Active clinical trials for "Brain Injuries"

The purpose of the study is to see if a person can stand better on their weaker leg does this improve their walking ability following treatment specifically aimed at standing on leg. This will be compared to people who receive normal physiotherapy treatment not treatment specifically focusing on their ability to stand on their weaker leg. The study is being carried out as part of the researcher's Masters Degree. Participants will be allocated to either the control group (normal physiotherapy treatment) or the experimental group (normal physiotherapy plus physiotherapy working specifically on standing on the weaker leg). There is currently some evidence to show that working specifically on standing on one leg can improve a person's walking but this evidence is limited. Consequently, further research is warranted to identify any links between this treatment approach and walking ability.

Children with acquired brain injury (ABI) often struggle with complex impairments, including cognitive (such as memory and attention), social, emotional and behavioral challenges. There is broad agreement that there is a lack of evidence-based knowledge about rehabilitation for children with ABI in the chronic phase. The current study is a feasibility study of a planned randomized controlled trial (RCT), the CICI-intervention, directed towards children with ABI and their families in the chronic phase. The feasibility study aims to evaluate the study protocol, the assessment procedures and the technical solutions prior to performing the RCT. A feasibility study with six participating children and families will be conducted in close collaboration with schools and local health care providers. The intervention to be tested (the CICI-intervention) focuses on the child's and family's individually identified target outcome areas to be addressed, with corresponding rehabilitation goals. The intervention aims to enhance everyday functioning in the home and school environment by reducing ABI-related symptoms, and by attaining rehabilitation goals in areas noted as challenging by the participants. In the future RCT-study the efficacy of the CICI-intervention will be measured in terms of goal attainment, community participation, cognitive, behavioral, social, and family functioning.

The study examines whether infants with a perinatal unilateral brain lesion can perform an "Action Observation Training" [AOT] at the age of 9-12 months . AOT is the targeted and concentrated observation of movements and actions to learn new motor skills. In adults with hemiplegia after a stroke and in older children with hemiplegia, AOT can lead to an improvement in the functions of the affected hand/arm. Infants with early unilateral brain damage are at increased risk of developing a hemiplegia and thus impaired upper limb function. There is little known about treatment options to promote arm and hand skills in early childhood and their effectiveness. In particular, there is a lack of knowledge whether AOT could also be used in infants. It is known that even in infants at an early age brain activity can be measured while they are observing movements and infants learn a lot about observing and imitating. Knowledge about the measurement of manual skills is also reduced. So far, tests have been used to observe and evaluate how infants use their hands when playing (e.g. Mini-Assisting Hand Assessment). The aim of this study is to investigate whether measurements with motion sensors can also be used in infants. In the pre-post study, about 5 to 10 toddlers will be examined. During four weeks, the parents should give the child 20 minutes of AOT per day at home. A therapy diary will be completed for this purpose. During six weeks, the parents will use movement sensors on two days a week for the upper limb of the infants. Finally, three questionnaires about the AOT and the motion sensors will be completed by the parents.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the antipyretic effect of bromocriptine in critically-ill patients with acute neurologic injury and fever from infectious and non-infectious etiologies.

This study aims to determine the validity and safety of disparity driven vergence using a portable goggle system (I-PAS) using a pseudorandom ternary sequence of frequencies for testing.

Some of the most common, persistent, and disabling consequences of traumatic brain injury affect an individual's ability to achieve personal goals. Interventions that strengthen abilities such as being able to concentrate, remember, stay calm and overcome challenges, could have far reaching benefits for Veterans. One challenge in rehabilitation is that response to training can be highly variable, and a better understanding of the neural bases for this variability could inform care. This pilot project will test the clinical behavioral effects of a cognitive skill training intervention and explore to what extent changes in markers of the brain's electrical activity (using the non-invasive technique of electroencephalograms, EEG) can explain differences in responses to skill training.

