Active clinical trials for "Consciousness Disorders"

Following severe traumatic brain injury, patients may remain unconscious for many years. It is the first proteomic analysis comparing differentially expressed proteins between patients with chronic disorder of consciousness and controls so far. The investigators generated accurate lists of proteomes and identified differences at different disease time courses. The obtained results provide new insight into understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the chronic disorder of consciousness.

Minimally Conscious (MCS) or Vegetative State (VS) are disorders of consciousness which often occur following traumatic brain injury or ischemia. These alterations result most of the time in patients' loss of autonomy and require long years of special care. No efficient therapy to improve patients' consciousness has been found so far. Investigators propose to use vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) to restore cortical activity and patients' embodied self. The investigators' main hypothesis is that VNS will reestablish the thalamo-cortical connectivity leading to an improvement of the consciousness state. To test this hypothesis, investigators will use behavioral measures as well as fMRI, PET scan and EEG to assess brain activity. Patients will be evaluated before and during eight months following implantation of the stimulation device.

Bodytrak® is a wireless earpiece which can monitor the user's vital signs such as tympanic (ear) temperature and heart rate. The earpiece is non-invasive and should fit comfortably within the right ear, similar to an earphone with an over-the-ear hook. Bodytrak is currently in a prototype stage. The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility of conducting a trial investigating the integration of Bodytrak in an NHS (National Health Service) environment at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital; to collect patient vital sign data for the development of Bodytrak algorithms to detect the transition point of recovery/deterioration of health, as well as the level of consciousness; and to obtain nurse and patient feedback regarding their user experience of Bodytrak.

In this study, high-resolution brain functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to evaluate the differences in brain structure and brain function network between patients with different degrees of disturbance of cognition and healthy controls by means of cohort follow-up and control study. The changes of patients' The dynamic changes of learning, to explore its clinical value as an early diagnosis. Combined with neurobehavioral scales and high-resolution brain structure, functional magnetic resonance imaging data to assess the brain structure, functional characteristics and consciousness of patients with impaired consciousness, and initially establish awareness of patients with recovery of consciousness Predictable imaging signs. Twenty eligible controls, 20 VS patients, and 20 MCS patients will be considered for inclusion in the inclusion / exclusion criteria. Informed consent will be obtained as required before starting any registration process.

The CRS-R is a standardized and validated bedside assessment of conscious awareness. It is used routinely for diagnosis and prognosis of patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) as well as in research settings. One limitation of the CRS-R is the lengthy administration time required to obtain a total score. Administration time can vary from approximately 15-30 minutes, depending on the patient's level of responsiveness. For this reason, the CRS-R is rarely administered in the acute hospital setting. Less time-consuming scales and metrics are used to assess conscious awareness in the acute hospital/ICU setting, but they lack specificity and sensitivity and have not been validated, increasing the potential for misdiagnosis. In conjunction with the developers of the Neuroscore (an unpublished, abbreviated version of the CRS-R), we have developed the CRSR-FAST and aim to test its validity, inter- and intra- rater reliability. We anticipate that, compared with the CRS-R, the CRSR-FAST will be less time-consuming to administer and score, but will maintain a high level of sensitivity to detecting signs of consciousness in severely brain injured patients.

This study aims to test validity, reliability and practicality of translated NCS, CNPI and FLACC in unconscious patients in 48 hour following craniotomy.