Active clinical trials for "Brain Injuries"

Hypothesis: That SPECT brain imaging tracks and is consistent with clinical improvements in patients receiving hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for chronic traumatic brain injury.

The purpose of our study is to verify wherever normothermia (achieved with diclofenac administration) may improve intracranial pressure control and may limit secondary cerebral damage thus positively influencing outcome in patients with acute cerebral damage admitted to ICU.

A randomised control trial of patients who have a severe brain injury to determine if patients who receive a standardised sensory stimulation program emerge earlier from a vegetative state. The experimental group would receive, in addition to their normal occuaptional therapy, sensory stimulation which would involve the daily application of stimulation to all five senses using the Sensory Modalities Assessment and Rehabilitation Technique (SMART).

We will investigate the use of TR, based on advanced Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solutions, taking into account that the supervision of rehabilitation at home will be enriched with the counselling and vital parameters monitoring. The aim of the study is to evaluate that TR is at least non-inferior in comparison with the same amount of usual territorial rehabilitative physical treatments (UTRT), taking into account patients' functional recovery, psychological well-being, caregiver burden, and healthcare costs. The enrolled patients will be balanced for pathology and randomized in two groups, performing TR (G1) or standard rehabilitation training (G2), respectively, according to a pc-generated random assignment.TR will be delivered by means of an advanced video-conferencing system, whereas the patient will be provided with low-cost monitoring devices, able to collect data about his/her health status and QoL. In both the groups each treatment (either cognitive or motor, or both as per patient functional status) will last about one hour a day, five days/week, for 12 weeks. Two structured telephone interviews will be administered to the patients (when possible) and/or their caregivers, and to all the healthcare professionals involved in the patient management, one week after the beginning and at the end of the TR.

Mobilization, specifically verticalization, has been shown to play a role in enhancing consciousness. Vestibular stimulation has the potential to influence the neural substrate of consciousness, but this modality has not been thoroughly explored. The primary aim of this study is to compare the influence of verticalization with and without vestibular input on level of consciousness in patients experiencing disorders of consciousness (DoC).

Approximately 15-20% of patients diagnosed with a concussion/mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) have persistent symptoms that continue up to six months or longer. Typical problems identified by these patients include difficulty with memory, multi-tasking, the ability to complete tasks quickly, and higher executive functions (e.g., inhibition, initiation, insight, motivation) (Belanger & Vanderploeg, 2005; Mott, McConnon, & Rieger, 2012, Rabinowitz & Levin, 2014). If these symptoms persist they can not only affect thinking, but also communication abilities (e.g., verbal and nonverbal interactions, reading, and writing) (ASHA, 2007). Therefore, it is hypothesized that screening measures that evaluate both thinking and communication can better identify individuals at-risk for persistent symptoms at two week and four weeks post-injury. Also, if cognitive-communication therapy was administered earlier post-injury, then outcomes related to return to daily activities, work, and/or the academic setting could possibly change. This study intends to investigate the use of cognitive and communication screening measures for the identification of persistent symptoms and the provision of early cognitive-communication therapy if problems persist.

The purpose of the proposed study is to compare the sensitivity and specificity of three oculomotor test devices in normal subjects versus subjects with history of TBI. The study is designed as a prospective research project in which a group of 120 normal controls without a history of TBI will be compared to another group of 120 participants (total of 240) who have a confirmed history of TBI. Each participant will complete the TBI assessment protocol for each of three separate devices (Neuro Kinetics, SyncThink, and Oculogica). The order of the devices will be counter-balanced across participants. Participants will also be screened for vestibular migraine and visual vertigo, which are two conditions that influence oculo-vestibular perception in normal and TBI patients and might influence the results from the three oculomotor devices. Data from each device will be utilized to perform AUC analyses to determine the respective sensitivity and specificity for each.

18 children post acquired brain injury and 18 typically developed controls matched for age and gender. All children aged 10-18 yrs who understand simple commands. Tools: Heart rate monitor Six minute walk test The behavior rating inventory Method: At the introductory visit the child will be asked to walk for six minutes, to sit and perform a cognitive test and then to walk on a treadmill for 5 seconds. At the second visit the child will be asked to go on the treadmill for 5 minutes and at the same time to perform the cognitive assignment; After a rest the child will be asked to walk on the treadmill for 5 minutes and at the end to perform the cognitive assignment .

The Defense Automated Neurobehavioral Assessment (DANA) was recently developed as a durable, portable, and "field-hardened" NeuroCognitive Assessment Tool. The purpose of this study is to compare the sensitivity of the DANA Brief exam with the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM) battery currently used by the military after concussion. The primary hypothesis is that the DANA Brief exam will be more sensitive for detecting continued impaired cognitive performance than the ANAM during recovery after a concussion.

Objective/Hypothesis: An eight-week course of forty low-pressure Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment's (HBOT's) can significantly improve symptoms and cognitive function in subjects with the persistent-post concussion syndrome (PPCS) of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).