Active clinical trials for "Cerebral Palsy"

To analyze the short-term effect of kinesiology taping on sitting postural control in moderate and severe cerebral palsy

The purpose of this study is to assess the use of a commercially available arm weight supporting training system (Armeo®Spring) in conjunction with Constraint Induced Therapy (CIT) for improving upper extremity function for children with unilateral cerebral palsy. In addition, the study aims to assess the potential cortical changes with Armeo®Spring therapy and CIT with the use of the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) motor mapping. This within-subjects repeated-measures study will be conducted at St. Mary's Hospital for Children. Subjects will be recruited from the general population. A sample size of 10 participants is required for the study. Minority and gender distributions of this study are expected to reflect the distributions in the general population of this region. Therapy: Participating children will have their unaffected arm placed in a sling. The sling is placed at the start of the day and the child is encouraged to have this on during all therapy sessions.The affected arm will be used for repetitive therapeutic activities.Therapy sessions will include activities aimed at building motor learning skills. TMS will be used to map the brain. Participants will have MRI of the brain that is T1 weighted with 0.9 -1.1 voxel. size to allow for on-screen navigation of the cerebral cortex while performing TMS.The stimulating coil will be held to the scalp over each M1 hemisphere and an induced electrical current passed through the coil will create a magnetic pulse that stimulates the brain Children will be assessed using functional hand tests and TMS.

This study is a single arm, single center trial to study the safety and efficacy of purified autologous bone marrow derived stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of children with cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy (CP) has a prevalence of 1.5-3 per 1000 live births, making it the most common neurological disorder among children in Europe. One of the most frequently observed problems in CP is hypertonia, i.e. increased muscle tension, which can result in contractures. Stretching therapies are widely used as a treatment for contractures, but with highly variable success. Therefore, efforts are needed to improve the efficacy of stretching interventions. The investigators hypothesise that increasing the stiffness of the tendon relative to the muscle, by resistance training, prior to stretching will improve the efficacy of stretching interventions in children with CP. In a RCT design the investigators will compare a group of children receiving a combined strengthening-stretching intervention of the calf muscle to a control group receiving conventional stretching exercises in combination with upper limb exercises. Outcome measures will include muscle-tendon structure and gait analysis to assess functional improvements. This research will improve the understanding of muscle responses to stretching interventions in children with CP and can lead to more effective stretching therapies.

The investigators are studying the effects of a 12-week exercise program, consisting of either: Walking on a treadmill with partial body weight Functional exercise program The investigators would like to know the effects these two exercise programs have on the quality of life, muscle strength and control, coordination, walking, and functional movement of children with cerebral palsy who are marginal ambulators. This is a randomized control trial with subjects randomly assigned to one of the 2 groups.Subjects in both groups will be seen twice a day for two weeks at our hospital for intervention and parent training, and then participate in a 10 week home-based program. During each subject's two-week clinic-based training, a parent or caregiver is trained in all home program exercises and/or equipment usage. This person must be able to safely perform the exercise program with the child. Each subject will also need to participate in three separate 5-hour long data collection sessions scheduled over the 4 month study period.

This is a prospective interventional study involving young children who will all receive non-invasive, passive assessments of sensory and motor function. In addition a subpopulation of young children with cerebral palsy will participate in a randomized controlled trial of constraint-induced movement therapy, a routinely prescribed therapy used in clinical practice for children with motor difficulties. The study attempts to apply a rigorous scientific approach to study a widely used but poorly studied practice. The design is an RCT with wait-list controls to allow all children to benefit from the therapy, even if they are randomized to the control group. All children, regardless of group allocation will continue with their standard of care occupational and physical therapy throughout the study.

The objective of this research is to examine the effect of Infant Aquatics on the development of and neurodevelopment of preterm and near-term infants, using the GM as prognostic estimation of future development. Preterm infants, a continuously growing population, are at high risk for neurodevelopment impairments ranging from minor neurological dysfunction (MND) to cerebral palsy (CP), mainly due to developmental brain injury. Infant Aquatics have been found to benefit and promote infant development. The support and sensory stimulation of the water may improve the development the sensory, motor, as well as, autonomic system of preterm infants. The study will compare intervention by Infant Aquatics to infant massage. The intervention in both methods will start at 36 weeks gestational age for 3 months and will consist of sessions with a therapist every 2 weeks. Development will be assessed and compared at 3, 8 and 18 months using Infant Motor Pattern method, Griffith developmental scales and Vineland adaptive behavior scales.

This study is being performed to assess how certain chronic disabilities - stroke, upper extremity (UE) amputation, spinal cord injuries (SCI), cerebral palsy (CP) - differ from healthy subjects in their ability to perform ADLs. By studying the kinematics of the respective cohort of study participants as they are assessed performing common activities of daily living (ADLS), the investigators research team aims to better understand how impaired neural pathways, and pathways that have been impaired at various points along the pathway, deleteriously affect ADLs in patients with differing long-term disabilities.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most frequent cause of motor handicap among children. The economic burden of CP in USA includes $1.18 billion in direct medical costs, $1.05 billion in direct non-medical costs, and an additional $9.24 billion in indirect costs, for a total cost of $11.5 billion or $921,000 average cost per person. Associated disabilities as mental retardation, delayed speech development add psychological burden of the disease on the family as well as economic burden. Mental retardation is the major problem in children with cerebral palsy. Improving mental development will have a positive effect on quality of life for the child and his family. Treating associated impairments (mental retardation) with Cerebrolysin will improve mental development and quality of life, and will decrease the economic burden in children with cerebral palsy.

The present project will focus on evaluating the technical efficacy of the in-shoe gait monitoring device (ActiveGait) through laboratory based biomechanical gait assessments of children who exhibit gait deviations due to CP or idiopathic toe walking wearing the device.