View clinical trials related to Brain Injuries.
Filter by:Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an important public health problem with an estimated 1.7 million new cases in the United States each year. Although the vast majority of these victims sustain mild TBI, many still develop headache, difficulty concentrating, and decreased memory with potential for serious long-term consequences. In particular, mild TBI is an important consequence of combat-related injuries sustained by military personnel and sports-related injuries in young adults. Unfortunately, treatment of mild TBI is usually limited to oral analgesics for headache pain such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil). Since there are no previous randomized trials of these medications for mild TBI, their comparative effectiveness is not known. Increasing animal based evidence suggests that mild TBI is related to brain cell injury caused by overexpression of a cellular enzyme (COX-2) that causes neuroinflammation. Fortunately, inhibition of COX-2 is easily achieved using ibuprofen. We hypothesize that head injured patients treated with ibuprofen will have a lower incidence of mild TBI symptoms than patients treated with acetaminophen. We will conduct a randomized clinical trial to measure the comparative effects of ibuprofen versus acetaminophen on the incidence of specific symptoms of mild TBI in emergency department patients with head injury.
The purpose of this study is to learn if an experimental treatment can help thinking ability, and memory in Veterans with mild or moderate traumatic brain injury (mTBI), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The experimental treatment is called transcranial, light-emitting diode (LEDs) therapy,and uses groups of LEDs mounted inside a helmet. The helmet is worn on the head, and the LEDs shine painless light on the sides, middle and front of the head through the scalp. The participants receive a series of LED treatments which take place as outpatient visits at the VA Boston Healthcare System, Jamaica Plain Campus. The LEDs contain near-infrared diodes. The FDA considers the LED device used here, to be a non-significant risk device. The LEDs do not produce heat.
Background: - Traumatic brain injury (TBI) injures blood vessels in the brain. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) help the body form new blood vessels. The drug erythropoietin (EPO) helps the body make more blood cells and might help make blood vessels. Researchers want to see if EPO helps people with TBI. Objective: - To see whether erythropoietin increases the number of endothelial progenitor cells circulating in the blood and changes reactivity of brain vessels. Eligibility: - Adults age 18 70 who had a TBI 3 7 days ago and still have symptoms. Design: - Participants will be screened with medical history and blood tests. Vital signs will be taken. - Visit 1: - Medical history, physical exam, and blood sample. - Neuropsychological tests of memory, attention, and thinking. These include written and spoken questions, tests on paper or computer, and simple actions. - Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan with carbon dioxide. Participants will lie on a table that slides in and out of a metal cylinder. For part of the scan, participants will wear a breathing mask like a snorkel and wear a nose clip. - Study drug or placebo injection under the skin of the arm, leg, or buttock. - Visits 2, 3, and 4 will be 1 week apart. - Blood sample. - Review of TBI symptoms and any drug side effects. - Study drug or placebo injection under the skin. - Visit 5 will be 1 week after visit 4. Visit 6 will be 6 months after participants start the study. - Blood sample. - Review of TBI symptoms and any drug side effects. - Neuropsychological tests. - MRI with carbon dioxide.
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death and disability in people under age 45 in industrialized countries. Significant numbers of US veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan return with TBI. However, to date, there are no specific neuroprotective treatment options with proven clinical efficacy. - Erythropoietin (EPO) is approved by the FDA to treat anemia and has comprehensive preclinical data supporting its neuroprotective and neuroregenerative efficacy following traumatic (TBI) and a wide range of other acquired brain insults. Injury to small and medium-sized cerebral blood vessels is a well recognized consequence of TBI. EPO increases production of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and promotes angiogenesis and neovascularization after TBI. EPO also promotes neurogenesis and improves functional recovery in animals after experimental stroke and TBI. Neovascularization is coupled with neurogenesis, and augmentation of both processes by EPO may result in lessened cognitive deficits. Neovascularization by EPO may prevent post-traumatic deficits in cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), which can be measured noninvasively using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). - This proposal is for a randomized, placebo-controlled pilot clinical trial designed to obtain data on the effects of EPO in humans with persistent post-concussive symptoms after TBI. The primary objective is to evaluate effect of 4 week administration of recombinant erythropoietin on numbers of circulating endothelial progenitor cells in patients with persistent symptoms during the subacute period after TBI. This information will guide the design of a future definitive study.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate improvement in balance after receiving physical therapy when augmented by CN-NINM than when augmented by a placebo (sham CN-NINM).
The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of combining PoNS therapy with standard vestibular and balance therapy with the proposed double-blind design; evaluate preliminary indications of efficacy. This study is also evaluating recruitment rate, completion rate, device usability, and outcome measures feasibility. - Goal for recruitment: 100% of 30 subjects meeting all inclusion criteria can be recruited over the 36 week pilot recruitment phase. - Completion and compliance: 90% of subjects will complete the study, 90% of sessions within each subject will be completed, and for completing subjects, 100% of measures will be completed. - Useability: all therapists and subjects must rate useability as good or better. - Success of blind: subject accuracy at guessing group membership must be at or near 50%.
The purpose of this study was to study the effect of stem cell therapy on common symptoms in patients with Traumatic Brain Injury
The objective of this study is to measure the frequency and clinical types of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia that occur among up to 150 military retirees with and without a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) among residents of the Armed Forces Retirement Home, Washington D.C. and the Veterans Home of California-Yountville. Investigators will compare the characteristics of dementia in those who have had a prior TBI to the characteristics in those without a history of TBI. It is our hypothesis that the dementia or MCI among those with prior TBI has distinct neuropsychological features that distinguishes it from those with dementia or MCI without a history of TBI.
The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of successfully delivering moderate intensity aerobic exercise training to depressed traumatic brain injury subjects between one and three years after injury.
This is a research study to learn if a computer-based intervention that provides direct attention and metacognitive strategy development can improve attention, memory, and executive control in adolescents with moderate-to-severe TBI who are experiencing attention difficulties post injury.