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a leading cause of sustained physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral deficits in OEF/OIF/OND Veterans and the general public. However, the underlying pathophysiology is not completely understood, and there are few effective treatments for post-concussive symptoms (PCS). In addition, there are substantial overlaps between PCS and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in mTBI. IASIS is among a class of passive neurofeedback treatments that combine low-intensity pulses for transcranial electrical stimulation (LIP-tES) with electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring. Nexalin is another tES technique , with FDA approvals for treating insomnia, depression, and anxiety. LIP-tES techniques have shown promising results in alleviating PCS individuals with TBI. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the effects of LIP-tES treatment in TBI are unknown, owing to the dearth of neuroimaging investigations of this therapeutic intervention. Conventional neuroimaging techniques such as MRI and CT have limited sensitivity in detecting physiological abnormalities caused by mTBI, or in assessing the efficacy of mTBI treatments. In acute and chronic phases, CT and MRI are typically negative even in mTBI patients with persistent PCS. In contrast, evidence is mounting in support of resting-state magnetoencephalography (rs-MEG) slow-wave source imaging (delta-band, 1-4 Hz) as a marker for neuronal abnormalities in mTBI. The primary goal of the present application is to use rs-MEG to identify the neural underpinnings of behavioral changes associated with IASIS treatment in Veterans with mTBI. Using a double-blind placebo controlled design, the investigators will study changes in abnormal MEG slow-waves before and after IASIS treatment (relative to a 'sham' treatment group) in Veterans with mTBI. For a subset of participants who may have remaining TBI symptoms at the end of all IASIS treatment sessions, MEG slow-wave changes will be recorded before and after additional Nexalin treatment. In addition, the investigators will examine treatment-related changes in PCS, PTSD symptoms, neuropsychological test performances, and their association with changes in MEG slow-waves. The investigators for the first time will address a fundamental question about the mechanism of slow-waves in brain injury, namely whether slow-wave generation in wakefulness is merely a negative consequence of neuronal injury or if it is a signature of ongoing neuronal rearrangement and healing that occurs at the site of the injury. Specific Aim 1 will detect the loci of injury in Veterans with mTBI and assess the mechanisms underlying functional neuroimaging changes related to IASIS treatment, and for a subset of Veterans with remaining symptoms, additional Nexalin treatment, using rs-MEG slow-wave source imaging. The investigators hypothesize that MEG slow-wave source imaging will show significantly higher sensitivity than conventional MRI in identifying the loci of injury on a single-subject basis. The investigators also hypothesize that in wakefulness, slow-wave generation is a signature of ongoing neural rearrangement / healing, rather than a negative consequence of neuronal injury. Furthermore, the investigators hypothesize IASIS will ultimately reduce abnormal MEG slow-wave generation in mTBI by the end of the treatment course, owing to the accomplishment of neural rearrangement / healing. Specific Aim 2 will examine treatment-related changes in PCS and PTSD symptoms in Veterans with mTBI. The investigators hypothesize that compared with the sham group, mTBI Veterans in the IASIS treatment group will show significantly greater decreases in PCS and PTSD symptoms between baseline and post-treatment assessments. Specific Aim 3 will study the relationship among IASIS treatment-related changes in rs-MEG slow-wave imaging, PCS, and neuropsychological measures in Veterans with mTBI. The investigators hypothesize that Reduced MEG slow-wave generation will correlate with reduced total PCS score, individual PCS scores (e.g., sleep disturbance, post-traumatic headache, photophobia, and memory problem symptoms), and improved neuropsychological exam scores between post-IASIS and baseline exams. The success of the proposed research will for the first time confirm that facilitation of slow-wave generation in wakefulness leads to significant therapeutic benefits in mTBI, including an ultimate reduction of abnormal slow-waves accompanied by an improvement in PCS and cognitive functioning.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and effects of a cognitive intervention for youth following concussion

Abstract Objective: Investigators examined the feasibility of applying a participation-focused strategy training intervention to community-dwelling adults with cognitive impairments following stroke and brain injury and evaluated its potential effect on participation. Method: Participants with a diagnosis of stroke or brain injury participated in this single-group, repeated-measures study. Participants received 1~2 sessions of strategy training intervention weekly for 8~18 sessions. Outcome measures included the Participation Measure--3 Domains, 4 Dimensions (PM-3D4D), the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM), and feasibility indicators (participants' recruitment, retention, attendance, engagement, comprehension, satisfaction, and intervention adherence).

The objectives of this VA SPiRE application are to develop a combined neuromodulation and yoga (iTBS+yoga) intervention for Veterans with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and chronic pain, assess the intervention's feasibility and acceptability, and to gather preliminary clinical outcome data on quality of life, function and pain that will guide future studies. This SPiRE project will directly benefit Veterans and VA Services by developing a new, non-pharmacological neurorehabilitation treatment for Veterans with mTBI and chronic pain in need of non-opioid treatment options. Neuromodulation is now offered at 30 VA hospitals and yoga is among the complementary and integrative health programs being rolled out as a part of VAs Whole Health implementation efforts. Thus, should iTBS+yoga ultimately prove to be efficacious, VA facilities will be well-poised to offer this treatment. A novel, activity-based, non-pharmacological treatment for Veterans with mTBI and chronic pain is of great need given the high prevalence of chronic pain.