View clinical trials related to Dysautonomia.
Filter by:Background: Most people who are referred to the EMG (Electromyography) Section of the NIH are enrolled into specific active studies. This allows researchers to learn about a range of rare neuromuscular disorders. But study criteria may not give researchers the chance to evaluate a single person or study a common symptom. Therefore, researchers want to assess people with neuromuscular disorders who are not currently enrolled in any NIH studies. They will perform tests on these individuals in the EMG Lab. Then they will create a repository of data that may be used for future research. This will help them learn more about these disorders. Objective: To retain data that is collected as part of participant visits to the NIH. Eligibility: People aged 18 and older who will be visiting the NIH for evaluation of their neuromuscular disorder. Design: Participants will be screened with a medical record review. Participants will have a physical exam. They will be evaluated for their neuromuscular disorder. They may have tests to learn more about how their nerves and muscles work that are called nerve conduction and EMG studies. Their muscles and nerves may be assessed with an ultrasound. Their ability to sweat may be measured. Their heart rate and blood pressure may be taken. Changes to their breathing or changes in their body position may be measured. Participant data will be given a unique numerical identifier that can be used if the data is shared. Data will be stored on a server and in a database. Participants will have 1-2 visits. Each visit will last less than 4 hours. They may be contacted for a follow-up visit.
Dysautonomic signs are well known among girls with a Rett Syndrom. Rett syndrom is caused by a MECP2 mutation in 95% of cases. We want to search dysautonomic signs among boys with a MECP2 mutations because they are less studied than the girls and they have more varied phenotypes.
Dysautonomia is malfunction of the autonomic nervous system. It usually results from overactivity of the sympathetic portion and over-secretion of acetylcholine. Symptoms depend on the organ involved by this sympathetic overstimulation. Involvement of the gastrointestinal system results in chronic dysmotility, nausea, vomiting, food intolerance, weight loss and need for feeding tube placement and/or parenteral feeding. Autonomic celiac ganglia resection has been shown to alleviate symptoms as it interrupts the sympathetic stimulation to the gastrointestinal (GI) system, however there is no pre surgery test to confirm the diagnosis. The investigators' objective is to temporarily block the celiac ganglion with a long acting anesthetic (liposomal bupivacaine). If symptoms abate the diagnosis is confirmed and patient will proceed to surgery.
People with POTS, autoimmune autonomic neuropathy (AAN), pure autonomic failure (PAF), SFN and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) do not only suffer from orthostatic symptoms such as dizziness, headache, neck pain, blurred vision or (pre-) syncope. They also experience deficits in attention and concentration (more precisely deficits in selective perspective, operating speed, executive functions and memory performance) mainly in upright position. Only few studies concerning cognitive impairment in autonomic neuropathies, their frequency, aetiology and therapy exist. Many patients concerned, especially with POTS, report attention deficits and "brain fog" with problems in their everyday life and work, predominantly in upright posture. Specific symptomatic or medical therapies do not exist. Medical treatment with Modafinil is discussed and part of a current study at Vanderbilt Autonomic Dysfunction Centre (1-5). The investigators want to investigate if problems of concentration, attention and/or cognitive dysfunction exist in people with POTS, AAN, SFN and EDS compared to healthy controls (HC). Thus the investigators use detailed clinical, autonomic and neuropsychological tests in different body positions (lying, sitting and standing) as also acute therapy (leg crossing).
