concussive symptoms, depression and anxiety, alcohol use and community functioning and will report increased successful linkages to needed resources when compared to the SWIFT-Acute group. The specific aims of the study are: Implement an innovative social work intervention for adults with mTBI (SWIFT). Assess acceptability of SWIFT using qualitative interviews with participants. Assess preliminary effectiveness of SWIFT compared to SWIFT-Acute alone on reduction or prevention of post-concussive symptoms, depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and alcohol use, and on improvement of community functioning and successful linkage to community resources. 80 participants will be randomized to receive SWIFT or SWIFT-Acute. Preliminary intervention effectiveness will be assessed using standard measures of post-concussive symptoms, the primary outcome, depression, anxiety, PTSD, alcohol use, and community functioning. A structured survey will be used to assess linkage to community resources.

The global aim of this proposal is to test and refine Common Data Elements (CDEs), neuroimaging standards, and best practices for genetics and proteomics in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) studies. Testing and validating of TBI-CDEs will be performed in a multi-center prospective observational study with 3 TBI Centers (San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH), University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), University Medical Center Brackenridge (UMCB)) and a TBI Rehabilitation Center (Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Center (MSMC)). The investigators will create and expand existing data repositories for patient demographics, neuroimaging, plasma biomarkers, genetics, and multivariate outcomes thereby providing researchers and clinicians with the infrastructure to establish multidisciplinary, multicenter research networks and improve clinical research in the TBI field.

The overall goal of Transforming Research and Clinical Knowledge in Traumatic Brain Injury (TRACK-TBI) study is to determine the relationships among the clinical, neuroimaging, cognitive, genetic and proteomic biomarker characteristics for the entire spectrum of TBI from concussion to coma. TRACK-TBI will validate biomarkers and outcome measures for clinical trials, advance diagnostic and prognostic models for TBI and improve clinical trial design. The Investigators are enrolling patients within 24 hours of injury who present to a TRACK-TBI site with a brain injury that meets ACRM criteria and receives a clinically indicated head CT.

This proposal aims to describe the oculometric features present during King-Devick (K-D) testing for subjects who experienced sports-related concussion. The investigators aim to better describe the underlying oculomotor anomalies present in this cohort that lead to increased K-D test time. Understanding these anomalies will allow for better understanding of the effects of sports-related concussion and may provide a rapid and reliable metric for diagnosing concussion as well as monitoring long-term recovery.

During the course of their acute illness patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage and severe traumatic brain injury often develop disturbances in their fluid balance and electrolyte homeostasis. These shifts are associated with worse outcome and increased morbidity. The aim of this observational study is to systematically analyze the incidence, characteristics, potential diagnostic markers and predisposing factors of such disturbances. The investigators hypothesize that many disturbances cannot be classified with a standard diagnostic approach and that variable fluid management contributes to their pathophysiology. Patients will be closely monitored clinically and the exact fluid and electrolyte balances will be recorded. Treatment decisions are within the bedside physicians responsibility. Baseline fluid management is standardised. No interventions are planned. The observation period equal the duration of ICU stay.