View clinical trials related to Stroke.
Filter by:The goal of this project is to develop a low-cost, user-friendly, portable telerehabilitation system for physical therapy of the upper limb after stroke or traumatic brain injury. The system is based on the use of a commercially available force feedback joystick and will work with an ordinary home PC and a standard high-speed internet connection. Using the joystick, the patient will perform exercises designed to aid in recovering motor function of the hand and arm. The joystick will be programmed to either assist or resist the patient's movements. The system will include sophisticated analysis of patient status and progress to provide the therapist and physician with detailed information. In the first phase of the study, we will develop the system in cooperation with the physical therapy staff and other rehabilitation specialists. The investigators will examine the usability, comfort, safety and therapeutic benefit of the system. In the second phase of the study, the investigators will employ the system in patients' homes, using the internet to connect to rehabilitation specialists in the clinic. The study hypothesis is that it is possible to adapt commercially available, low cost gaming equipment such as force feedback joysticks to provide therapy for patients in their own homes, and that patients will be able to work with this system and will find it enjoyable and helpful for recovering motor function.
This project proposes to evaluate the relative effectiveness of four therapy protocols for pharyngeal phase swallowing impairment in the stroke population. Data derived from this study should contribute significantly to our understanding of the rehabilitative process in the neurogenic dysphagic population and will provide the foundation for the establishment of efficacious, cost-efficient patient services. 1. Research Question to be addressed 1. The utilization of SEMG biofeedback monitoring in dysphagia rehabilitation facilitates more rapid and complete recovery than traditional rehabilitation using the same swallowing exercises without exteroceptive feedback. 2. Swallowing rehabilitation provided in an intensive rehabilitative programme (10 hrs of treatment in the 1st week) facilitates more rapid and complete recovery than traditionally scheduled swallowing rehabilitation (twice weekly).
To collect clinical outcome and device performance data on the FDA 510(k)-cleared Emboshield® BareWire™ Rapid Exchange Embolic Protection System and FDA-approved Xact® Rapid Exchange Carotid Stent System when used under commercial use conditions by a broad group of physicians entering the study with differing carotid artery stenting experiences.
After a stroke, many people develop contracture of the muscles in their affected wrist and hand which leads to a permanently clenched, painful hand. A contracture is often treated by therapists who use hand splinting to prevent it occurring or slow down its progression. Despite their wide use, there has not been research completed to investigate whether or not splinting prevents contracture in people following stroke. In fact, this project will be the first of its kind in the world and is therefore vital to stroke rehabilitation. The study is a multi-centre, randomised controlled trial that will measure the effect of hand-splinting in two positions on the prevention of contracture, functional use of the hand, and quality of life.
Modern concepts of gait rehabilitation after stroke favor a task-specific repetitive approach. This study aims to test the efficacy on gait recovery of a mechanized gait trainer enabling nonambulatory patients to have the repetitive practice of a gait-like movement.
This study will determine if stimulation of the stroke-injured side of the brain combined with stimulation to the paralyzed hand can temporarily improve the sense of touch in stroke patients. Healthy normal volunteers and people who have had a single stroke within 3 months of entering the study that affected one side of the brain may be eligible for this study. All participants must be between 18 and 90 years old and must be right-handed. Candidates are screened with a medical history, neurological examination and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain if one has not been done within 1 year of entering the study. Participants undergo the following tests and procedures during four 2-day sessions over about 6 weeks: - Peripheral high-frequency stimulation: Small loudspeakers are taped to the fingertips and simple tactile pulses are passed through the skin. Stimulation may be sham or real. - Transcranial direct current stimulation: Two small rubber electrodes are taped to the head - one above the eye and the other on the back of the head. A current is passed between the two electrodes. Stimulation may be sham or real. - MRI: The subject lies in the scanner, a metal cylinder surrounded by a magnetic field, for about 40 minutes, lying still for up to 40 minutes at a time. An electrical stimulation is applied to the fingers of the right and left hand in separate sessions. Earplugs are worn to muffle the loud noises during the scanning. Functional MRI measures blood flow changes in the brain during the performance of specific tasks. - Behavioral measurements: - Grating orientation task: The subject responds as quickly as possible to a touch stimulus to the finger by saying whether the direction of the stimulus is vertical or horizontal. - Haptic object recognition task: The subject is given five categories of unfamiliar objects in the shape of cubes. During the task, identical objects are hidden in a sack. With eyes closed, the subject is asked to identify and find the objects from the sack as quickly as possible. - Pegboard test: The subject is asked to place several pegs into a corresponding hole of a pegboard as soon as possible. - Tapping task: The subject is asked to tap a metal stick on a metal plate as quickly as possible for 1 minute. - Paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation: This test measures changes in brain activity. A wire coil is held on the scalp and a brief electrical current is passed through the coil, creating a magnetic pulse that stimulates the brain. The subject hears a click and may fee a pulling sensation on the skin under the coil, and there may be a twitch in the muscles of the face, arm or leg. Subjects may be asked to tense certain muscles slightly or perform other simple actions. - Paired-pulse somatosensory evoked potential mapping: This test measures brain activity in another brain area. The subject is seated in a chair with eyes closed. One electrode is placed above the eye and two others are placed on the back of the head. A short electrical stimulus is applied to a nerve in the wrist and brain activity is recorded while the stimulus is applied. - Surface electromyography: This test measures the electrical activity of muscles. Electrodes are filed with a conductive gel and taped to the skin. - Visual analog and mood scale: Subjects complete questionnaires about their attention, fatigue and mood.
The purpose of this trial is to determine if an experimental remote video camera system is an effective way for a stroke specialist to evaluate stroke patients from a distant site.
The purpose of this trial is to evaluate if it is safe to use tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) within 6 hours of stroke onset when combined with hypothermia.
The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility, safety and preliminary efficacy of the use of insulin infusions as treatment for hyperglycemic acute ischemic stroke patients.
The purpose of this study is to find out more about the usefulness of ultrasound in combination with a contrast solution to look for blood vessel blockage or occlusion in the brains of stroke patients.