Consciousness Disorders Clinical Trial
— CONNECT-MEOfficial title:
CONNECT-ME: CONsciousness in NEurocritical Care cohorT Study Using fMRI and EEG
Detecting preserved consciousness in brain-injured patients by traditional clinical means requires presence of motor function. Otherwise, patients may be erroneously classified as being in a vegetative state. In order to circumvent the need for motor function, paradigms using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) have been developed. According to a recent meta-analysis, 15% of patients with a clinical diagnosis of vegetative state can follow commands by performing mental imaginary tasks, strongly suggesting they are indeed conscious. This is of utmost importance for prognosis, treatment, and resource allocation. However, consciousness paradigms are usually employed in rehabilitation medicine. Therefore, opportunities to optimize patient outcome at an early stage may be lost. As a novel approach, the CONsciousness in NEurocritical Care cohorT study using fMRI and EEG (CONNECT-ME) will import the full range of consciousness paradigms into neurocritical care. The investigators aim to assess patients with acute brain injury for preserved consciousness by serial multimodal evaluations using active, passive and resting state fMRI- and EEG-based paradigms. A prospective longitudinal database and a biobank for genomic and metabolomic research will be established. This approach will add essential clinical information, including detection of preserved consciousness in patients previously thought of as unconscious. Due to its complexity, this project is divided into nine work packages. Eventually, the investigators will have established a clinical service for the systematic assessment of covert consciousness, as well as an interdisciplinary research group dedicated to the neuronal mechanisms by which consciousness recovers after acute brain injury.
Status | Recruiting |
Enrollment | 100 |
Est. completion date | December 2025 |
Est. primary completion date | December 2025 |
Accepts healthy volunteers | No |
Gender | All |
Age group | 16 Years and older |
Eligibility | Inclusion Criteria: - Non-responding patients (clinically defined as coma, VS/UWS, MCS, eMCS, or locked-in syndrome) - Acute or sub-acute TBI or non-TBI (=28 days from injury) Exclusion Criteria: - Contraindications for examination by MRI - Severe cardiorespiratory compromise and similar acutely life-threatening conditions - Evidence of severe pre-morbid neurological deficits such as aphasia or deafness - Lack of Danish or English language proficiency - Age less than 16 years - Evidence of defect auditory and sensory pathways (if clinically suspected or as revealed by pretest screening with brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) and somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP)) |
Country | Name | City | State |
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Denmark | Neurocentret, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University | Copenhagen |
Lead Sponsor | Collaborator |
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Rigshospitalet, Denmark | University of Copenhagen |
Denmark,
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* Note: There are 30 references in all — Click here to view all references
Type | Measure | Description | Time frame | Safety issue |
---|---|---|---|---|
Primary | Numbers of patients with acute brain injury and signs of preserved consciousness as revealed by fMRI- and EEG-based active, passive and resting state consciousness paradigms | The investigators aim to rigorously and systematically examine non-communicating patients with acute brain injury for preserved consciousness by means of active, passive and resting state fMRI- and EEG-based consciousness paradigms, as well as standardized clinical rating scales such as the JFK Coma Recovery Scale-Revised. The degree of consciousness in a given patient will be estimated by using a composite reference standard comprising all available fMRI- and EEG-derived as well as clinical data as previously described in a review and meta-analysis by the investigators.
The target condition (primary outcome) is defined as signs of preserved consciousness in non-communicating patients with DoC due to traumatic brain injury (TBI), cerebrovascular disorders (CVA; including ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis), anoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (e.g., due to cardiac arrest) and similar critical brain disorders. |
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