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/Chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), otherwise known as Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), is an under-recognized disorder whose cause is not yet understood. Suggested theories behind the pathophysiology of this condition include autoimmune causes, an inciting viral illness, and a dysfunctional autonomic nervous system caused by a small fiber polyneuropathy. Symptoms include fatigue, cognitive impairments, gastrointestinal changes, exertional dyspnea, and post-exertional malaise. The latter two symptoms are caused in part by abnormal cardiopulmonary hemodynamics during exercise thought to be due to a small fiber polyneuropathy. This manifests as low biventricular filling pressures throughout exercise seen in patients undergoing an invasive cardiopulmonary exercise test (iCPET) along with small nerve fiber atrophy seen on skin biopsy. After diagnosis, patients are often treated with pyridostigmine (off-label use of this medication) to enhance cholinergic stimulation of norepinephrine release at the post-ganglionic synapse. This is thought to improve venoconstriction at the site of exercising muscles, leading to improved return of blood to the heart and increasing filling of the heart to more appropriate levels during peak exercise. Retrospective studies have shown that noninvasive measurements of exercise capacity, such as oxygen uptake, end-tidal carbon dioxide, and ventilatory efficiency, improve after treatment with pyridostigmine. To date, there are no studies that assess invasive hemodynamics after pyridostigmine administration. It is estimated that four million people suffer from ME/CFS worldwide, a number that is thought to be a gross underestimate of disease prevalence. However, despite its potential for debilitating symptoms, loss of productivity, and worldwide burden, the pathophysiology behind ME/CFS remains unknown and its treatment unclear. By evaluating the exercise response to cholinergic stimulation, this study will shed further light on the link between the autonomic nervous system and cardiopulmonary hemodynamics, potentially leading to new therapeutic targets.
The proposed intervention is focused on developing and implementing a psychological approach incorporated into a group-based outpatient intervention for pediatric autonomic dysfunction. The investigators hypothesize that their intervention will result in improvements in the transdiagnostic mechanisms specifically targeted by components of their intervention including sleep, information processing, and youth/parent experiential avoidance.
The investigators are studying the initial autonomic alterations in participants recently diagnosed with DM2 and in those patients classified as Pre-Diabetes, mainly focused on the baroreceptor sensitivity and on the peripheral sympathetic innervation.
The purpose of this research study is to better understand what causes dysautonomia and how this affects blood pressure and pulse. Dysautonomia is a condition of the autonomic nervous system. It is associated with fluctuations in blood pressure and pulse and may cause symptoms of nausea and belly pain, fatigue, excessive thirst, lightheadedness, dizziness, feelings of anxiety or panic, and fainting. A common example of dysautonomia is postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome or POTS. Sometimes symptoms worsen when people move from lying down to standing, called orthostatic intolerance. We would like to learn more about the link between orthostatic intolerance and nausea. While medications currently used to treat orthostatic intolerance and nausea have proven to be effective in some patients, this may not be the best treatment for everyone as long term use could pose certain risks including high blood pressure. In order to provide a more focused and safer treatment for patients suffering from nausea and orthostatic intolerance, we have looked at how the blood pressure, pulse, and certain blood tests change during a tilt table test. This test helps to create the same circumstances that patients with orthostatic intolerance experience when they stand. To better understand if some of these problems are associated with the brain, we will study MRI in patients with dysautonomia compared to children without dysautonomia. This information may allow us to use alternative and safer treatments in the future.
It is known that 33-50% of Classic and Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome patients eventually develop dysautonomia, otherwise known as "POTS" (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). Some of these patients develop dysautonomia as a result of a retroflexed odontoid, Chiari 1 Malformation or cranial settling and the resulting basilar impression. Many Ehlers-Danlos patients suffer with the same symptomology with no evidence of a cause according to MRI imaging. It is the author's hypothesis that low-level External Communicating Hydrocephalus appears to be responsible for the constellation of autonomic and cranial nerve symptoms, and if present in the very young, an analysis of head circumference growth in the first 15 months of life should reflect abnormally rapid head growth, supporting this hypothesis.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is frequently associated with a hyperadrenergic state accompanied by elevated levels of plasma catecholamines. In its more severe presentation, the hyperadrenergic state presents as dysautonomia, which is characterized by paroxysmal alteration in vital signs, including tachycardia. The investigators hypothesize that intravenous (IV) esmolol is as effective at controlling heart rate in hyperadrenergic states as oral propranolol, which is the standard of care. Our primary endpoint is efficacy of IV esmolol vs a PRN regimen of intermittent B-blockade in controlling heart rate below a pre-specified level (< 100 bpm) after Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) or hemorrhagic neurologic injury. Heart rates will be recorded continuously as well as hourly.