View clinical trials related to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.
Filter by:This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of choline supplementation in children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). The primary outcome measures are cognitive measures.
The purpose of this study is to examine the association between maternal alcohol use and newborn phosphatidylethanol (PEth) levels in their newborn.
The flavonoid epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is a modulator of neuronal plasticity useful in other neurodevelopmental diseases. A recent study showed that EGCG is a promising tool for cognitive and health related quality of life improvement in Down's syndrome. The objective is to determine the efficacy of EGCG as a therapeutic candidate for the improvement of cognitive performance in FAS patients. Pre and post study, non randomized, controlled and without placebo, to evaluate the efficacy of EGCG. It is a pilot study in a cohort of 40 FAS children, between 7 ans 14 years old. An oral dose of 9 mg/Kg/day will be administered during 1 year, with 6 control visits until 6 months after finishing the treatment.
This study on children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) aims to (i) characterize their self-regulation deficits, a process important for controlling emotions and behavior, (ii) describe brain structure and function underlying self-regulation, and (iii) determine whether training to improve self-regulation abilities changes brain and behavior. Individuals with FASD have a high risk of cognitive and social deficits, which reflect their difficulties in self-regulation and may lead to mental health concerns in adulthood. Importantly, early intervention improves long-term outcome. However the full extent of self-regulation problems in FASDs is unknown and the underlying neuroanatomy has not been fully described. Furthermore, information on how to best treat children with FASDs is lacking. Thus, the investigators propose three studies with a sample of 8-12 year old children, 40 with FASDs and 20 typically developing controls. In Study 1, the participants will be evaluated on cognitive and social self-regulation abilities using clinical and experimental tests. In Study 2, the participants will undergo a 1-hour MRI scanning session to obtain measures of their brain structure and function. In Study 3, FASDs will be randomly assigned to an immediate or delayed treatment group. The immediate group will undergo 12-weeks of therapy with the Alert Program for Self Regulation®. On conclusion of training, all will repeat Studies 1 and 2 and following this retest, the delayed treatment group will undergo training. The investigators will evaluate change in cognitive and social behavior and in brain structure and function by comparing performance and neuroimaging findings before and after the intervention. The investigators expect Alert training to significantly improve behavior and alter brain regions important for self-regulation. The findings will yield important information for improving self-regulation in FASDs and mitigating the development of mental health challenges.
Prenatal alcohol exposure can lead to a myriad of adverse developmental outcomes in children, and is the leading cause of mental disability in Canada. The term fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) was established to encompass the full spectrum of teratogenic effects induced by alcohol. FAS is believed to occur in approximately 1 to 3 per 1000 live births in North America, and it is estimated that FASD may occur as frequently as 1 in 100 live births, making this a public health problem of epidemic proportion. Even though considerable efforts have been aimed at identifying children with FASD, the need for access to services and supports for Canadian families affected by FASD remains unfulfilled. Additionally, there is little empirical data available to influence policy change in how these services and supports are delivered. A key recommendation contained in the Public Health Agency of Canada's (PHAC) Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD): A Framework for Action document was the need to determine the types of supports children with FASD and their families require and to develop appropriate mechanisms to provide these services at the community, provincial/territorial and federal levels. This identified need forms the basis of the current proposal. Although a variety of psychosocial interventions have been developed to treat neurobehavioural disorders, relatively little research has been conducted that is specifically aimed at improving the behavioral challenges identified in children with FASD. Thus, we hypothesize that (i) a FASD-specific parent/guardian training intervention can be developed using input from major stakeholders to meet the current limitations in access for families seeking services and supports; and (ii) this intervention and its evaluation will provide evidence for feasibility and efficacy to support changes in policy by key decision-makers and provide the basis for developing promising practices in the area of interventions for families affected by FASD. This grant will link academic teams with parents/guardians and decision makers to develop and evaluate a training program for the parents/guardians of children with FASD. Participants will be recruited from across Canada. The specific objectives of the proposed research program, which will be addressed in three inter-related studies, are to: 1. Develop an Internet-based intervention program for parents/guardians of children with FASD between the ages of 4-12 years, that is based on information collected from interviews completed by major stakeholders (e.g., parents/guardians, clinicians, decision-makers, community-based organizations); 2. Evaluate the feasibility (usability) of the intervention; and 3. Obtain data on outcomes from the randomized controlled trial This research will adopt an integrated knowledge translation and exchange approach where knowledge production, dissemination, uptake and usage will occur seamlessly throughout the project and researchers and knowledge users are engaged in the project right from its inception. The intervention will be based on the Strongest Families program that is designed to help families learn to deal with common childhood problems in the comfort and privacy of their home, and provide treatment and care via telephone contact with trained coaches, written manuals, videotapes, and audiotapes. This program has been successful in children neurodevelopmental disorders; and will be adapted for use in the FASD population, as children with FASD, share many of the same behavioral characteristics.
