Active clinical trials for "Cerebral Palsy"

Children with cerebral palsy (CP) have postural control problems due to the lack of motor and sensory development. Trunk control which has an important role in ensuring postural control, is the basis for sitting, mobility, development of the upper extremity, pulmonary function and activities of daily living. Poor postural control restricts upper extremity functions which also affects the quality of movements. For this reason, it is important to assess the relationship between trunk control and upper extremity functions. This study is planned to investigate the effect of balance and trunk control on upper extremity functions in children with CP.

There is increasing evidence that physical activity during childhood and adolescence has an important impact on health and behavior outcomes. Lack of physical activity is currently a major concern for the total population and especially for children and adolescents. People with disabilities are at risk for the same health problems as the general population. Due to their disabilities, they have a higher risk for developing secondary conditions that may further affect their health and quality of life.The goals of this project are to develop and evaluate new approaches of treatment for children with cerebral palsy (CP) and to develop low cost tests for evaluating motor functions in natural environments. The overall aim is to raise awareness of, and promote, a physically active lifestyle for Middle East teenagers with disabilities due to CP by means of a collaborative Jordanian-Israeli-Palestinian-Moroccan applied research project. Specific objectives include: Evaluation of baseline levels of physical activity in large populations of children and teenagers with CP in the communities of the participating countries by long-term monitoring by accelerometers. Conducting a randomized clinical trial to compare the efficacy of an "experimental" physical training program with a treadmill training program in two groups. The experimental training program is based on results of recent motor control studies, as well as the "motor learning" approach to facilitate transfer and retention of learned walking activities. Disability Advocacy through dissemination of activity focus programs, raising awareness, making use of new technologies and enhancing and developing the skills and training of personnel working with populations with CP. Continuing the expansion of collaborative research efforts pertaining to children and teenagers with physical disabilities between Arab countries and Israel through sharing of skills and knowledge by exchange visits, meetings and seminars and joint training, pediatric physiotherapists and physical educators.

The purpose of this research is to develop tools enable people who are paralyzed to operate technology and access computers. These tools are called brain computer interfaces (BCIs). BCIs would let a person use brain signals to operate technology.

Botulinum toxin injections are a common form of treatment for children with cerebral palsy to help reduce muscle tightness and help them walk without resorting to surgery. While the treatment is beneficial, it requires that the therapy be repeated every six months, which can be costly and may eventually result in the therapy not being effective over time. The study being conducted at Shriners Hospitals for Children, Philadelphia, will examine the effects of botulinum toxin injections, not only on walking, but on the changes it causes in the muscle, brain and spinal cord. The changes in the muscle, brain and spinal cord, called neuromuscular plasticity, have not been extensively examined in response to botulinum toxin, and could provide insight into how botulinum toxin works and how to make it more effective. This study will focus on children with cerebral palsy between the ages of 4 and 12 years, with only one leg involved and who would normally be receiving botulinum toxin injections of the lower leg to help improve walking. The children will be asked to come into the hospital for a full day before they receive the injection, and then again after four and twelve weeks to look at the changes in the muscle, brain and spinal cord. This will involve recording them while they walk, measurements of the muscle reflexes, and recording their brain activity while the move their ankle (also known as functional magnetic resonance imaging or fMRI). A group of children with typical development will also be asked to participate in the study to act as a comparison group. The researchers believe that examining the changes in the muscles, brain and spinal cord in response to the injection will aid in the understanding how better to use botulinum toxin to achieve better or longer lasting changes.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate a touch screen application designed to help pediatric patients with cerebral palsy communicate. The study will test how well patients type on two different tools: one tool is already on the market , and the second tool is a newly developed App.

Researchers from the University of South Florida's Rehabilitation Engineering program are looking for volunteers to participate in a research study for experimental evaluation of wheelchair-mounted robotic arms (WMRAs). Participants will operate commercially available and developmental WMRAs in a physical test environment. The study will serve to identify desirable design features of WMRAs and input devices so that future production systems may further increase the quality of life of potential users. The study will also promote both the justification of prescribing WMRAs to enhance quality of life through the proposed standard testing method, and awareness for the emerging assistive robotics industry.

This study evaluates Analgesia Nociception Index (Heart Rate Variability based index) and its variations after painful stimulations in children with cerebral palsy : acute procedural pain (botulinum toxin injections), and recurrent pain (physiotherapy).

Children suffer from Cerebral Palsy that willing to participate in the study will be tested with well-established measuring techniques of Balance control using force plate before 2 month after BOTOX injection in the movement and Rehabilitation Laboratory at BGU. An automated algorithm will be used to extract standardized stabilogram-diffusion parameters from each of the COP data sets collected during quiet standing. These parameters include diffusion coefficients, critical displacement, critical time and scaling exponents for both lateral and anterior-posterior sway directions (Collins & De Luca, 1993). Each of the Times (before 3 month and 6 month after the THA) in two task conditions (eyes closed and eyes close conditions). Participants will be required to stand on the platform 5 times for 30 s For each trial, they will be instructed to sway as little as possible. In addition Gait analysis will be also examined.

The aims of this study are to investigate what effect altering handle height of posterior walkers has on forces through the walker, posture, efficiency, stability, speed, turning and comfort, and to obtain data which helps therapists understand the bio-mechanics involved during use and if this alters depending on age, posture or strength. All participants will have cerebral palsy. This will allow informed prescription of walkers and identify potential for redesign to improve efficiency, promote strengthening or improve posture to maximise children's potential to continue functional walking into adulthood.

Purpose:Effect of web-based daily care training on the quality of life of caregivers of children with cerebral palsy. study design: Single-blind clinical trial. study population: Caregivers of children with cerebral palsy. Inclusion criteria: caregiver -Mother of a child with cerebral palsy who spent most time on child care- Children with cerebral palsy aged 4 to 12 years old living in Alborz province that clinical diagnosis of cerebral palsy registered in their clinical records. Moderate and severe cerebral palsy (gross motor function levels 3 to 5). caregiver have facilities and basic knowledge of using Internet (Declared access to the Internet at least one hour a week). exclusion criteria: taking care of two or more children with disability. participated in previous face to face training programs. Sample size: 100. Intervention: Web-based daily care training. intervention time: 12-week. Outcome of the study: the quality of life of caregivers