View clinical trials related to Consciousness Disorders.
Filter by:Non-invasive brain stimulations techniques have recently shown promising results in patients with disorders. Notably, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex has proved to be effective in improving signs of consciousness in about 50% of patients in MCS either after a single stimulation or after repeated sessions. However, brain mechanisms underlying tDCS effects remain poorly understood. Here we aim to assess the effects of prefrontal tDCS on neurophysiological (i.e., electroencephalography - EEG - primary outcome) and behavioral (secondary outcome) measures in severely brain-injured patients with DOC.
Phase 1 of the STIMPACT trial is an open label,dose-escalation,safety study of intravenous (IV) methylphenidate (MPH) therapy in patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) caused by severe brain injuries. To be classified as having a DoC, a patient must be in a coma, vegetative state (VS), or minimally conscious state (MCS), as determined by behavioral assessment using the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R). Patients with DoC admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) will be eligible for the study. A total of 10 patients with DoC will be enrolled in the Phase 1 study. Patients will receive escalating daily doses of IV MPH starting at 0.5 mg/kg, increasing stepwise to 1.0mg/kg and 2.0 mg/kg unless an adverse event (AE) necessitates dose de-escalation or a serious adverse event (SAE) necessitates that the patient stop participation in the study. Pharmacokinetics will be evaluated in selected patients with indwelling venous catheters or arterial catheters via serial serum measurements of MPH at each dose. The pharmacodynamic properties of IV MPH at each dose will be assessed by comparison of pre-versus post-dose EEG-based measures. The pharmacodynamic properties of the maximum tolerated dose will also be assessed by comparison of pre-versus post-dose resting state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) connectivity measures. Finally, we will test the association between structural connectivity of the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a dopaminergic brainstem nucleus that is believed to mediate MPH activation of the cerebral cortex, and EEG and rs-fMRI pharmacodynamic measures.
To date, several studies have focused on the use of transcranial direct current stimulation(tDCS) in patients with impaired consciousness.However,its therapeutic effects have been variously documented.So,in this study ,investigators explore the effects of tDCS.
Previous studies showed that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) transiently improves performance of motor function in stroke patients, as well as decrease muscle hypertonia. In severely brain injured patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC), a single stimulation over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex has shown to improve patients' sign of consciousness. Nevertheless, other brain areas could be stimulated in order to manage other symptoms occurring in this population of patients, such as muscle hypertonia. In this study, investigators will assess the effects of bilateral fronto-central tDCS on spasticity as measured with the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) and on the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) scores in patients with DOC in a double-blind sham-controlled experimental design.
This study is aimed to detect the initiation of swallowing act in DOC patients, to find if it is a good item as a stimulus and to detect the relationship between the initiation of swallowing act and the prognosis of DOC patients.
The aim of this study is to assess the utility of advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electroencephalographic (EEG) technologies for predicting functional outcomes in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Disentangling the vegetative state from the minimally conscious state is often difficult when relying only on behavioral observation. In this study, the investigators explored a new event-related potential paradigm as an alternative method for the detection of voluntary brain activity and cognitive abilities in the patients with disorders of consciousness.
The aim of the present study was to evaluated the neural effect of music on the cerebral activation in unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) and minimally conscious state (MCS) by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
In recent years, promoting wakening attempts in patients with disorders of consciousness are increasing, but there are a lack of objective indicators to evaluate the efficacy and further researches on the brain mechanism during the wakening processing. So, the study first assessed the cerebral response during emotional acoustic stimuli with quantitative EEG and ERP(Event-related potential), and next, the investigators explored the relationship between brain activation and patients' recovery.
There is practical evidence but no scientific investigations that persons with severe disorders of consciousness can profit from animal-assisted therapy regarding their level of awareness. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of animal-assisted therapy on brain activity of inpatients at REHAB Basel with severe disorders of consciousness. To do so, the frontal brain activity of 20 the inpatients at REHAB Basel in a minimally conscious state is investigated via near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Moreover, 20 healthy participants are included as control subjects.