Active clinical trials for "Brain Injuries"

Euthyroid sick syndrome (ESS) effects on patients suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) have received little attention. Moreover, there is limited evidence that serum levels of thyroid-related hormones might influence functional outcome in the acute phase of brain damage. However, the relationship is complex, and the relevance for functional outcome and the question of therapeutic interventions remain the subject of ongoing researches . Historically, a wide range of brain damage markers have been examined in TBI patients. However, owing to the limited tissue specificity and other concerns, most markers, including neuro-specific enolase and S100B protein, were compromised in routine clinical use . Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was recently reported to have greater prognostic value than other biomarkers in TBI patients as a monomeric intermediate filament protein concentrated in the astroglial cytoskeleton; GFAP is specific to brain tissue and is not routinely found in peripheral blood circulation. However, GFAP is released after astrocyte death, making it an ideal candidate marker for brain injury patients . Several studies have found that the serum levels of GFAP on admission were significantly increased in TBI patients, also a correlation between serum concentrations and the pathological types of brain damage and clinical outcomes were also reported . However, the changes in serum GFAP over time and the associated predictive utility over the acute days post injury are largely unknown. To study the hypothesis of euthyroid sick syndrome (ESS) traumatic brain injury patients and its relation with GFAP.

The purpose of this study is to obtain evidence of safety and determine the pharmacokinetics (PK) of NNZ-2566 in healthy volunteers, when administered orally.

The objective of this trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation in OIF/OEF service members with a history of mild traumatic brain injury and persistent (3-24 months post injury) cognitive complaints. This is a prospective, randomized, control treatment trial of cognitive rehabilitation for OEF/OIF Service Members with a history of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and persistent (3-24 months post-injury) cognitive complaints. Subjects will be recruited from consecutive patient referrals to the TBI Service at SAMMC-North. Patients who meet eligibility criteria and consent to participate in the treatment trial will be randomly assigned to one of four, 6-week treatment arms of the study. Subjects will be evaluated prior to the start of treatment and 3, 6, 12, and 18 weeks following the initiation of the study. The total number of patients to be studied is 160 (maximum), which is approximately 20 patients per month.

Purpose: Mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) is extremely common among Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) era Veterans. Mild TBI is frequently accompanied by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms, co-occurring disorders that contribute to increased disability and decreased quality of life. Neuroactive steroids (NS) represent promising pharmacological candidates for intervention for these diverse symptom domains, since a number of these molecules demonstrate pronounced neuroprotective and neurotrophic properties. The NS pregnenolone (PREG) is a logical therapeutic option, since it enhances learning and memory and also increases myelination in rodent models. Further, decreases in PREG have been associated with depressive symptoms, and PREG is also metabolized to allopregnanolone (ALLO), an anxiolytic downstream NS that is decreased in PTSD. ALLO also enhances neurogenesis in rodents. The investigators thus propose an randomized controlled trial (RCT) in OEF/OIF era Veterans with mild TBI. Methodology: The design of this study will be randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind. Trial duration will be 10 weeks, consisting of a 2-week placebo lead-in period for all subjects, followed by 8 weeks of treatment with either pregnenolone or placebo. The primary cognitive outcome measure will be executive functioning (as assessed by the Tower of London test), and the primary behavioral outcome measure will be PTSD Cluster D symptoms (as assessed by the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale, CAPS). The investigators will also determine if PREG administration in OEF/OIF Veterans with mild TBI increases downstream ALLO and/or other GABAergic NS levels, and the investigators will identify the specific metabolism profile of PREG following eight weeks of treatment with this neurosteroid. Anticipated Findings: The investigators hypothesize that treatment with PREG in OEF/OIF era Veterans with mild TBI will significantly improve executive functioning compared to the placebo condition. The investigators also predict that treatment with PREG will decrease Cluster D PTSD symptoms compared to treatment with placebo.

Mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the most common type of brain injury. Post-mild TBI disability could stem from cognitive, physical, psychological and social dysfunction which resulted in significant disability and unemployment. Long-term behavioral impairments which affected the individual's occupation, lifestyle, and family frequently occurred in individuals with mild to moderate brain injuries who physically fully recovered. In-vitro and in-vivo studies showed a better recovery of cognitive function after administration of exogenous lactate in traumatic brain injury. Therefore, this study is aimed to evaluate the effect of exogenous lactate infusion contained in hyperosmolar sodium lactate solution on cognitive function assessed by Mini Mental State Examination(MMSE)scale.

The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of holistic group treatment program (called Group Interactive Structured Treatment, or GIST) to improve social communication skills for individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury. Hypothesis: Compared to an alternative intervention, those receiving the GIST intervention will show improved social competence, improved quality of life, and stronger group cohesion.

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of different dose levels of glyburide for injection, administered as a bolus dose followed by a 3-day continuous infusion. The secondary objectives are to assess the pharmacokinetics (PK) of glyburide and blood glucose and serum insulin pharmacodynamic (PD) responses to glyburide.

Trial to determine if seizure prophylaxis with IV LCM in NSICU patients experiencing mental status changes due to severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI) will result in improved short- and long-term outcomes and better immediate adverse effects when compared to the current standard of care anticonvulsant (IV fPHT) and will be at least as effective as IV fPHT in preventing clinical and sub-clinical seizure activity.

The SyNAPSe trial will study if giving intravenous (i.v.) progesterone within 8 hours of the injury for a total of 120 hours to severe traumatic brain injury patients improves their recovery.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is effective in reducing depression symptoms in individuals who have experienced a traumatic brain injury. The investigators hypothesize that participants who are given the ten-week intervention will have fewer depression symptoms than the participants in the control group, and this improvement will be maintained at the three-month follow-up assessment.