Active clinical trials for "Brain Injuries"

This study will assess whether a computer haptic peripheral device programmed to provide repetitive motion training is as effective as the same repetitive motion training provided by a human being.

Brain injuries affect the lives of numerous Veterans. This study examines how the brain is affected by injury and how rehabilitation training for attention dysfunction may change brain functioning.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether an investigational drug, called "CDP-Choline", improves memory in people with traumatic brain injury (TBI). To do this, we are asking for people with traumatic brain injury and people without traumatic brain injury to be a part of this study. We will compare results between each group to see if this investigational drug makes a difference with memory. We will also compare brain imaging results and information collected before and after the taking of the study medication to see if there are any differences. We hypothesize that there will be differences in brain activation patterns between individuals with TBI and healthy controls, as well as differences in performance on memory testing at baseline. We further hypothesize that, after treatment with CDP-Choline, the patterns in neuroimaging findings and cognitive testing results for individuals with TBI will more closely resemble results observed for healthy individuals. We hope that what we learn from this study will be helpful in the future treatment of individuals with head injury.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether body weight supported treadmill training is more effective than traditional physical therapy at restoring gait in persons recovering from traumatic brain injury.

Identifying the optimal time of extubation in a brain injured population should improve patient outcome. Brain injured patients usually remain intubated due to concerns of airway maintenance. Current practice argues that unconscious patients need to remain intubated to protect their airways. More recent data however suggests that delaying extubation in this population increases pneumonias and worsens patient outcomes. We designed a safety and feasibility study of randomizing brain injured patients into early or delayed extubation. The purpose was to gain insight into patient safety concerns and to obtain estimates of sample size needed for a larger study.

Memory deficits are common after traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and are characteristic of various forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease and its common precursor mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This project intends to assess the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation in these patient populations. We will also use neuroimaging (functional magnetic resonance imaging - fMRI) to assess changes in brain activity that occur following cognitive rehabilitation.

Patients with traumatic brain injury often experience a period of acute confusion that may include agitation as they recover from their injuries. While this confusion generally resolves with time, patients may pose increased risk of injury to themselves or others during this period. Their behavior may also increase stress for family members and interfere with their ability to benefit from rehabilitation therapies. A number of different medications have been used to treat confusion to decrease agitation, decrease risk of injury, and improve participation in rehabilitation therapies. To this point, there has not been a research or scientific basis for knowing which medication is the best for a specific patient. The overall goal of this study is to conduct a scientific investigation to help determine which medication works best to treat confusion. Study hypothesis: Amantadine will reduce the severity and number of symptoms of acute confusion after traumatic brain injury.

The study seeks to compare the effectiveness of three preparations of BOTOX-A® in treating muscle tightness and spasms in the feet and ankles of people with stroke.

Acquired brain injury can result in impaired everyday functioning as well as psychosocial problems, including depressive symptoms, irritability, or negative self-concept. The purpose of this study is to determine whether a combination of neuropsychological and cognitive behavioral therapy is effective in the treatment of these sequelae.

Our hypothesis is that topiramate will reduce acute seizures after traumatic brain injury and will help prevent the development of epilepsy after traumatic brain injury.