View clinical trials related to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
Filter by:This study evaluates the effect of retigabine (600 mg/day, 900 mg/day, or placebo) on motor neuron activity in people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The total study duration is approximately 14 weeks. ALS subjects will take study drug for approximately 10 weeks.
Study 201283 is an exploratory, non-controlled, non-drug study in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) subjects. This study is being conducted as the first step for developing new meaningful measure(s) which might prove to be more effective than existing measures for monitoring clinical function and disease course in ALS. The objective of this study is to test novel measures of movement/physical activity, heart rate and speech and explore how they measure disease progression by evaluating their relationship to gold standard measures of function. This study will be conducted in two phases. A variable length Pilot Phase to test biotelemetry instruments and algorithms reliability and ease of use/acceptance. Approximately 5 subjects will have at least 1 clinic visit to perform a series of set reference tasks while wearing the accelerometer and electrode. Subjects will also continuously wear the accelerometer and electrode in their routine home-life setting for approximately 3 days after the clinic visit (i.e., home monitoring). Subjects in the Pilot Phase will continue in the study and participate in the Core Study Phase. A 48 week Core Study Phase will be conducted to evaluate how measures of movement/physical activity, speech and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) relate to ALS disease progression. During this phase, a maximum of 25 subjects will be enrolled. Subjects will attend 5 clinic visits to perform gold standard measures of function and perform a series of set reference tasks while wearing the accelerometer and electrode. In between clinic visits, every month subjects will attach the accelerometer and electrode and wear it for approximately 3 days in their home. A telephone contact with the subject will be made by the site at the end of each 3-day home monitoring period. All third party trademark rights are the rights of their respective owners.
Background: Some people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) have a high level of the virus HERV-K in their blood. Researchers do not think this virus causes ALS. But they don t know why some people with ALS have a high level of it. They want to know if HERV-K can be suppressed by drugs that are used to treat HIV infection. Objectives: To learn how drugs usually taken for HIV infection affect people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Eligibility: Adults at least 18 years old with ALS and high levels of HERV-K but no HIV. Design: Interested participants can contact the study team and, if eligible, the study team will arrange for a screening blood draw to determine the HERV-K level. Participants with a high HERV-K level will be screened with medical history, physical exam, questionnaires, nerve conduction test, lumbar puncture, and blood and breathing tests. After screening, participants will start taking the 4 study drugs. Participants will have up to 12 study visits over a period of 72 weeks. After starting study drugs, they will have study visits at Weeks 1 and 4 and then every 4 weeks until Week 28. They will be asked how they are feeling and have an exam and blood drawn. At 3 visits, they will have tests of nerve conduction, breathing, and their ALS symptoms. At Week 24, they will stop taking the study drugs and may have a repeat lumbar puncture. After the Week 48 visit, their participation is finished.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is the most common motor neuron diseases. It is considered as a rare disease with a prevalence of about 8 per 100,000 persons. Initiating in mid-life by progressive paralysis, it evolves rapidly into a generalized muscle wasting that leads irrevocably to death within 2 or 5 years of clinical onset. Since there is no cure for ALS, the management of the disease is supportive and palliative. Riluzole is the only drug that has been shown to extend survival by about three months. The identification of biomarkers sensitive to the progression of the disease might enhance the diagnostic and provide new drug targets. Dysfunction of the immune system is a pathological hallmark of ALS. Increased levels of interferon gamma (IFNgamma) were found in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of ALS patients. However, the cell origin as well as the pathogenic influence of this peripheral source of IFNg is unknown. Thus, IFNgamma might have a role in the pathogenic process of ALS and might be a potential biomarker of the disease.
This is a phase II feasibility, safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy study of an e-Health application versus in-person nutritional counseling to maintain or increase weight in patients with neurodegenerative diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson's Disease (PD) and Huntington's disease (HD). Primary Objectives include the feasibility, safety, tolerability and efficacy of an e-Health application to maintain or increase body weight compared to in-person nutritional counseling. Secondary Objectives are to measure the number of calories required to maintain or increase body weight in neurodegenerative diseases at all stages of the disease. Tertiary Objectives are to test the effects of an e-Health application compared to in-person nutritional counseling on disease progression using the ALSFRS-R, UHDRS or UDysRS, on survival, and on quality of life using the PROMIS SF v1.1 scale.
The purpose of this research study is to evaluate tau distribution in the brain of subjects with: ALS caused by different genetic mutations, any mutation carriers (with or without symptoms), any non-mutation carrier, any sporadic FTD, normal controls.
Neuroinflammation, characterized in particular by microglia activation, is an essential component of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) pathogenesis. Translocator Protein (TSPO) is recognized as a specific and sensitive biomarker of neuroinflammation, reflecting disease activity. An experimental radiopharmaceutical specific of TSPO expression, namely [18F]DPA714, allow to quantify this microglial activation using Positon Emission Tomography (PET) imaging. The purpose of this study is to longitudinally correlate the spatial distribution of neuroinflammation with the pro- or anti-inflammatory state of activated microglia cells in ALS, in order to evaluate neurotoxic or neuroprotective microglia activity, by complementary approaches in 20 ALS patients: - in vitro: measuring concentrations of several pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines secreted by microglial cells in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). - in vivo: [18F]DPA714 PET imaging. These assays will be performed in the framework of the clinical follow-up of ALS patients, at the diagnosis of ALS disease and 6 months latter.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a disabling and rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disorder. There is no treatment that significantly slows progression. Increasing age is an important risk factor for developing ALS; thus, the societal impact of this devastating disease will become more profound as the population ages. A significant hurdle to finding effective treatment has been an inability to accurately measure brain degeneration in humans. Advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques hold promise in this respect, and may assist in aiding diagnosis and the efficient testing of new drugs. Different MRI features of brain degeneration will be measured in a large sample of patients with ALS. The study will operate within the Canadian ALS Neuroimaging Consortium (CALSNIC). CALSNIC is a clinical research platform comprised of ALS clinics with standardized clinical and neuroimaging protocols.
The purpose of the study is to determine the safety and possible effectiveness of Autologous Adipose-Tissue Derived Stem Cells treatment in a Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis(ALS) patient.
A strength measurement device called Accurate Test of Limb Isometric Strength (ATLIS) was developed to precisely and conveniently measure static limb strength in patients with ALS. The investigator will compare ATLIS data with data from the commonly used ALS outcomes measure, the ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R), as well as an exploratory measure, electrical impedance myography (EIM), in a prospective, longitudinal study. Both outcomes measures will be performed on 100 subjects collected preferably at bi-monthly clinic visits during the study period.