Active clinical trials for "Brain Injuries"

This is a clinical study comparing the physiologic effects of two hypertonic solutions (mannitol, hypertonic saline) with a particular emphasis on changes in cerebral blood flow in patients with intracranial hypertension following serious traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Patients with a diagnosis of moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) will be enrolled. Subjects will be randomly assigned to receive either MLC901 (Specified Drug Code) or placebo capsules three times per day over 6 months. Evaluation of patients will be carried out at baseline as well as at 3-month and 6-month follow-up visits. Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and Glasgow outcome scale (GOS) will be used to examine patients. Efficacy will be evaluated by comparing these two scores between the 2 groups at follow-up visits.

Treatment of bevacizumab followed by steroid may have a better effect on patients with radiation-induced brain injury.This randomized trial aims to investigate whether treatment of bevacizumab followed by steroid may alleviate radiation-induced brain injury in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The effect will be compared with outcomes in patients receiving steroid therapy

Comparing the efficacy of Intracthecal Baclofen dose between the Prometra II and Medtronic SynchroMed II for patients with spasticity and with current a current SyncroMed II pump needing replacement.

In response to "conscious" EEG findings related to detectable cognitive function that reliably denote awareness in vegetative state patients, in the current study, we will assess the covert conscious EEG activity (as well as standard clinical overt measures) and neuroplasctic propensity (i.e., changes in EEG spectral power synchronization values following tDCS intervention) in vegetative-state patients receiving repetitive transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) treatment over frontal motor areas for a period of two weeks. In support of this approach, a recent tDCS study with vegetative and minimally conscious patients implied that a twenty minutes anodal stimulation (i.e., excitatory stimulation) to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) significantly increased CRS-R scores versus sham (placebo: non-active stimulation) stimulation condition. It was noted that this tDCS effect was more pronounced in minimally conscious state patients versus vegetative state patients excluding effects of chronicity or etiology. Thus, the investigators in this study suggested that tDCS could be effective in improving cognitive recovery in severely brain-injured patients. However, their findings would benefit neural activation correlates that could support their conclusion regarding the effectiveness of this type of non-invasive intervention in promoting neurocognitive recovery. Most importantly, tDCS is safe for use in humans, has no adverse effects, is considered the most non-invasive transcranial stimulation method because it uses extremely weak currents (0.5 to 2 mA), and, is known to only temporarily shift the neuron's membrane potential towards excitation/inhibition. In regard to the method's potential to induce functional recovery in vegetative state patients, recent clinical studies indicate that tDCS could counteract the negative effects of brain damage by influencing neurophysiological mechanisms, and is likely to contribute to the "formation of functionally meaningful connections and the maintenance of existing pathways" .

In this trial, The investigators are going to investigate the improvement of neurological functions and infarced area of the brain in ischemic stroke patients after ingestion of omega 3 products that have high concentrations of DHA and EPA in comparison to control group. The study will assess the improvement by computerized calculation of the size of the infarcted area before and after the intervention and neurological assessment tools. The researchers will follow the scientific and ethical regulations prevent any harmful effect on recruited subjects.

The currently proposed study addresses a critical need in the clinical care of school-aged children with TBI through the modification of an existing, proven efficacious treatment protocol for learning and memory deficits in persons with moderate to severe TBI, the modified Story Memory Technique (mSMT), as well as the conduct of a pilot double blind, placebo-controlled, RCT of this new pediatric adaptation of the mSMT. Over a decade of research and development conducted at our center has demonstrated the mSMT to be effective for improving new learning and memory in adults with TBI, across three realms of functioning: objective behavior, brain functioning and everyday life. This convincing data provides Class I evidence supporting the efficacy of the mSMT for improving new learning and memory in adults with TBI. Clinical applications around the world have equally attested to its utility in the clinical care of adults with TBI. This highlights the tremendous potential of the mSMT to vastly improve the everyday lives and educational successes of children and adoles-cents living with TBI and the resultant learning and memory deficits. The currently proposed pilot work will begin to document that efficacy. The results of this study therefore have the potential to change clinical practice, inform policy, and improve the lives of children and adolescents living with TBI.

Spontaneous hyperventilation is common in severe traumatic brain injury patients and correlates closely with poor outcomes. How to treat this pathological condition remain unsolved. Remifentanil is a frequently used short-acting opioid, has the potent side-effect of dose-dependent respiratory inhibition. Specifically, it prolongs the expiratory time only and does not influence the respiratory drive. Among the safety range, the investigators will determine an ideal dose of remifentanil to maintain PaCO2 between 35 to 45 mmHg. The investigators will monitor the cerebral blood flow of the middle cerebral artery and the internal carotid artery to validate cerebral perfusion improvement.

Motor neglect describes a loss of function without a loss of strength, reflexes or sensation. Motor neglect has been described in patients with traumatic brain injury, stroke and chronic pain conditions, e.g. complex regional pain syndrome. These conditions affect hundreds of thousands of patients in the UK each year and motor neglect is a significant obstacle in their rehabilitation towards a good outcome. By focussing on improving motor neglect, outcomes including function and quality of life for these groups of patients may significantly improve. Motor neglect is potentially reversible. Rehabilitation using repetition, feedback and motivation are beneficial for optimal outcome. Current protocols use face-to-face physical therapies which can not optimise intensity due to a lack of resources. Furthermore, engagement with exercise is recognised to be poor, in part, due to a lack of attention. Innovative technologies may well improve engagement. Furthermore, telemedicine, or remote delivery of healthcare, offer opportunities in resource management, which can be delivered through the use of such innovative technologies. Virtual reality systems have been designed and utilised in rehabilitation in various conditions, e.g post-stroke, cerebral palsy and Parkinson's disease. Studies demonstrate improved function in both upper and lower limbs. Potentially more effective treatments for motor neglect utilising such technology are therefore available but need more formal evaluation. This protocol describes a Phase II randomised controlled trial for both in-patients and out-patients requiring rehabilitation with motor neglect from neurological causes (stroke, traumatic brain injury) and chronic pain conditions (Complex Regional Pain Syndromes, chronic low back pain and referred leg pain (sciatica)). The intervention will be a novel interactive virtual reality system using established technology and tailored software used in conjunction with a treadmill. The control group will be the same screen showing random static images whilst on the treadmill. Rehabilitation for each group will be offered in 3-4 sessions per week for 2 weeks. Each session will last about 30 minutes supervised by a physiotherapist. Follow-up will be by questionnaire at weeks 2, 6 and 12 and by face-to-face consultation at weeks 2 and 12.

To evaluate the effects of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) as an adjunct to usual clinical care for treatment of stress and chronic insomnia for patients with mild to moderate traumatic brain injury (MTBI). MBSR is a standardized protocol of meditation and yoga that has been studied extensively in other populations, however the effects of MBSR have not yet been well studied in the proposed population of service members with a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) who are experiencing insomnia.