View clinical trials related to Nervous System Disease.
Filter by:Objectives: The objective of study was to evaluate the safety and the efficacy of EryDex (Dexamethasone sodium phosphate encapsulated in autologous erythrocytes, using the EryDex System - EDS) at two dose levels (low dose and high dose DSP/infusion), compared to placebo, on Neurological Symptoms in Patients With Ataxia Telangiectasia. Initial Double-Blind Treatment Period (0 to 6 Months) Primary Efficacy Objective: • Evaluate the effect of EryDex at two dose levels (low dose and high dose DSP/infusion), compared to placebo, on central nervous system (CNS) symptoms measured by the change in the Modified International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (mICARS) from baseline to Month 6 (Visit 9) in patients with ataxia telangiectasia (A-T). Secondary Efficacy Objectives: - Evaluate the effect of EryDex, compared to placebo, on the Clinical Global Impression of Change (CGI-C) in patients with A-T from baseline to Month 6 (Visit 9). - Evaluate the effect of EryDex, compared to placebo, on measures of Clinical Global Impression of Severity (CGI-S; structured) in patients with A-T from baseline to Month 6 (Visit 9) - Evaluate the effect of EryDex, compared to placebo, on measures of Adaptive behavior measures in patients with A-T by the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS) from baseline to Month 6 (Visit 9). Safety Objectives: • Evaluate the safety and tolerability of two non-overlapping doses of EryDex, compared to placebo, in patients with A-T over the 12-month double-blind study duration. Extension Treatment Period (6-12 Months): Primary Objective: • Evaluate the efficacy of EryDex at two dose levels (low dose and high dose DSP/infusion) compared to placebo, in treating CNS symptoms in A-T patients during longer-term treatment (up to 12 months), as measured by the mICARS. Secondary Objectives: - Evaluate the longer-term (up to 12 months) safety and tolerability of EryDex in A-T patients. - Compare the effects of EryDex on the CGI-C and CGI-S (structured), VABS, and QoL using the EQ-5D-5L scale.
Background: McCune-Albright Syndrome (MAS) is a disorder that affects the bones, skin, and some hormone-producing tissues. It is associated with a mutation in a gene. This gene affects enzymes in the brain and body. Researchers want to learn more about one of these enzymes, Phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4), in people with MAS. Objective: To see if people with MAS have higher levels of PDE4 than people without MAS. Eligibility: People ages 18 and older who have MAS and participated in protocol 98-D-0145, Screening and Natural History of Patients with Polyostotic Fibrous Dysplasia and the McCune-Albright Syndrome. Healthy adult volunteers are also needed. Design: This study requires 1 to 4 outpatient visits to the NIH Clinical Center. Some visits may take place on the same day. Participants with MAS will be screened with medical history and physical exam. They will have blood and urine tests. Participants will have a magnetic resonance imaging scan. Participants will have a full body positron emission tomography (PET) scan. A small amount of a radioactive chemical, [11C](R)-rolipram, will be given through an intravenous tube. Participants will have a brain PET scan with [11C](R)-rolipram. For this, a thin plastic tube will also be put into an artery at their wrist or elbow crease area. For the scans, participants will lie on a bed that slides in and out of a scanner. They may wear a plastic mask to hold their head in place. They will have blood drawn. Participants with MAS will be interviewed about their thinking and mood. They may complete questionnaires about how they feel or think.
Background: - Neurofibromatosis type II (NF2) is associated with tumors of the nerves, brain, and spinal cord. Most people with NF2 develop vestibular schwannomas, or tumors on the hearing and balance nerves. As they grow, vestibular schwannomas can cause hearing loss and balance problems. If they grow very large they can cause more serious problems, such as seizures, loss of eyesight, weakness, speech problems, and problems with the sense of touch. More research is needed into NF2 because researchers do not completely understand why these tumors occur or what makes them grow over time. - Currently, tumor size is measured with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. However, MRI scans cannot predict how fast a tumor will grow. By using positron emission tomography (PET) scanning, researchers hope to be able to predict sudden growth spurts of tumors associated with NF2 and develop better treatment methods for this type of cancer. Objectives: - To use magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography to better understand the growth of brain tumors in people with neurofibromatosis type II. Eligibility: - Individuals between 18 and 50 years of age who have been diagnosed with NF2 and have at least three untreated intracranial tumors. Design: - This study requires an initial set of outpatient visits to the NIH Clinical Center that will last 7 to 10 days. - Participants will have a physical and neurological examination and blood tests at the first visit. Participants will then have the following imaging studies to examine the tumors: - MRI scans of the brain - PET scans of the brain, combined with a computed tomography (CT) scan. The PET scans will be performed on separate days. Different contrast agents will be used for both scans, so researchers will inform participants if they need to fast or follow other procedures before having the scan. - After the initial imaging studies, participants will have additional MRI scans every 6 months for 2 years to track tumor growth.
