Active clinical trials for "Brain Concussion"

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), also known as concussion, occurs commonly in sport. Despite ongoing research, there is no highly sensitive clinical test for cognitive function. This makes the clinical diagnosis of concussion particularly difficult as the clinical presentation of concussion is highly variable with symptoms often evolving over time. Given the variability in concussion presentations, there is no single test that can diagnose a concussion. Current recommendations are that sports medicine providers apply a multifaceted concussion assessment battery that combines subjective symptoms, motor control and cognitive assessment. This investigation is designed to evaluate the clinical utility of ElMindA's BNA scores in detecting and managing concussive injuries. This study will establish the reliability of BNA™ scores over clinically relevant assessment intervals and investigate the effect of SRC and sub-concussive head impacts on BNA scores.

Brain injuries from trauma are common in children, often resulting in death and disability. Most brain injuries are minor, yet their treatment can be challenging. Because there are many different scales used to characterize the severity of brain injury, there is no consensus regarding how to manage patients with minor brain injuries. Specifically, there is no agreement on recommendations regarding the safety of return to activities following injury. In young athletes with minor brain injuries (i.e. concussions) there is strong data suggesting that return to baseline neurologic function is often delayed by days or weeks. Children allowed to return to activities too soon may be at a higher risk for a second concussion, may delay recovery or, in rare cases, die. Researchers have designed a computer-based testing system (ImPACT©) to objectively test for neurologic deficits following injury. This test has been used primarily in athletes following a concussion but is also applicable to children with brain injuries from non-sports related traumas. We propose to utilize this testing in pediatric patients admitted to the hospital with minor brain injury. The test would be administered at the time of the hospitalization as well as in the outpatient trauma clinic at the time of routine follow up. The test would allow us to determine if there are neurologic deficits, potentially subclinical, in these brain injured patients and how quickly they recover from their injuries. If successful, the testing will likely be useful in other clinical settings such as the primary care office (e.g. pediatrician), specialty care office (e.g. sports medicine), or emergency room to determine if an injured child requires additional intervention.

The aim of this study is to investigate the early serum measurement (<6h after injury) of mRNA miR Let-7i, miR-16 and miR-92 in patients with MHI and intracranial traumatic lesions (CCT pos.) as compared to those in patients with MHI without intracranial traumatic lesions (CCT neg.). S100B serum levels will be measured in both groups. The usual risk factors for the occurrence of an intracranial hematoma (diagnostic algorithm) will be recorded. Additionally, a group of healthy individuals will serve as a control group.

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.

The diagnosis of sports related concussion still relies heavily on a subjective assessment. In this study the investigators want to assess the prognostic value of blood-based biomarkers with recovery from concussive episodes over specific time points post-injury. Our research aims to (1) assess that the World Rugby's head injury assessment (HIA) can identify that a concussion has taken place by measuring specific biomarkers in the blood and (2) to track these biomarkers over time post-injury as a means to assess player health.

The project encompasses the development and implementation of an acute care, pediatric concussion clinical pathway at 5 pediatric emergency departments in the province of Alberta (Canada).

Sport-related concussions and traumatic lower body injuries (e.g., anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears) occur frequently in high-speed and contact/collision sports contributing to significant time loss from training/competition and potentially devastating long-term performance and health consequences. Neurological impairment following a concussive injury may be subtle, but if missed, may have grave consequences in a high-risk, high-speed sporting context. Recent evidence suggests that the risk of lower body musculoskeletal injury is significantly higher for athletes sustaining a sport-related concussion in the three-month to two-year period following injury. Most injury prevention research to date has focused on modifiable extrinsic risk factors; there is a void or gap on modifiable intrinsic risk factors. The purpose of this study is to: determine the effect of a standardized supplementary pre-season multi-modal neurologic training program, versus usual training, on concussion and/or traumatic lower body injury risk among high-speed/contact/collision sport athletes (primary prevention). determine the effect of a standardized supplementary pre-season multi-modal neurologic training program, versus usual training, on concussion and/or traumatic lower body injury severity (time loss from training/competition measured in days, determined from the date of injury to the date a sport medicine physician medically clears the athlete to return to unrestricted training/competition) (secondary prevention). determine the effect of a standardized supplementary pre-season multi-modal neurologic training program, versus usual training, on neurologic performance. The investigators hypothesize that athletes completing the standardized supplementary pre-season multi-modal neurologic training program, compared with usual training, will significantly reduce the participants risk and severity of concussion and/or traumatic lower body injury, and significantly improve neurologic performance.

The purpose of this project is to determine the effects of mild traumatic brain injury and blast exposure on the inner ear balance and central nervous systems.

Previous research and position statements have outlined the necessity of balance and gait testing in the post-concussion evaluation of athletes. However, many of the currently available balance testing techniques lack objectivity and sensitivity to the effects of concussion. Such balance impairments may exist following concussion due to disruption of vestibular and/or ocular motor systems. However, no clinically feasible tools have been longitudinally examined to detect gait balance control deficits or to investigate how vestibular or motor dysfunction may lead to gait imbalance. Additionally, participation in physical and cognitive activities post-concussion may affect recovery. While limited evidence exists to support this notion, further investigation is necessary to improve clinical management recommendations. The proposed study will allow for the examination of tools which add value to post-concussion clinical evaluations and study-related outcomes will enhance the understanding of dynamic balance control and vestibular/ocular motor recovery, and their potential for implementation into concussion management protocols.

In this project the investigators aim to evaluate olfactory and non-olfactory function in patients within the first 24h following a mild traumatic brain injury (acute mTBI) and compare their results to a group of age and sex matched control patients suffering from an orthopedic injury 24h prior to testing. The investigators then aim to follow them up 1 year after the trauma