View clinical trials related to Brain Injuries.
Filter by:Screening Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with Fluid-attenuated Inversion Recovery (FLAIR) and Susceptibility Weighted Imaging (SWI) sequences will be performed pre and post season on high school football players. One set of players will wear the Guardian Cap on their five star rated helmets and the other will wear five star rated helmets only. The investigators will compare outcomes of ImPACT scores and MRI findings between the two groups to see if there is a statistical difference in reduction of injury and to establish what the baseline level of MRI findings related to injury from high school football is as well as what the baseline level of injury is prior to the start of the season.
Despite the decline in fatal traumatic brain injury (TBI) incidence in recent years, TBI morbidity remains a public health challenge and is the leading cause of disability in the United States. Detailed knowledge of the metabolic alterations following TBI will provide a significant advancement to our understanding of the hypometabolic response to TBI, which is key information for the future development and testing of novel therapeutic interventions that by-pass or compensate for the metabolic dysfunction. The goal of this study is to determine the clinical utility of in vivo 13C MRS to identify specific metabolic alterations following TBI. We hypothesize that following TBI, metabolic pathways are altered causing an incomplete oxidative of glucose in neurons and astrocytes resulting in a decrease in cerebral metabolism.
Patients with severe brain injuries often have slow accumulating recoveries of function. In ongoing studies, we have discovered that elements of electrical activity during sleep may correlate with the level of behavioral recovery observed in patients. It is unknown whether such changes are causally linked to behavioral recovery. Sleep processes are, however, associated with several critical processes supporting the cellular integrity of neurons and neuronal mechanisms associated with learning and synaptic modifications. These known associations suggest the possibility that targeting the normalization of brain electrical activity during sleep may aid the recovery process. A well-studied mechanism organizing the pattern of electrical activity that characterizes sleep is the body's release of the substance melatonin. Melatonin is produced in the brain and released at a precise time during the day (normally around 8-10PM) to signal the brain to initiate aspects of the sleep process each day. Ongoing research by other scientists has demonstrated that providing a small dose of melatonin can improve the regular pattern of sleep and help aid sleep induction. Melatonin use has been shown to be effective in the treatment of time change effects on sleep ("jet lag") and mood disturbances associated with changes in daily light cues such as seasonal affective disorder. We propose to study the effects of melatonin administration in patients with severe structural brain injuries and disorders of consciousness. We will measure the patient's own timing of release of melatonin and provide a dose of melatonin at night to test the effects on the electrical activity of sleep over a three month period. In addition to brain electrical activity we will record sleep behavioral data and physical activity using activity monitors worn by the patients. Patient subjects in this study will be studied twice during the three month period in three day inpatient visits where they will undergo video monitoring and sampling of brain electrical activity using pasted electrodes ("EEG"), hourly saliva sampling for one day, and participation in behavioral testing.
The purpose of this study is to collect physiologic data from patients with severe brain injury who require mechanical ventilation in order to describe the impact of ventilation, specifically positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP), on intracranial pressure (ICP).
St. Michael's Hospital (SMH) provides service to individuals with some of the most severe brain injuries and intensive care needs in Canada. These patients often require prolonged intensive care admissions, lengthy hospital stays, involvement of many health professionals, and long-term support for ongoing care requirements. Many hospitals face resource limitations, specifically involving the health disciplines and their ability to provide frequent intervention. It has been proposed that multisensory stimulation (i.e. exposing the patient to various sights, sounds, smells, etc.) in the early stages of brain injury recovery may result in improved responsiveness/cognitive function. Previous research has indicated a potential benefit for early multisensory stimulation intervention for patients with severe brain injury. However there is still not enough conclusive evidence to confirm whether the intervention is truly effective. The investigators are proposing a pilot randomized controlled study (placebo-controlled, double-blinded) to determine the feasibility and examine the effectiveness of early multisensory stimulation with patients following severe brain injury who remain in a coma, vegetative state, or minimally conscious state. Eligible patients will be randomized to a control group (standard care + family/caregiver education) or an intervention group (standard care + family/caregiver education + early sensory intervention). Data regarding number of patients enrolled, amount of intervention completed, percentage of outcome data collected, patient's level of responsiveness and cognitive function will be collected before and after the intervention period, using several outcome measures. The investigators hope to determine the feasibility of conducting this type of study within this clinical setting and the effectiveness of multisensory stimulation with this patient population.
Few neurological conditions are as scientifically mysterious and clinically, legally, and ethically challenging as disorders of consciousness. To date there exists no standard intervention for patients suffering from these devastating conditions. The present project is aimed at evaluating the potential of non-invasive Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound Pulsation (LIFUP) of thalamus (a key area for the consciousness network) as a neurorestorative stimulation for those patients. In this study, LIFUP will be performed during two sessions. The proposed experiment will involve behavioral and paramedical measurements just before and after each of the two LIFUP sessions in a small sample of patients (up to 15 acute and 15 chronic patients) in order to evaluate the feasibility of a full scale clinical trial.
The investigators will conduct an observational crossover study. The investigators aim to recruit 50 participants with severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) requiring intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring during their stay at the Neuro Trauma ICU at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. Overall, participants will be monitored, on average, for approximately 6-8 hours during the study period. The investigators do not anticipate the need for prolonged monitoring during the duration of their hospital stay or post hospital period.
Background: - Traumatic brain injury (TBI) often causes problems with moving and balance, and thinking and emotions. Exercise can improve these things in people with other brain damage. Researchers want to look at the effect of exercise on these things in people with TBI. Objectives: - To study how head injuries affect the brain. To study if exercise can help some symptoms in people with TBI. These include problems thinking, balancing, and moving, and depression or anxiety. Eligibility: - People age between 18 and 79 - Had a non-penetrating TBI at least 12 months ago - Are physically inactive, but can stand and walk without help Design: - Participants will be screened with medical history, physical exam, and blood and urine tests. They may have a balance test. - Participants will be assigned to a high-intensity or a lower-intensity exercise program. - The study is 6 months long. There will be 3 months with exercise on an elliptical machine and 3 months without exercise. - Participants will exercise for 30 minutes on an elliptical machine, 3 days per week for 3 months. - Participants will also have 3 outpatient testing visits lasting approximately 8 hours, once every 3 months. This visit will include: - Blood tests - Tests for memory, attention, and thinking - Tests of walking and balance - Questionnaires - An MRI: they will lie in a machine that takes pictures of their brain, while breathing regular air and air with more carbon dioxide - Test of physical fitness
Neurocognitive sequelae observed in preterm represent a major health problem for which there is no preventive treatment approved to date. These effects are the result of a multifactorial brain damage occurring in developing prenatal and perinatal period. Melatonin, the principal hormone secreted by the pineal gland has neuroprotective properties in various experimental animal models of perinatal brain damage level. This hormone readily crosses the placental barrier, its antenatal administration would have a neuroprotective effect in the case of preventive preterm birth before 28 weeks of amenorrhea. The objective of this study determine the dose of melatonin administered parenterally in prenatal maternal in preterm labor to reduce brain damage in the white matter detected by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) with statistical spatial analysis (TBSS) to the theoretical term of 40 weeks in children born prematurely.
The purpose of this randomized control trial study is to determine if an active rehabilitation (low intensity exercise program) in combination with a comprehensive education intervention (standard care) is more effective than the comprehensive education intervention alone in reducing post-concussion symptoms and improving participation in daily activities in youth who have persistent post-concussion symptoms.