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200 active trials for Traumatic Brain Injury

The Effect of Spasticity-correcting Hand Surgery for Spasticity Related Symptoms

Spasticity - a variety of motor over-activity and part of the upper motor neuron syndrome - is a common cause of impaired motor function after brain injuries of different etiologies. In addition, it may cause pain and impaired hygiene, contractures, deformities etc. Spasticity has been reported in 30 to 90% of patients with stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) and cerebral palsy (CP). Spasticity therapy has emerged as an important approach to alleviate related symptoms. Positive effects on spasticity are well recognized following systemic and intra-thecal pharmacological treatment, as well as after intra-muscularly injected substances; the effect of the latter is, however, of limited duration. While pharmacological spasticity therapy has been applied for decades, surgical procedures remain fairly uncommon in adults with spasticity, but not in pediatric patients with CP, and outcomes after surgical treatment are scarcely described in the literature. The study center is a specialized unit initially focused on reconstructive as well as spasticity reducing surgery in the upper extremities for SCI patients. Subsequently, patients with spasticity also due to various other Central nervous system diseases have been referred to the center for surgical treatment. Studies describing the effect of spasticity-reducing surgery in the upper extremities are rare and the group is heterogeneous. The aim of the study is therefore to evaluate the results and compare against todays golden standard treatment (boutuliniumtoxin injections).

Start: April 2019
Effect of Exercise Training on Physical, Cognitive, and Behavioral Function in People With TBI

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.

Start: December 2016
Neurofeedback Technology (GZNT) for Persistent Post-Concussive Symptoms in Soldiers

A new technology called Global Z-Score Neurofeedback Technology (GZNT) has been identified that can overcome an existing barrier to the use of neurofeedback as a treatment technique in a military setting. Neurofeedback, or EEG Biofeedback, is a form of biofeedback that uses the brain's own electrical activity as the training parameter. With sufficient practice, the brain can learn to change its own activity through finely tuned feedback using computerized sounds, graphs and animations. Previous attempts at using neurofeedback as a treatment modality have been subject to a lack of standardization and have required significant expertise on the part of the provider. This new GZNT technology allows neurofeedback to be administered in a standardized and semi-automated fashion, which, if effective, will represent a significant advance toward providing this promising treatment modality to Service Members in a military or VA setting. This study will determine feasibility and preliminary evidence of efficacy for this neurofeedback technology in a pilot study of soldiers with medical issues associated with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). GZNT technology has the potential to provide a cost-efficient, non-invasive/non-pharmacological approach to recovery from impact and/or blast-induced brain injury, and holds promise to simultaneously address emotional symptoms that are often a part of the post-concussion symptom picture.

Start: December 2014
Rehabilitation of Visual Function After Brain Injury

In Denmark, about 120,000 people suffer from brain damage, of whom approx. 75,000 with brain damage after stroke. Serious and often lasting vision impairments affect 20% to 35% of people after stroke. Vision is the most important sense in humans, and even smaller permanent injuries can drastically reduce quality of life. Vision impairments after brain damage inhibits rehabilitation and enhances other invalidating effects. Reduced vision results in impaired balance, increased risk of serious falls, increased support needs, reduced quality of life, and impaired ability to perform activities of daily living. Restoration of visual field impairments occur only to a small extent during the first month after brain damage, and therefore the time window for spontaneous improvements is very limited. Hence, brain-impaired persons with visual impairment will most likely experience chronically impaired vision already 4 weeks after brain injury and the need for visual compensatory rehabilitation is substantial. Neuro Vision Technology (NVT) is an supervised training course where people with visual impairments are trained in compensatory techniques using special equipment. Through the NVT process, the individual's vision problems are carefully investigated and personal data is used to organize individual training sessions that practice the individual in coping with situations that cause problems in everyday life. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether rehabilitation with NVT can cause significant and lasting improvement in functional capacity in persons with chronic visual impairments after brain injury. Improving eyesight is expected to increase both physical and mental functioning, thus improving the quality of life. Participants included in the project will be investigated in terms of both visual and mental functions, including quality of life, cognition and depression. Such an investigation has not been performed previously and can have a significant impact on vision rehabilitation both nationally and internationally.

Start: August 2017
Investigating How Sleep After Training Can Affect the Learning of a Motor Skill in Individuals With Brain Injury

Studies have shown that a period of sleep, even in the form of a daytime nap, after a period of training on a motor learning task can boost subsequent performance beyond that observed after an equal amount of time spent awake and resting. This leap in performance has been referred to as "off-line" motor learning because it occurs during a period of sleep in the absence of additional practice. Motor learning is an integral part of the physical and occupational therapy that patients receive after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in which various activities of daily living may need to be relearned. Targeted motor skills may include dressing (learning how to zip up a jacket or button a shirt), using a fork and knife to eat, or using technology (tapping touch screen on a cell phone or typing on a computer). Yet the potential of sleep in the form of a strategic nap as a therapeutic tool to maximize motor learning in rehabilitation therapies has not been fully realized. In addition, a growing body of research among healthy individuals has shown evidence of changes in the brain associated with enhanced performance among those who slept following training compared with those who spent the same amount of time awake. The neural mechanisms of "off-line" motor learning have not been studied among individuals with TBI. Using functional neuroimaging and measurement of brain waves, the current study will examine the mechanisms underlying this sleep-related enhancement of motor learning among individuals with TBI and determine how brain physiology may influence the magnitude of the effect. By understanding how this treatment works and identifying the factors that modulate its effectiveness we can identify which individuals will be most likely to benefit from a nap after training to improve motor learning after TBI. This can provide a more person-centered approach to treatment delivery that can maximize the effectiveness of a simple but potent behavioral intervention.

Start: February 2020
An Innovative Supportive Care Model for Dementia and Traumatic Brain Injury

There are an increasing number of people in the U.S. with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are also common among both civilians and military personnel, and TBIs increase a person's risk for dementia. Providing care for a person with dementia is stressful. Dementia caregivers can experience difficulties including stress, depression, and reduced quality of life. Coordinated dementia care is known to benefit people with dementia and their caregivers. However, many caregivers do not have access to these supportive programs. Our project studies the benefits of telehealth as a new way for caregivers to receive coordinated dementia care services. We will offer 75 caregivers a 12-month caregiver support program delivered using telehealth (for example phones, tablets, computers). Caregivers of both Alzheimer's disease and TBI-related dementia will be included, and the program will be evaluated for effectiveness in both groups as well as in a control group. The information from our study will help improve quality of life for caregivers and individuals with dementia, including military members and Veterans. Our results will also help both civilian and military health professionals develop effective programs to support families living with dementia. Policy makers and organizational leaders can use the information to fund programs that best help families and communities facing dementia and TBI dementia.

Start: March 2021