Active clinical trials for "Stroke"

Motor impairment is one of the most common result of a stroke, which causes disability and difficulties in activities of daily living. This motor impairment can concern the upper limb or the lower limb, or both. Several studies investigates the efficacy of different treatment approaches on upper limb and hand function. None of them combined exercise in a virtual context with Action Observation Therapy, consisting in watching an action before doing it. This study evaluates the addition of Action Observation Therapy (AOT) to Virtual Reality (VR) in the rehabilitation of upper limb impairment in subacute stroke patients. Half of participants will see a video demonstrating the exercise to be performed before its actual execution, while the other half will see a video of a natural landscape followed by the same exercises the other group performs. All the patients will receive additional usual treatment.

The objective of this study is to create a comprehensive, real-world, multi-center observational registry of consecutive patients admitted to hospitals with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) caused by large vessel occlusions (LVO), who are treated with either endovascular therapy (EVT) or the best available medical management (BMM).

Background: Stroke, also known as acute cerebrovascular attack, is the leading cause of long-term disability worldwide. Stroke survivors are often left with permanent physical and mental disabilities. Many stroke patients receive different therapies in an attempt to improve their independence and quality of life. However, current strategies are focused on the acute stage after stroke and are of limited influence in improving stroke outcome. One of the main problems of patients who have suffered a stroke is the difficulty in using the hand on the opposite side of the affected hemisphere of the brain; to date, researchers have no successful means to improve the hand function in chronic stages of stroke. Researchers are interested in developing a pool of individuals for further research into hand and motor function after a stroke. Objectives: - To perform a screening evaluation of patients referred with stroke to determine their eligibility for current and future protocols studying the effects of stroke on the nervous system and motor function. Eligibility: - Individuals who have experienced a single stroke on only one side of the brain that occurred at least 3 months prior to participation in the screening study. Individuals must have some residual hand motor function. Design: Participants in this study will be recruited from patient referrals. Eligible participants will undergo a 4- to 5-hour screening with a medical history, physical and neurological examination, stroke evaluation, and an anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain. The screening visit may be done over the course of more than one day, if needed for patient convenience or test availability. In addition to the initial outpatient visit, subjects may remain enrolled in this study for up to 15 years and may be contacted to see if they qualify for new branch studies. Subjects may be re-examined up to once per year while they remain in this protocol to confirm ongoing eligibility. The re-examination visits will involve a neurologic evaluation and possible repeat MRI. No clinical care will be provided under this protocol..

The International Pediatric Stroke Study (IPSS) was established in 2003 as a multi-center, multi-national clinical research registry. Over the years, it has grown to become a highly successful study vehicle for pediatric stroke research across over 100 institutions worldwide. Today, The IPSS continues to serve as the global clinical data and imaging core for multi-disciplinary pediatric experts who perform international collaborative research to better understand, prevent, and improve outcomes in pediatric stroke. The robust dataset and cohesive network enable high caliber and ground-breaking research in the field. Participating sites enroll neonates or children who have had an ischemic stroke or are at high risk of having a stroke into the registry. Participants have their medical and research records reviewed for information about their stroke and abstracted into a secure electronic database called REDCap. The IPSS also provides an attractive imaging platform (through the Stroke Imaging Lab for Children, SILC, housed at SickKids) for sites to share clinically acquired brain images that will complement the clinical dataset. The clinical and imaging datasets will improve our understanding of the processes underlying plasticity and recovery in childhood stroke.

The purpose of this study is to establish a methodological framework based on existing advanced neuroimaging technologies as a new clinical neuroimaging tool for assessment of possible affected brain connections in stroke and TIA patients. Thus, providing new insights into microstructural changes that may underline why those patients experience deficits like fatigue.

In a prospective, quantitative explorative study, the risk of aspiration and penetration when swallowing solid pills (placebo) compared to a crushed placebo pill will be evaluated during a routine Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES). The study design is thus a quasi-experimental study design with repeated measurements in the sense of a pre-posttest. Each patient undergoes a baseline examination (routine procedure) followed by the intervention (administration of three different solid pills and a crushed pill).

The purpose of the REVISAR PMCF is to collect data in clinical practice of the APERIO® and APERIO® Hybrid(17) Thrombectomy Device, which are intended to restore blood flow in the neurovasculature by removing thrombus in patients experiencing ischemic stroke. Recanalization status will be assessed at the end of the procedure using the modified TICI (Thrombolysis in cerebral infarction) score.

Injured brain tissue supplied by a disturbed state of cerebral autoregulation (CA) is at risk of secondary ischemia, e.g. in patients with stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage or bacterial Meningitis. Up to now, there is lack of a simple and easy to perform bed side test that would allow for to intervene when CA failure is indicated. For this purpose, we explore the dynamics of the interplay between blood pressure and cerebral blood flow velocity using transcranial Doppler ultrasound (or near infrared spectroscopy derived haemoglobin concentration changes) as a measure of CA. To describe these dynamics different mathematical models are used, but they all still need validation and proof of concept because these dynamics are poorly understood with respect to the factors which influence the composition of the mathematical models. Objectives: To what amount is CA disturbed in the different stroke subgroups ? Is a disturbed CA a risk factor of poorer outcome ?

Prediction of walking recovery after stroke can inform patient-centered care and support discharge planning. The accuracy of current prediction models is limited, however, due to small study designs and narrow predictors assessed. The investigators propose a comprehensive evaluation of a novel combination of biomarkers to improve prediction of walking recovery and guide rehabilitation efforts after stroke. These include acute structural brain network disruption (utilizing MRI); blood biomarker levels (e.g., brain-derived neurotrophic factor and vascular endothelial growth factor); and clinical assessments of strength and mobility. The overall study objectives are to assess protocol feasibility and investigate relationships between select biomarkers and walking recovery to provide strong justification for a larger study on predictors of independent walking after stroke. The proposed objectives will be pursued through the following specific aims: 1) Assess feasibility of a larger study and develop methods for telehealth data collection; 2) Establish baseline levels of biomarkers and average change over time; and 3) Elucidate relationships between baseline levels of biomarkers and walking gains across time in persons after stroke. A longitudinal, observational study design will be utilized for this study. Thirty-five persons with acute (≤7 days) stroke will be recruited from the local medical center. Select inclusion criteria include presence of new lower limb weakness and assistance for walking; select exclusion criteria include cerebellar stroke or other neurological disorders such as Parkinson's Disease. Subjects will undergo clinical evaluation at week 1, 4, 9, 12, and 26 weeks post-stroke. MRI scans will occur within 12 days post-stroke and at 12 weeks post-stroke, and blood draws within 1 week, 1 to 2 weeks and at 12 weeks post-stroke. To assess feasibility the investigators will examine study processes, recruitment, resources, study management, and scientific assessment. To examine the role of acute clinical, neuroimaging, and physiological measures in predicting walking recovery, the investigators will examine relationships between these measures and walking outcome at 12-weeks post-stroke. The proposed research is expected to provide strong scientific support for future clinical trials designed to target therapies based on predicted functional potential. Such knowledge has the potential of enhancing mobility gains and patient independence following stroke.

The focus of this study is to perform a preliminary assessment of the efficacy of the BurtVision system. While the Burt robotic-arm assists the patient's upper-limb in their movements, BurtVision will allow the patient to perform unimanual and bimanual activities while leveraging augmented reality games. The investigators will compare clinical outcomes when the BurtVisions ystem is used for training solely relying on unimanual tasks vs. when it is used for training relying on both unimanual and bimanual tasks.