Effectiveness of Music Therapy on Level of Consciousness
Neurologic DisorderTraumatic Brain Injury1 moreIt is known that even in patients with severe disorders of consciousness (DOC), the perception of known stimuli triggers emotional reactions that can be interpreted as an expression of a residual function of consciousness. Music therapy has a long tradition in neurological rehabilitation. Frequently, active therapies with own music making and singing are implemented in clinical settings. In DOC patients, it is more likely to use passive music listening. However, findings on effectiveness are limited, as only a few studies have systematically investigated the effects of music therapy in this population. Therefore, the investigators want to investigate the effectiveness of passive listening to preferred music on the level of consciousness.
Clinical Randomisation of an Anti-fibrinolytic in Symptomatic Mild Head Injury in Older Adults
Traumatic Brain InjuryTranexamic acid (TXA) reduces head injury deaths. The CRASH-4 trial aims to assess the effects of early intramuscular TXA on intracranial haemorrhage, disability, death, and dementia in older adults with symptomatic mild head injury
Efficacy of Nucleo CMP Forte in Traumatic Brain Injury in Pediatrics
Brain InjuriesEfficacy of Nucleo CMP Forte in Traumatic Brain Injury in Pediatrics
Combinatory Rehabilitation Used for Substantially Helping Individuals With Traumatic Brain Injury...
Traumatic Brain InjuryNew learning and memory impairment (NLMI) is a common and devastating manifestation of TBI associated with substantial life burdens. Persons with moderate to severe TBI have shown improvement in NLM for prose material (e.g. story) as well as beneficial changes in default-mode network (DMN) activation during list-learning19 following treatment with the Kessler Foundation modified Story Memory Technique® (KF-mSMT®). Benefits, however, were moderate and did not yield downstream improvements in daily life. It is thus critical to examine other approaches to complement the KF-mSMT® for robustly managing NLMI in TBI. The proposed RCT will be the first to include aerobic exercise training (AET) as a highly-promising complement to the KF-mSMT® for robustly managing NLMI, examining impact on NLM, its neural correlates, and daily life in NLM impaired persons with moderate-to-severe TBI. We thus propose a two-arm, parallel group, double-blind RCT comparing the effects of the KF-mSMT+AET with the KF-mSMT+S/T (active control condition) on NLM (Aim 1), hippocampal MRI (Aim 2), and daily life outcomes (Aim 3). 60 NLM impaired persons with moderate-to-severe TBI will be randomized to one of 2 conditions (30 per condition). Each condition will take place 3 days per week for 12 weeks and will be supervised by KF personnel. Participants will be blinded as to the intent of the conditions. We will further explore baseline predictors of clinically meaningful changes in NLM for those completing the KF-mSMT + AET condition (Exploratory Aim 4). If successful, this trial will position combinatory KF-mSMT and AET within the clinician's arsenal for robustly managing NLMI in persons with TBI. By augmenting the effects of KF-mSMT with AET, this treatment aims to exert a powerful countermeasure to TBI-related NLMI, and ultimately help those with TBI-related NLMI return to the workforce, independently manage their everyday lives, and maintain optimal quality of life. Additionally, while rigorously designed to answer the scientific question of the relative benefit of AET with the KF-mSMT, the proposed study is will likely provide some level of benefit to all study participants. If successful, this trial will provide Class I evidence of combined KF-mSMT and AET for rehabilitating NLMI in TBI, based on standards published for therapeutic trials by the American Academy of Neurology, thus positioning such an approach within the clinician's arsenal for robustly managing NLMI. By augmenting the effects of KF-mSMT with AET, we anticipate this treatment will ultimately help those with TBI-related NLMI return to the workforce, independently manage their everyday lives, and maintain optimal quality of life.
Live Video Mind-body Treatment to Prevent Persistent Symptoms Following mTBI
MTBI - Mild Traumatic Brain InjuryAnxietyThe investigator aims to conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial to test the feasibility of two symptom management programs for college-age individuals with recent concussions and anxiety, TOR-C 1 and TOR-C 2. The investigator will assess the feasibility of recruitment procedures (screening, eligibility, and enrollment) and data collection as well as the feasibility, credibility, and acceptability of the programs (adherence, retention, fidelity, and satisfaction), following prespecified benchmarks. Both programs will be delivered virtually (Zoom).
