Active clinical trials for "Brain Injuries"

This project was designed to determine brain imaging patterns using 2-(1-{6-[(2-fluorine 18-labeled fluoroethyl)methylamino]-2-naphthyl}ethylidene)malononitrile ([F-18]FDDNP) with positron emission tomography (PET) in participants with suspected Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in people with a history of repetitive traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), characterized by personality, behavioral, and mood disturbances, cognitive impairment, and sometimes motor symptoms. Currently, CTE can only be definitely diagnosed from neuropathological examination of the brain after autopsy. Developing tools to assist in the detection of this condition in living individuals at risk would facilitate research focusing on discovering potential prevention and treatment strategies.

Problems with attention are a common and debilitating consequence of brain injury. Studies show that poor attention is the number one predictor of poor cognitive functioning one year post-injury. This is due to the fact that attention is a necessary component of more complex cognitive functions such as learning & memory, multi-tasking and problem solving. In many cases, individuals may exhibit problems with spatial attention known as 'hemi-spatial neglect syndrome' or simply 'neglect'. Many studies now show that the processing machinery of the brain is plastic and remodeled throughout life by learning and experience, enabling the strengthening of cognitive skills or abilities. The investigators own research has shown that brief, daily computerized cognitive training that is sufficiently challenging, goal-directed and adaptive enables intact brain structures to restore balance in attention and compensate for disruptions in cognitive functioning.

Our overall goal in this proposed study is to describe the current prehospital trauma triage process for older adult (age≥55) patients with suspected Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), to identify the effect of certain medications (anticoagulants and platelet inhibitors) on TBI-related need for trauma center services, and to identify novel TBI screening strategies that are feasible for use in the prehospital setting.

This is an open-label, non-randomized, prospective, multi-site, parallel group (segment), hypothesis-generating study designed to collect data that will aid in future scientific and engineering exploration of correlations between clinical neuropsychological assessments and GE Research Pack II advanced MR imaging in mTBI patients. The results are primarily intended for scientific inquiry and engineering development purposes, and may be used in future regulatory submissions.

A prospective validation study of the "Scandinavian guidelines for initial management of minimal, mild and moderate head injuries in adults". Enrolling a consecutive sample of 1000 adult head injury patients from the emergency department of the Tampere University Hospital (Tampere, Finland). A venous blood sample with S100 analytics (+storage blood) is drawn from every patient. The patients are head CT-scanned according to the SNC guidelines. Outcome assessment (GOSE, MRS, Rivermead PCS Questionnaire) is completed as follows: 1 week, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years.

By studying individual biomarkers in body fluids such as saliva, there is a potential for detecting injury to the brain resulting from an acute traumatic even that may not be detectable by conventional neuroimaging like CT scans.

Background: - Repeated exposure to explosions may lead to changes in the way that people think or feel. Breachers (people trained to use explosives to get into buildings) are exposed to repeated blasts as part of their job. Researchers want to study how they might be affected by blast exposure. Breachers will be compared with other groups who have different levels of exposure to repeated blasts. Information will also be obtained from spouses or close companions. Objectives: - To study the effects of repeated exposure to low-level blasts on thinking, memory, behavior, and brain function. Eligibility: Experienced military and civilian breachers, experienced active duty artillery operators, and active duty military without frequent blast exposure, 18 and 60 years of age. Spouses or close companions of these individuals. Design: Participants will be screened with a physical exam and medical history. Blood samples will be collected and a urine pregnancy test will be required of participants (not companions) before MRI scanning. Participants will spend up to 5-days as a NIH clinic outpatient, with about 6 hours of tests each day. Tests will include the following: Medical and professional history, with questions about exposures to blasts Tests of thinking, memory, and concentration Balance tests Hearing tests Imaging studies, such as magnetic resonance imaging, to look at the brain Overnight sleep study to monitor brain waves Blood samples Participants will return 1 year later for a 3-day followup visit. Some of the tests from before will be repeated. A spouse or close companion (if available) will be asked to complete questionnaires or have a telephone interview....

The primary objective is to assess the long-term impact of hormonal deficiency on Quality of Life (QoL) in a large group of moderate and severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) patients.

Children with acquired and congenital brain lesions (namely, cerebral palsy, CP, and acquired brain injury, ABI) may exhibit upper limb impairment, with consequent limitations in their daily living activities. In recent years, robotic rehabilitation has become an important tool to promote functional recovery in patients with CP and ABI, thanks to its ability to promote high intensity, repetitive, engaging training. Moreover, it has additional advantages that can contribute to the understanding of the effectiveness of these devices in motor learning and recovery. It has indeed higher resolution and inter -rater and intra-rater reliability with respect to standard assessment methods (i.e. clinical scales). Furthermore, it is able to provide a quantitative evaluation of patients' movement during treatments instead of relying exclusively on qualitative observation. Recently, Merlo and co-workers (Sol et Salus, Rimini, Italy) developed and validated a tool to extract indices of accuracy, velocity and smoothness from the analysis of 3D trajectories of the end point of the robotic exoskeleton Armeo®Spring (Hocoma, CH). The primary aim of the study is to retrospectively investigate the effectiveness of robot-assisted upper limb rehabilitation in children affected by congenital and acquired brain damages by means of funcional scales and quantitative assessment of movement performance (accuracy, velocity and smoothness). Patients affected by acquired or congenital brain disease are enrolled. The inclusion criteria are: age between 5 and 18; the ability to handle objects in daily life within levels I, II, and III, according to the Manual Ability Classification System (MACS); the ability to understand and follow test instructions. Conversely, the exclusion criteria are: severe muscle contracture and/or spasticity, a diagnosis of severe learning disabilities or behavioral problems and visual or hearing difficulties that would impact on function and participation. Participants undergo the standard intervention protocol followed at the IRCCS E. Medea. It is composed by 20 sessions with Armeo®Spring and 20 sessions of physiotherapy, within 1 month. Patients are evaluated before (T0) and after (T1) the intervention with the Quality of Upper Extremities Skills Test (QUEST) and the Melbourne Assessment of Unilateral Upper Limb Function. During the first, tenth and last training session, patients executed the "Vertical Capture" exergame, which assess patient's functional level during a task that involves elbow flex-extension and shoulder flex- extension and abd-adduction. From these evaluation sessions, quantitative indices of movement performance (precision, velocity and smoothness) are extracted.

This project, will combine the data collected from existing and innovative technologies: fMRI scans, mapping brain connectivity using EEG in combination with eye-tracking technology (the BNA technology developed by ELMINDA), characterizing of cortical layers using magnetic resonance (the CoLI technology developed by Tel-Aviv University), and DTI imaging (imaging of brain tracks). To do so, Sheba's Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, joined the project and is responsible for recruiting patients from the Department of Neurosurgery and Department of Rehabilitation and also is responsible for performing the needed tests.