The goal of the proposed research is to develop and pilot test a novel Internet intervention to reduce the risk of Alcohol-exposed pregnancy (AEP). Efficacious interventions to reduce the risk of AEP have been developed, but are not widely available. In this project, we will develop a novel Internet intervention to reduce AEP risk by combining the resources of two research teams focused on primary prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and robust Internet interventions, respectively. We will use our evidence-based AEP risk reduction intervention materials and our existing Internet intervention development platform to build and pilot test an Internet intervention (Contraception and Alcohol Risk Reduction Internet Intervention, CARRIII) in a stage 1 behavioral and integrative therapies development project. This three year R34 project will develop and program the new Internet intervention, and will determine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of the intervention in a pilot RCT. In this protocol, we will assess the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of CARRIII against a Patient Education Website condition in a pilot randomized clinical trial (RCT) with assessments at pre-, post-, and 6 months.The primary hypothesis is that women randomized to the CARRIII condition will change more in 3 markers of AEP-related outcomes (risky drinking, ineffective contraception, and AEP risk) than women assigned to the Patient Education website condition. We will prepare for a future cost effectiveness evaluation in the larger RCT to follow by pilot testing proposed measures. The pilot RCT will yield effect size estimates for a subsequent fully powered trial. If the Internet intervention is promising, it should be tested in a fully powered national trial. The Internet intervention could substantially increase the options for AEP prevention, and could lead to a reduction in incident FASD.
This trial will pilot test intervention strategies to increase utilization of HIV testing and gain knowledge for designing a clinical trial to evaluate prevention strategies to reduce HIV sexual transmission in the general population in Russia. The study will assess whether external (cost, convenience) or internal factors (low perception of own risk, reluctance to identify a partner as at-risk, fear of stigma) drive Russian women's reluctance to be tested and if peer support impacts their decision. A randomized experimental manipulation, comparing opt-in vs. bundled opt-out testing approaches, followed by focus group discussions, followed by a second-chance testing offer will be used to inform these questions. The answers will enable the international research team to engineer and then test an HIV testing promotion strategy in Russia. The project will collect preliminary data for a larger study to develop an evidence-based program to reduce the HIV transmission in this high risk population.
This study is designed to increase knowledge and awareness to prevent Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in Russian children through development of printed FAS education materials targeting women of childbearing age in Russia. Alcohol abuse is a major public health problem in Russia. The rates of FAS and Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorders (ARND) in Russia are not precisely known. At this time, there are no programs to prevent FAS in Russia. The results of our previous study, focus groups with health professionals, pregnant women and their partners, non-pregnant women, and women with alcohol dependency, indicated limited knowledge about FAS, misconceptions about alcohol use during pregnancy, and a lack of materials and print resources related to this topic. Based on the initial findings, this proposal aims to develop and evaluate in a clinical trial informational brochures for women to increase knowledge and reduce drinking during pregnancy in Russia. The main hypotheses to be tested are: - 1. Compared to the control group (CG) of women who receive a standard locally available flyer with health recommendations, women in the experimental groups who are exposed to printed information on FAS will show significantly more knowledge about FAS, significantly less acceptance of any alcohol use during pregnancy, and reduced drinking at one month follow-up assessment. - 2. The group exposed to a brochure with negative images (IGN - Intervention group with a "negative brochure") regarding drinking during pregnancy will show significantly greater change in the predicted directions compared to the group exposed to positive images (IGP - Intervention group with a "positive" brochure) at the one month follow-up assessment.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate an intervention aimed at reducing risk for alcohol-exposed pregnancies and preventing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in Russian children. The study will determine whether physicians, trained in a dual-focused brief motivational intervention and monitored for performance, can foster greater change in knowledge, health beliefs, alcohol use, and alcohol-exposed pregnancy risk in Russian women who are at risk than standard care.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether choline supplementation can improve cognitive functioning of children with prenatal alcohol exposure.