The purpose of this study is to assist training doctors about different diseases of the nervous system affecting sleep. Patients selected to participate in this study will have any of a variety of sleep disorders. They will undergo several tests including an overnight recording of brain activity, eye movement, leg movement, breathing, heart rate, and other measures. Results of these tests will be used to better understand diseases causing sleep disorders and may be used to develop better treatments for them.
Myoclonus is a condition related to epilepsy of involuntary twitching or jerking of the limbs. The purpose of this study is to determine if stimulation of the brain with magnetic pulses can decrease myoclonus. Researchers believe that this may be possible because in studies on normal volunteers, magnetic stimulation made areas of the brain difficult to activate for several minutes. In addition, early studies on patients with myoclonus have shown magnetic stimulation to be effective at decreasing involuntary movements. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive technique that can be used to stimulate brain activity and gather information about brain function. It is very useful when studying the areas of the brain and spinal cord related to motor activity (motor cortex and corticospinal tract). Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) involves the placement of coil of wire (electromagnet) on the patient's scalp and rapidly turning on and off the electrical current. The changing magnetic field produces weak electrical currents in the brain near the coil. This permits non-invasive, relatively localized stimulation of the surface of the brain (cerebral cortex). The effect of magnetic stimulation varies, depending upon the location, intensity and frequency of the magnetic pulses. Researchers plan to use rTMS for 10 days on patients participating in the study. The 10 day period will be broken into 5 days of active repetitive magnetic stimulation and 5 days of placebo "ineffective" stimulation. At the end of the 10 day period, if the results show that rTMS was beneficial, patients may undergo an additional 5 days of active rTMS.
Technical advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) have provided researchers with the opportunity to study changes of the central nervous system (CNS) and improve diagnosis and therapy of CNS disease. New MRI and MRS techniques specifically designed for functional MRI (fMRI) and MRS imaging of the CNS will be evaluated in normal volunteers and in patients with CNS diseases. This study will develop and evaluate new magnetic resonance pulse sequences for performing MRI or MRS and compare the results to existing MR techniques. Patients and volunteers age 18 and older are eligible for the study. A history will be taken in which exclusion criteria (such as having a pacemaker or cochlear implants) will be addressed, and a pregnancy test will be administered to women of childbearing age. Each subject will also be asked to fill out a questionnaire. Study participants will lie in the MRI scanner from 20 minutes to 2 hours. A coil may be placed on the head and participants may be asked to do simple or complex tasks. A catheter will be placed in an arm vein and a contrast agent will be administered. This agent will allow structures in the brain to show up more clearly.
This study is divided into two parts. The first part of the study will use MRI technology to view the brain structure of patients with neurological disorders and normal volunteers. This portion of the study will attempt to detect specific areas of damage in the brains of patients with amnesia and dementia. It will also try to correlate the amount of brain damage with performance on tests used to measure memory. In the second part of the study, researchers plan to use MRI technology to study brain function of patients with neurological disorders and normal volunteers when they perform tasks. MRI signals during task performance will be used to record areas of the brain receiving more blood flow indicating increased activity. Researchers believe this study will help improve existing methods of evaluating patients with neurological disorders. In addition, this study may contribute information about areas of the brain involved in thought processing and motor and sensory function.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a diagnostic tool that creates high quality images of the human body without the use of X-ray (radiation). MRI is especially useful when studying the brain, because it can provide information about certain brain functions. In addition, MRI is much better than standard X-rays at showing areas of the brain close to the skull and detecting changes in the brain associated with neurological diseases. In this study researchers will use MRI to gather information about the processes that control human movement and sensory processing. The purpose of the study is to investigate how the brain is activated when remembering, thinking, or recognizing objects. Researchers would like to determine what happens to brain functions when patients have trouble remembering, thinking, or recognizing objects following the start of disorders in the brain and nervous system. In addition, this study will investigate the processes of motor control in healthy volunteers and patients with disease.
Alzheimer's disease is a condition marked by the deterioration of mental function. The disease usually begins in late middle life and results in death in 5 to 10 years. Patients with Alzheimer's disease typically suffer from memory loss, confusion, and disorientation. The condition has become a major medical and social problem in the United States because of the increasing number of people living beyond the age of 65. The actual cause of Alzheimer's disease is unknown. Researchers believe that Alzheimer's disease, or at least a portion of cases, may be an inherited condition. As a result, many new techniques have been developed to study the genetic causes of Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders. Many of these genetic techniques require blood samples and a family pedigree. A pedigree is a chart, similar to a family tree, that shows a patient's family history. The purpose of this study is to collect family and psychosocial information, blood, and biopsy samples from patients with neurological diseases, their families, and normal volunteers. This information gathered will be used to learn more about diseases that affect the brain.