Cooling Helmets to Decrease Concussion Symptoms
ConcussionMild1 moreCurrent therapy of Mild traumatic brain injuries (TBI) revolves around symptomatic care, rest, and return to school/sport/work after symptoms have resolved. The standard intervention for sufferers of mild traumatic brain injury is brain rest, which aims to decrease symptom intensity and duration, prevent re-injury and second impact syndrome via cessation of physical and cognitive activity, and to gradually increase activity as tolerated. Increased brain temperature can be a secondary injury result in TBI. There are limited studies, primarily in the sports medicine literature, that show head-neck cooling can be a useful adjunct as a treatment for mild TBI. Our objective will be to evaluate concussive symptoms via the Post-Concussion Symptom Severity Score Index by conducting patient follow up interviews at different timepoints over 72 hours after an emergency department visit for the head injury where head and neck cooling was applied.
Inhaled Nitric Oxide in Brain Injury
Traumatic Brain InjuryThis study will evaluate the changes in respiratory mechanics following traumatic brain injury and determine the effect of inhaled nitric oxide on gas exchange.
Remote Ischemic Conditioning as a Treatment for Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic Brain InjuryTrauma4 moreThe prevention of secondary brain injury is a primary goal in treating patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Secondary brain injury results from tissue ischemia induced by increased vascular resistance in the at-risk brain tissue due to compression by traumatic hematomas, and development of cytotoxic and vasogenic tissue edema. While traumatic hematomas may be managed surgically, cytotoxic and vasogenic edema with resulting perfusion impairment perpetuates brain ischemia and injury. Animal models suggest that remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) can reverse these effects and improve perfusion. Based on these findings it is hypothesized that RIC will exert beneficial effects on TBI in man, thereby representing a new therapeutic strategy for severe TBI. Patients presenting to our institution suffering from severe TBI will be considered for enrollment. Eligible patients will have sustained a blunt, severe TBI (defined by Glasgow Coma Scale <8) with associated intra-cranial hematoma(s) not requiring immediate surgical decompression, with admission to an intensive care unit and insertion of an intra-cranial pressure monitor. Patients will be randomized to RIC versus sham-RIC intervention cohorts. RIC interventions will be performed using an automated device on the upper extremity delivering 20 cumulative minutes of limb ischemia in a single treatment session. The planned enrollment is a cohort of 40 patients. Outcomes of this study will include multiple domains. Our primary outcome will include serial assessments of validated serum biomarkers of neuronal injury and systemic inflammation. Secondary outcomes will include descriptions of the clinical course of each patient, radiologic assessment of brain perfusion, and neurocognitive and psychological assessment post-discharge. If clinical outcomes are improved using RIC, this study would support RIC as a novel treatment for TBI. Its advantages include safety and simplicity and, requiring no specialized equipment, its ability to be used in any environment including pre-hospital settings or in austere theatres. The investigators anticipate that TBI patients treated with RIC will have improved clinical, biochemical, and neuropsychological outcomes compared to standard treatment protocols.
Mild TBI Assessment & Rehabilitation
Brain InjuriesTraumaticOne of the most pressing concerns within the VA currently is the provision of interventions that address the cognitive as well as emotional problems faced by Veterans with mild TBI and comorbid conditions. When completed, these studies will inform us whether training core attentional self-regulatory control functions via personally-relevant activities will be effective in improving daily life for Veterans with mild TBI and comorbid conditions. The study design will provide a test not only of potential benefits for real life functioning, but also determine to what extent these benefits are related to actual changes in cognitive/behavioral performance and brain networks corresponding to these functions. This project will provide a foundation for future studies to investigate the neural mechanisms that support improvements of cognition and behavior in mTBI.
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) Neuromodulation of Executive Function Across Neuropsychiatric...
Traumatic Brain InjuryMajor Depressive Disorder5 moreIn the current study, the investigators aim to understand the role of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in improving executive function across neuropsychiatric populations known to have deficits in this cognitive domain.