Active clinical trials for "Brain Injuries, Traumatic"

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 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.

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.

The purpose of the study is to determine whether familiar vocal stimulation, provided during coma recovery, improves outcomes for persons who are unconscious after severe TBI. The primary hypothesis is that unconscious persons who receive standard rehabilitation (SR) plus a high-dose of Familiar Voice stimulation (FVs) compared to unconscious persons who receive SR plus a sham stimulation (Sham Group) will demonstrate: Significantly more neurobehavioral functioning post-intervention compared to pre-intervention. Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), significantly higher average measures of volumetric activity in the whole brain, middle temporal gyrus bilaterally, primary auditory area, bilateral pre-frontal cortex, hippocampus and/or the cerebellum post-intervention compared to pre-intervention.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant public health problem, with 1.5-2.0 million Americans injured each year. Cognitive deficits, particularly in the domains of memory and attention are frequently the source of lingering disability after TBI and a source of enormous distress to the injured individuals and their family/caregivers. To date, interventions to ameliorate chronic cognitive deficits have been directed at either pharmacological interventions or cognitive rehabilitation. We propose to (1) To compare the efficacy of three interventions: memory and attention training (MAAT), methylphenidate, and memory/attention training in combination with methylphenidate and (2) use functional MRI (fMRI) to characterize changes in activation of the neural circuitry of memory and attention due to MAAT alone, methylphenidate alone, and MAAT in combination with methylphenidate. This is a two by two design with medication (methylphenidate/placebo) and cognitive therapy (Memory and Attention Training (MAAT) or an Attention control intervention) as possible interventions. Using a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind design, 200 individuals with persistent cognitive deficits 6-12 months after MTBI will be randomized to receive a six week trial of either (1) MAAT and placebo, (2) MAAT and methylphenidate (0.3 mg/kg BID), (3) attention control intervention and methylphenidate (0.3 mg/kg BID), or (4) attention control intervention and placebo. Symptom distress, attention and memory performance, and activation patterns of the neural circuitry of attention and memory while undergoing fMRI will be characterized at baseline, and after the four treatment conditions. This study will provide important information on three interventions for the most disabling sequelae of an enormous public health problem. Further, it will help to clarify underlying neural mechanisms and suggest additional treatment possibilities.

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.

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of an Internet-based psychosocial treatment in improving problem-solving, communication skills, stress management strategies, and coping among children who have had a traumatic brain injury and their families.

Analysis of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and oxygenation using complementary focal and global monitoring techniques will permit the delivery of more informed individualised and 'targeted' therapy on the patient with severe head injury, reduce episodes of secondary brain injury and therefore improve outcomes. Aims To develop a deeper understanding of Cerebral Blood Flow and auto-regulation for TBI patients based on the results of data collected in patients post TBI. To establish the basis for further multi modality clinical trials in severely brain injured patients in the future. To improve understanding of the various secondary processes that continue to cause neuronal damage after the initial injury, and therefore affect patient outcome. To proceed to the second phase of the study, with the introduction of algorithms for treatment.

This study is being conducted to quantify the clinical safety and efficacy of head and neck cooling when applied up to 8 days after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) among adolescents participating in sporting activities.

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.