View clinical trials related to Brain Injuries.
Filter by:The use of Event Related Potentials (ERP) and neurocognitive performance in patients following concussion has been examined previously in small cohorts and relatively long after concussion occurred. However, little is known about the immediate changes in brain activity in specific brain regions and connectivity across them associated with performance on specific neurocognitive tests following a concussion, and the subsequent changes over time. The proposed study will provide initial evidence for the feasibility of an ERP based biomarker for concussion reflecting temporal and spatial changes in brain activity as well as brain functional connectivity associated with concussion.
Background: - Repeated exposure to explosions may lead to changes in the way that people think or feel. Breachers (people trained to use explosives to get into buildings) are exposed to repeated blasts as part of their job. Researchers want to study how they might be affected by blast exposure. Breachers will be compared with other groups who have different levels of exposure to repeated blasts. Information will also be obtained from spouses or close companions. Objectives: - To study the effects of repeated exposure to low-level blasts on thinking, memory, behavior, and brain function. Eligibility: - Experienced military and civilian breachers, experienced active duty artillery operators, and active duty military without frequent blast exposure, 18 and 60 years of age. - Spouses or close companions of these individuals. Design: - Participants will be screened with a physical exam and medical history. Blood samples will be collected and a urine pregnancy test will be required of participants (not companions) before MRI scanning. - Participants will spend up to 5-days as a NIH clinic outpatient, with about 6 hours of tests each day. Tests will include the following: - Medical and professional history, with questions about exposures to blasts - Tests of thinking, memory, and concentration - Balance tests - Hearing tests - Imaging studies, such as magnetic resonance imaging, to look at the brain - Overnight sleep study to monitor brain waves - Blood samples - Participants will return 1 year later for a 3-day followup visit. Some of the tests from before will be repeated. A spouse or close companion (if available) will be asked to complete questionnaires or have a telephone interview....
This research project aims to find out if a multiplayer online video game can provide therapeutic benefit for people who have survived a brain injury. Video games provide therapeutic benefits in many contexts (Griffiths, 2005). Players of online multiplayer games behave altruistically and form friendships (Wang and Wang, 2008). These positive emotional effects may enhance cognitive rehabilitation, because the cognitive and emotional sides of rehabilitation are connected (Mateer, 2005). The hypothesis is thus: that playing multiplayer online games can be a useful form of cognitive rehabilitation for brain-injured people. This research will identify whether or not multi-player online video games may be used as a complementary therapeutic tool. A further aim is to develop guidelines which would help others considering the use of video games for cognitive rehabilitation.
The purpose of this study is to learn if a new brain imaging technology called DaTscan can detect subtle changes in the brain that are similar to those seen in early Parkinson's disease (PD). The results of this study may provide more information about a possible association between mild to moderate traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and PD. The objectives of this study are to define and describe a group of approximately 7,122 mTBI subjects and 7,122 subjects without mTBI (mTBI-) seen in the Emergency Rooms of NorthShore University HealthSystem during the years 2006-2011, and to select from willing eligible subjects a random sample of 100 mTBI subjects and 100 mTBI- subjects (of the same age and gender) to undergo written informed consent, neurological examinations, blood drawing for DNA extraction and storage, and DaTscan brain imaging. The investigators will compare the findings from persons who experienced mTBI (cases) to persons without a history of brain injury (mTBI- or "controls").
This is a placebo-controlled study intended to examine the effects of the neutraceutical citicholine, together with omega-3 fatty acids, on a range of measures in individuals with concussive head injury, often referred to as traumatic brain injury, or TBI. The study will consist of three visits, during which participants will complete brain scans, a thorough testing battery and a clinical interview to assess mood and other diagnostic information relevant to the study.
The investigators primary objective is to acquire preliminary data on one-hundred former NFL veterans with at least one full year of professional service using brain SPECT imaging in order to assess the degree to which NFL football puts players at risk for traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI severity shall be gauged via visual inspection by a clinician trained in neuroanatomy, and also by a statistical comparison of subjects' brains to an in-house proprietary database comprised of the brains of healthy subjects. The investigators secondary objective is to acquire additional data on these players such that investigators may establish causative factors and risks associated with said TBI. The investigators tertiary objective is to acquire data on subjects using various mental health metrics in order to determine the effects of TBI.
The primary objective is to assess the long-term impact of hormonal deficiency on Quality of Life (QoL) in a large group of moderate and severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) patients.
The purpose of this study is to explore and potentially increase the capacity of the non-VA community mental health system within the state of Colorado to provide a comprehensive and coordinated service delivery system for Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Veterans and their families. The specific population of interest is OEF/OIF Veterans with a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and co-occurring behavioral health issues.
The purpose of this study is to examine differences in post-concussive (PC) symptom endorsement among four groups of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Veterans: those with a history of target, service-related, mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Group 1); those with a history of target, service-related, mTBI only (Group 2); those with PTSD only (Group 3); and those with no history of target, service-related, mTBI or PTSD (Group 4) by examining scores on the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI). Support for this study is provided by previous research highlighting the complex relationship between mTBI, PTSD and subsequent PC symptom endorsement (Brenner et al. 2010; Terrio et al, 2009). HYPOTHESES ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1. Individuals with a history of target, service-related, mTBI only (Group 2) and individuals with PTSD only (Group 3) each will report significantly more PC symptoms, as measured by NSI total scores, when compared to those with no history of service-related mTBI or PTSD (Group 4). 2. Individuals with co-occurring target, service-related, mTBI history and PTSD (Group 1) will report significantly more PC symptoms, as measured by total NSI scores, than either those with target, service-related, mTBI only (Group 2) or those with PTSD only (Group 3).
The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between attempted and/or completed suicide and reported experience of chronic pain among an adult veteran population. Specific aims include a) examining the experience of chronic pain between patients who have either attempted and/or completed suicide, non-suicide attempt mental health patients, and non-mental health chronic pain patients and b) determining possible differences in reported experiences of chronic pain based on mental and physical diagnoses, age, gender, ethnicity, occupation, and patient's recorded perceptions of depression and/or quality of life. As articulated in the Amendment approved on June 13, 2008, additional areas of interest include histories of neurological disease (e.g. traumatic brain injury) and/or mental health diagnoses. History of both neurologic disease and mental health diagnoses will also be identified by chart review (per approval obtained June 13, 2008). As such this study will also compare differences (e.g., mental health, neurological disease) between veterans who have history of a suicide attempt, completion, or a lifetime history of suicidality and matched control veterans without a history of suicide attempts, completions, or lifetime history of suicide. The relationship between suicidal behavior, attempted/completed suicide, and reported Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms among an adult veteran population is also of interest. Additionally, this data set will be used to complete a validation study regarding the Self-Directed Violence Classification System (SDVCS). Specifically, relevant information in subject chart notes regarding self-directed violence (SDV) will be used to categorize thoughts and behaviors according to the SDVCS.