Active clinical trials for "Cerebral Palsy"

Newborn stroke is the leading cause of a common type of cerebral palsy (CP) that affects thousands of Canadian children and families. Treatments for CP are generally ineffective, and have traditionally focused on the weak body rather than the injured brain. Understanding how the newborn brain responds to injuries like stroke (plasticity) carries the greatest potential for better treatments. We propose to study the ability of two interventions to modulate brain plasticity toward better function in children with stroke-induced CP. One is a rehabilitation method called constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT), the other is a type of non-invasive brain stimulation called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). TMS is safe and comfortable for children and we recently showed it could improve motor function in children with stroke. We will perform a special study to test both treatments simultaneously. Children 7-18 years with stroke-induced CP will be recruited into the study from across Alberta. Each child will randomly receive either TMS, CIMT, both, or neither each day for two weeks while attending our new HemiKids Power Camp for motor learning. Improvements will be measured by trained therapists over 1 year. TMS will also measure brain plasticity, both initially and following treatment. Our lead investigator is an expert in both newborn stroke and TMS and has assembled an experienced team of accomplished collaborators to ensure the completion of this important work. This will be the largest study of children with CP examined in this manner. This will be the first clinical trial of non-invasive brain stimulation (TMS) in CP, the largest trial of CIMT (and the first exclusive to newborn stroke), and the first study allowing the direct comparison of two different therapies. In establishing the first dedicated pediatric TMS laboratory in Canada, we will be the first to measure plasticity changes in newborn stroke, advancing new treatments of this previously untreatable and disabling disease. Patient recruitment is currently underway at Alberta Children's Hospital. Application is currently underway to expand recruitment to Northern Alberta through the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital and Stollery Children's Hospital, to enable patients from Northern Alberta greater opportunity to participate as subjects in this study.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of a 6-month physical activity intervention program on mobility and participation after the termination of a 6-week functional strengthening program for school-age children with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy. The primary outcomes are gross motor function, participation, and physical activity behavior.

This study will examine the effectiveness of relaxation training for providing pain relief and improving physical and psychological functioning in youth with physical disabilities due to cerebral palsy.

Comparing the efficacy of Intracthecal Baclofen dose between the Prometra II and Medtronic SynchroMed II for patients with spasticity and with current a current SyncroMed II pump needing replacement.

The purpose of the study is to determine the effect of spring gravity bar on gait pattern in children with spastic diplegia

Robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) improves the gait ability of children with cerebral palsy, and can provide treatment plans and guidelines through changed records of various gait variables. There is a lack of concrete explanations or arguments for gait speed, weight support ratio, support force, joint angle, etc. that can be set in the RAGT system, and intervention intensity for an appropriate intervention program has not been presented. Therefore, in this study, we would like to suggest clinically effective interventions for children with cerebral palsy in the second stage of the gross motor function classification system (GMFCS) by identifying gait variables according to differences in gait speed during RAGT.

Upper extremity therapies for children with cerebral palsy (CP) have been validated for improving function in higher functioning patients. Those who function at the lowest end of the scale, on the Manual Ability Classification System scale (MACS) III-V, comprise 34-54% of the population, but as yet have no evidence-based interventions specific to their needs. Lower functioning children often retain some voluntary control of the elbow in spite of limited finger motion. A dynamic splint, or exoskeleton, could utilize the tenodesis effect from elbow motion to drive finger release while retaining flexor tone for grasp, potentially creating a portable, home-based therapeutic tool. The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of an upper extremity orthotic device in improving the upper extremity function of children with cerebral palsy who have limited use of their hands.

In this study, the investigators aimed to investigate the effects of botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT-A) injection applied to the ankle plantar flexor muscles on lower extremity sensation and quantitative balance parameters in children with spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy who are ambulatory without an assistive device in daily life.

Living with cerebral palsy is challenging for the child as well as the family charged with their care and support needs. Many families seek effective and sustainable interventions to improve gait of their children with cerebral palsy. The Mollii suit is a non-invasive therapeutic technology using electrical stimulation in the form of whole-body garment with multiple electrodes individually programmed to stimulate selected muscles. This study aims to examine if the Mollii suit improve gait in ambulant children with cerebral palsy and if the Mollii suit is acceptable and tolerable to children with cerebral palsy. We will recruit up to 20 children with cerebral palsy. This study will evaluate change in gait and function following a four-week intervention period using a protocol of wearing the Mollii suit at home for one hour every day for four weeks using instrumented 3-dimensional gait analysis and objective standardised assessment tools.

This study aim to investigate the effect of banding on saliva control and quality of life in children with cerebral palsy.