Active clinical trials for "Spinal Cord Injuries"

The investigators goal is to create a better understanding of patient reported outcomes for bladder management strategies (clean intermittent catheterization (CIC), indwelling catheter (IDC) and bladder surgery.

This is a study of factors, such as pain, family support, psychological history and alcohol/substance use, that may influence whether a person experiences depression after their spinal cord injury.

In patients with chronic spinal cord injury, imaging of the spinal cord and brain above the level of the lesion provides evidence of neural degeneration; however, the spatial and temporal patterns of progression and their relation to clinical outcomes are uncertain. New interventions targeting acute spinal cord injury have entered clinical trials but neuroimaging outcomes as responsive markers of treatment have yet to be established. We aim to use MRI to assess neuronal degeneration above and below the level of the lesion after acute spinal cord injury. In our prospective longitudinal study, we enroll patients with acute traumatic spinal cord injury and healthy controls. We assess patients clinically and by MRI at baseline, 2 months, 6 months, 12 months, and if possible 24 months and 60 months follow-up, and controls by MRI at the same timepoints. We assess cervical atrophy in white and gray matter and use cross-sectional spinal cord area measurements to assess atrophy at cervical level (C2/C3) and in the lumbar enlargement. We use myelinsensitive magnetisation transfer (MT) and longitudinal relaxation rate (R1) maps in the brain to assess microstructural changes associated with myelin. We also use diffusion tensor imaging acquired in the spinal cord at C2/C3 and in the lumbar enlargement to identify axonal loss and demyelination in the spinal white matter. Finally, we assess associations between MRI parameters and clinical improvement.

The specific aims of this study are: 1) to assess the test-retest reliability of a modification of an existing wheelchair propulsion assessment and 2) validate the modification against traditional measures of physical strength, power, and endurance in a group of persons with spinal cord injury (SCI).

The goals of this project are to 1)determine the responsiveness of the 6 Minute Push Test (6MPT) and 2) explore the relationship between 6MPT distance and measures of handicap, wheelchair satisfaction, depression, and self-reported avoidance of environmental features.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides wheelchairs to about 42,000 Veterans with SCI and more than 40,000 Veterans with amputated limbs (AL). Despite VA's efforts to remove financial and other barriers to the provision of wheelchairs to all Veterans who need them, preliminary evidence suggests that disparities exist in the quality of wheelchairs prescribed to racial minorities and low income Veterans with SCI or AL. The proposed project will provide important information to the VA about the quality and equity of wheelchairs provided to Veterans with SCI or AL, and it will identify the patient and provider factors associated with wheelchair provision. Because Veterans with SCI and AL are considered special disability populations, identifying and understanding these factors is a critical first step to developing interventions to increase the quality and equity of wheelchairs provided to all disabled Veterans.

Following spinal cord injury (SCI), the body loses normal control of blood pressure and heart rate, and there is a risk of sudden and dangerous increases in blood pressure, namely, autonomic dysreflexia (AD). It is important to be aware of baseline blood pressures and heart rates in individuals in order to detect AD. However, baseline values vary in developing children, and may be more variable in children with SCI. Thus, the objective of this study is to determine baseline blood pressure and heart rate measurements in children with SCI during rest and during urodynamic testing. The investigators hypothesize that 1) blood pressures will increase with increasing age and body mass index; 2) heart rate will decrease with increasing age; 3) blood pressures will increase with increase in bladder filling; 4) blood pressures will increase will increase with increasing duration of injury.

The investigators are studying the clinical worth of the serum markers S-100B and NSE in patients with spinal cord injuries e.g. in patients with vertebral fractures. If there is a injury to the neuronal structures these two proteins could be secreted into the serum and add evidence to the severity of the injury.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the physiology associated with plasticity of the motor system. Plasticity refers to the process by which neighboring brain cells assume the responsibilities of damaged or diseased brain cells. The mechanisms behind this process are unknown. However, researchers have several theories about how plastic changes take place. Possible explanations include the growth of new connections between brain cells and the use of previously unused connections. Researchers plan to use transcranial magnetic stimulation and drug intervention in order to determine the mechanisms responsible for specific types of plasticity. Previous studies have shown that certain drugs can affect the mechanisms involved in these changes. By using one drug at a time, researchers plan to evaluate the role of each of several different mechanisms in brain reorganization.

Objective: To investigate the movement strategy of breathing based on three-compartment model measured by optoelectronic plethysmography (OEP) and electromyography (EMG ) among individuals with and without spinal cord injury in supine posture during deep inspiration. Design: cross sectional repeated-measure with age matched control group. Setting: Motion Analysis Laboratory Participants: Seven tetraplegic and five paraplegic subjects and twelve age matched healthy controls were recruited. Intervention: Not applicable.