Active clinical trials for "Stroke"

Upper limb recovery is not predicted by the initial severity of paralysis and the parameters reflecting the integrity of the corticospinal tract (e.g. motor evoked potential, fractional anisotropy in diffusion tensor imaging). Although the inhibition of the contralesional hemisphere is known to be beneficial for the upper limb recovery after stroke in previous studies, this is not proven in the severely paralyzed upper limb. And the studies using the noninvasive stimulation in subacute stroke is lack. In addition, the role of contralesional (unaffected) hemisphere is known to be playing the important role in severe stroke. In this randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled studies, the patients with subacute stroke (<3 months after stroke onset), severe paralysis of the upper limb with poor prognosis (poor motor score and no response of motor evoked potential recorded in the extensor carpi radialis muscle) will be recruited. Interventional group will receive the 25 mins of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the contralesional premotor area plus 25 mins of robotic arm training per session for 10 sessions in 2 weeks. Control group will receive the same treatment except for sham tDCS instead of anodal tDCS over the contralesional premotor area. Functional outcome will be measured before and after the intervention (baseline, immediately after the intervention and 1 month after the intervention). Cortical activation pattern will be measured by the electroencephalography (EEG) at baseline and immediately after the intervention.

Stroke patients with severe upper limb movement deficits have limited treatment options and often remain severely handicapped at the chronic stage. Recent findings have suggested that poor motor recovery can be due to severe damage of the cortico-spinal tract (CST), the neural fibres connecting the movement regions of the brain to the spinal cord. Hence, to improve recovery of upper limb movements it will be crucial to re-establish and strengthen CST projections. Recent studies provided evidence that closed-loop brain computer interface-driven electrical stimulation of the paretic muscles can induce clinically important and lasting recovery of upper limb function, even in patients with chronic, severe motor affection. In this treatment approach, movement intentions of the patients are detected with electroencephalography and real-time analyses. This triggers an electrical stimulation of affected upper limb muscles. In this study, the investigators hypothesize that neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) applied contingent to voluntary activation of primary motor cortex, as detected by a brain-computer interface (BCI), can help restore CST projections. This might improve recovery of patients with severe upper limb movement deficits. Treatment will be started within the first 8 weeks after stroke onset.

The aim of the study is to perform a randomized double-blind placebo controlled prospective study in newborn infants with MRI confirmed Middle Cerebral Artery (MCA) Perinatal Arterial Ischemic Stroke (PAIS) with darbepoetin. It will be investigated whether intravenous administered darbepoetin can induce the formation of neuronal tissue and restore brain function in neonates who suffered from PAIS compared to placebo treated controls. The ultimate goal of this study is therefore to develop a therapy using erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA) such as darbepoetin to reduce or even prevent lifelong consequences of PAIS-related brain injury in this group of term newborns.

The investigators aim to test whether intensive training of finger individuation during the sensitive window of the subacute phases can lead to a clinically-meaningful recovery of dexterous movement in stroke patients.

Stroke represents one of the main causes of adult disability and will be one of the main contributors to the burden of disease in 2030. However, the healthcare systems are not able to respond to the current demand let alone its future increase. There is a need to deploy new approaches that advance current rehabilitation methods and enhance their efficiency. One of the latest approaches used for the rehabilitation of a wide range of deficits of the nervous system is based on virtual reality (VR) applications, which combine training scenarios with dedicated interface devices. Market drivers exist for new ICT based treatment solutions. IBEC/ Eodyne Systems has developed and commercialised the Rehabilitation Gaming System (RGS), a science-based ICT solution for neurorehabilitation combining brain theory, AI, cloud computing and virtual reality and targeting motor and cognitive recovery after stroke. RGS provides a continuum of evaluations and therapeutic solutions that accompany the patient from the clinic to the therapy centre. RGS has been clinically validated showing its superiority over other products while reducing cost also through its use of standard off-the-shelf hardware and a Software as a Service model (SaaS). Commercial evaluations have shown that RGS acts as a workforce multiplier while delivering a high quality of care at clinical centres (RGS@Clinic). However, in order to achieve significant benefits in the patients' QoL, it is essential that RGS becomes an at home solution providing 24/7 monitoring and care. For this reason, this project aims at investigating the RGS acceptability and adoption model. The findings derived from this study will contribute to establish a novel and superior neurorehabilitation paradigm that can accelerate the recovery of hemiparetic stroke patients. Besides the clinical impact, such achievement could have relevant socioeconomic impact.

A phase 1, single-ascending dose clinical trial will be conducted. This study will be designed to test increasing doses of multimodal exercise in successive cohorts of six participants (cumulative 3 + 3 design)[22] (Figure 1). Maximum dose is reached when two or more participants experience DLT. DLT, dose-limiting tolerance. The 'dose' will be defined as the ability to reach a fixed maximal level of exercise (type, duration (including session length) in the first two weeks post-stroke without experiencing dose-limiting tolerance (DLT). DLT thresholds will be based on failure to complete more than 20% of prescribed 3-day rehabilitation dose due to pain, rate of perceived exertion, fatigue, or effort required. Rehabilitation and measurement sessions will be held at either at the Stroke or Geriatric Units at Campus Sint-Jan, Genk or at the rehabilitation unit at Sint-Barbara, Lanaken, with medical services on site. All participants will be monitored for fatigue and pain pre, during and at post-intervention daily. The researchers (PI of project [Dr Peter Hallet, ZOL] Postdoctoral Researcher [Dr Lisa Tedesco Triccas, UHasselt] and PhD/Masters Students [UHasselt) will conduct the clinical tests and will conduct the rehabilitation program.

Branch atheromatous disease (BAD) has been reported to contribute to small-vessel occlusion and is associated with a higher possibility of early neurological deterioration (END). Because the pathology of BAD is due to atherosclerosis, the investigators postulate that early intensive medical treatment with dual antiplatelet therapy(DAPT) and high-intensity statin may prevent END and recurrent stroke. The investigators hypothesise that intensive medical therapy can prevent END in BAD using aspirin, clopidogrel and high-intensity statin.

The project aims to implement workstations for mobility training during intensive inpatient rehabilitation to increase the level of motor activity of individuals with hemiparesis due to stroke

The research purpose is to investigate the feasibility of using a motor-cable-driven system for wrist and forearm recovery of hemiplegic subjects suffered from stroke, where assistive force would be generated from cables connected to pulleys and electrical motors. The system may use EMG signal to control the movements.

According to the random number table, all patients were divided into short-term treatment group, long-term treatment group and non-intervention stroke control group according to the proportion of (1:1:1) epilepsy disease modifier idebenone. Patients in the short-term treatment group will take idebenone for a total course of 14 days (acute period) after stroke, and patients in the long-term treatment group will take idebenone for a total course of 3 months after stroke.