View clinical trials related to Brain Injuries.
Filter by:The management of patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) represents a topic of great importance and topicality in the medical-scientific field because of the complexity and extent of associated disabilities and the difficulty in identifying effective therapeutic approaches. Despite significant advances in neuroscience, much remains to be elucidated about the mechanisms that regulate consciousness, and which of these to act on to stimulate plasticity and thus promote responsiveness and functional recovery in patients. Evidence on treatments that promote arousal and communication skills in individuals with DoC is still limited. Among the possible interventions proposed in the literature, sensory stimulation would act by stimulating synaptic plasticity, counteracting the sensory deprivation to which these patients are exposed. Published studies on the topic have produced results that are not unique and difficult to compare across different stimulation protocols (content, intensity, frequency, modality), settings and patient populations.
Disorder of consciousness (DoC) is a state in which consciousness is altered because of brain damage and can occur under a variety of conditions: in fact, the most frequent causes of DoC are vascular disease, head trauma, and cerebral hypoxia. DoCs result from the loss of regulation of neural function of the two components of consciousness, alertness and awareness. Depending on the patient's behavior and responsiveness, DoCs can be identified in different states, from coma to persistent vegetative state (VS) to intermittent minimally conscious state (MCS). Regarding the prognosis of recovery, in patients with DoC the chance of having functional improvement decreases with time, although some positive functional changes have been observed in chronic patients. Therapies for DoC include some drugs, such as dopaminergic, GABAergic and amantadine drugs, which work to facilitate the recovery of consciousness. Neurorehabilitation, however, seems to be the most recognized intervention that aims to strengthen, in uninjured brain regions, the spontaneous neuroplasticity that occurs to compensate for lost function. Simultaneous stimulation of multiple senses, such as hearing, sight and smell, provides the neural network with more stimuli that are more effective than a single stimulus. In fact, multisensory stimuli can more easily activate attention because cortical processing is predominantly multimodal. As for content, it would seem that those with autobiographical and emotionally salient character could engage multiple brain networks and have priority access to attention. Numerous trials show that stimulus-containing content led to increased behavioural activity, improving self-awareness in patients with DoC. Considering that a communication system that can combine both visual and auditory channels proves to be more effective than a "single-sense" channel, multisensory stimulation is likely to provide simultaneous activation of different brain areas by enhancing plasticity processes. Furthermore, the intensity of stimulation could be one of the main variables with greater impact on the patient: in fact, higher intensity would correspond to a greater effect on the brain.
Severe Acquired Brain Injury (sABI), with a more or less prolonged state of coma, generally causes disruption of the physiological modes of swallowing and feeding and the physiological abilities of communication and phonation. There is broad agreement in the scientific literature for early intervention by the entire rehabilitation team. In the specific case of swallowing and phonatory function, speech therapist intervention is indicated with the goal of restoring the automatic and voluntary movements of the muscles involved in the performance of the previously mentioned functions. Speech-language treatment of buccal structures, sensation, motor and praxie is recommended in conjunction with other types of approaches (dietary modifications, compensation techniques, postural modifications). In the acute and early subacute phase of patients with sABI with a vigilance level of less than 4 according to the Levels of Cognitive Functioning scale, alterations in bucco-linguo-facial structures and swallowing can be observed that prevent the execution of a correct motor pattern of phonation and swallowing. For this reason, passive and/or active stimulation aimed at restoring sensitivity, strength, and movement coordination of the bucco-linguo-facial and laryngeal muscles is necessary to rehabilitate the prerequisites for the initiation of feeding, to restore adequate afferents, and to stimulate communication. A careful search of the literature shows that over the past decade many studies in the rehabilitation field have sought to understand the effects of local vibration therapy at various levels of the central nervous system and the possible benefits in neurorehabilitation. From a speech therapy perspective, there are only three studies on the area of dysphonia in cases of upper laryngeal nerve palsy, combining traditional treatment with the use of Novafon®, a sound wave medical device used for Local Vibrational Therapy. The results show greater improvements in vocal function and voice quality when classical treatment is combined with Local Vibrational Therapy. These studies conclude by affirming the need for further research with a larger sample size to analyze the potential effectiveness of Novafon® applied to the recovery of vocal cord paralysis.
This is an exploratory observational study. Broadcasted video footage is used to review all head impacts during all 64 matches in the football tournament. All head impacts are registered, and simple descriptive statistics are used to create overviews of the head impact characteristics, including video signs of potential concussion, observed contact, location of the head impact, presence and timing of medical assessment, whether there was foul play and sanction, and if the player was substituted.
This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of novel cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)-based intervention designed to improve functional memory symptoms after concussion. Participants will be randomized to CBT or an attention-matched control intervention (cognitive rehabilitation). The primary outcomes for this trial are feasibility metrics, including recruitment, patient-perceived credibility of treatment, patient adherence to treatment, therapists' compliance with the treatment protocol, and retention.
The purpose of this observational study is to quantify physical activity patterns in patients with severe acquired brain injury admitted for in-hospital rehabilitation.
Effect of Early Memantine Administration on Outcome of Participents with Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury
The 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).
Following brain injury, complex interactions between the nervous system and other organs are frequently encountered. Systemic effects may be induced by dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the autonomic nervous system. This observational study will investigate the link between clinical, physiological and biochemical expressions of dysautonomic reactions and physiological stress, and their relations to sympathetic activation in traumatic brain injury patients treated in the neurointensive care unit.
The main objective of this interdisciplinary study is to develop an understanding of the molecular imaging features of blast-related mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in military personnel, while helping to establish assessment tools that may be of use in diagnosis, determining prognosis, and in future therapeutic clinical trials. Additionally, the objective is to evaluate feasibility of [18F]PI-2620 in the assessment TBI.