Healthy Clinical Trials

The purpose of this research study is to understand the biological mechanisms of stress vulnerability (being susceptible to stress) and stress resilience (being able to recover readily from stress), obtain biomarkers (a biological indicator) for stress resilience and to devise strategies for prevention and treatment of stress-related disorders. Read Less

Our goals are to characterize the effects of maternal obesity during pregnancy on infant brain development, reveal the neurodevelopmental consequences, and identify possible mechanisms causing these effects. Our overall hypothesis is that maternal obesity during pregnancy exposes the fetus to an inflammatory environment that affects infant brain structural and functional development and consequently neurodevelopmental outcomes. To test this hypothesis, the investigators will recruit normal-weight and obese pregnant women, examine inflammatory markers associated with obese pregnancy, and correlate them with offspring's brain development evaluated using quantitative MRI methods and outcomes evaluated using neurodevelopmental tests. Read Less

The PREDICT 3 study will build on previous research in over 2,000 individuals to further refine machine learning models that predict individual responses to foods, with the aim of advancing precision nutrition science and individualized dietary advice. The study incorporates both standardized and controlled dietary intervention, for the purpose of testing postprandial responses to specific mixed meals, in addition to a free-living period with a dietary record for measuring responses to a large variety of meals consumed in a realistic context, where the role of external factors (e.g. exercise, sleep, time of day) on postprandial responses may be determined. For the first time this PREDICT study is built on top of a commercial product which will allow access to a much larger group of participants who are already collecting large amounts of data through digital and biochemical devices that can contribute to science. Read Less

The goal of this research study is to increase understanding of error augmentation by applying it to visual feedback during motion tracking with a Leap Motion device - a recently developed optical hand tracking tool - and the LookingGlass - a new, portable virtual reality environment. In conjunction with the Leap, large, three dimensional work spaces can provide an immersive and virtual augmented environment for rehabilitation. Previously, experiments have utilized the Virtual Reality Robotic and Optical Operations Machine (VRROOM) to create such visually immersive environments. The Robotics lab as part of the Arms and Hands Lab on the 22nd floor of the Shirley Ryan Abilitylab has developed a portable version of this system, which is more compact and clinic-compatible. Combining this visual 3D system with the Leap creates a novel, more capable apparatus for studying error augmentation. This research study will have 3 different arms: 1.) a healthy group of individuals (Healthy Arm), 2.) a group of stroke survivors within 8 months of stroke (Acute Arm), and 3.) a group of stroke survivors that had their stroke more than 8 months ago (Chronic Arm). Each Arm will use the Leap motion tracker and the Looking Glass to participate in a reaching intervention. The healthy arm will only participate in 1 visit with an intervention with and without error augmented visual feedback. The Acute Arm and the Chronic Arm will both have 2 groups: 1.) Error Augmented Visual Feedback group and 2.) Non-Augmented or Veridical Visual Feedback group. The Chronic Arm will have a structured intervention and evaluation protocol: Study staff will administer outcome assessments at 3 time points: a.) prior to intervention, b.) post intervention, and c.) 2 months after the conclusion of intervention. Intervention will occur over the span of 6-8 weeks with the goal of 3 1-hour sessions per week. The Acute Arm will have a less structured intervention that will occur while the participant is an inpatient at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Study staff will administer outcome assessments at at least 2 time points: a.) prior to intervention, b.) post intervention just prior to discharge from Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Between initial and post intervention evaluations, midpoint evaluations will take place at a maximum of once per week if the participant's schedule, activity tolerance, and length of stay allows. Intervention will consist of 1-hour sessions occurring according to the availability of the participant at the rate of no more than 2 sessions in a 24 hour period. Investigators hope to investigate these questions: Can the movement of healthy individuals be characterized with error augmented visual feedback and veridical visual feedback? Will error augmented visual feedback or veridical visual feedback result in greater movement ability improvement? Investigators hypothesize that in the Chronic Arm, those what trained with error-augmented visual feedback will have improved movement ability compared to those who trained with veridical visual feedback. Is treatment with the looking glass and leap system feasible with an inpatient population? Investigators hypothesize that this treatment will be feasible for an inpatient population. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to understand if breathing muscle training combined with cardiac rehabilitation influences the blood flow and blood pressure response during exercise. Read Less

The purpose of the study is to: Establish and evaluate a system for collection of filgrastim-mobilized peripheral blood stem cells from National Marrow Donor Program donors (NMDP) donors Assess the safety among NMDP donors of filgrastim administration and PBSC leukapheresis Assess the safety and efficacy of filgrastim-mobilized PBSC in unrelated donor hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients Determine the acceptability of stem cell donation by filgrastim stimulated apheresis in normal donors Read Less

Open labelled, virtual home based study to assess the test repeatability and the failure/rejection rate of the samples collected at home by participants. Read Less

This is an exploratory study that will determine and standardize how best to record gastric evoked potentials (GEPs) elicited by a non-invasive method of brain stimulation (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, TMS), by optimizing the TMS parameters and cortical sites necessary to evoke GEPs. Read Less

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ciraparantag for reversal of anticoagulation induced by different anticoagulant drugs in generally healthy adults as measured primarily by an automated coagulometer device. Read Less

This study aims to examine the effect of cannabidiol (CBD) pre-treatment on brain microglial activation in healthy human subjects. Secondarily, this study aims to examine the effect of cannabidiol (CBD) pre-treatment on central pain-sensitization in healthy human subjects. Read Less

The purpose of this research is to measure alterations in anxiety and brain activity associated with the use of an approved health device called Transauricular Vagal Nerve Stimulation (TaVNS) in distressed persons who work in a health care and distressed healthcare workers in the the Philadelphia, PA region. The Investigators will be using functional magnetic resonance imaging (or fMRI) to measure changes in each subject's brain function during the use of VNS. This study is designed to allow researchers to understand the changes in cerebral (brain) activity that occur when a subject uses VNS. Thus, the primary goal of the proposed study is to evaluate the ability of the TaVNS system to reduce distress and change neurophysiology among health care providers. The Investigators, hypothesize that using the TaVNS device will help reduce distress in individuals. In order to understand the mechanisms of change that occur while using the VNS study, the Investigators have added a substudy of participants who do not experience high levels of distress to evaluate the effects of the functional changes that may occur in the brain while using the TaVNS device. In addition to the primary aims of the overalll study to assess distress in workers while enrolled in a TaVNS program, a subgroup of 50 subjects will undergo functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while using the VNS device to assess the changes in the brain including neurophysiological effects of TaVNS. The goal of this substudy is to observe the changes in the brain while using the TaVNS earbuds in the MRI to increase our understanding of the mechanisms and processing involved while using TaVNS. In this substudy, which is amendment version 3.0, the investigators have increased the number of persons to include 50 subjects who will use the device in the MRI to evaluate the neural processes and cerebral blood flow while using TaVNS. Read Less

Sometimes, it is necessary to re-learn a previously learned movement behavior, for example, a bad posture during the golf drive or while playing the piano. Unlearning or relearning an intensively trained behavior is particularly important if the behavior is hampering recovery, for example, in chronic pain or after a stroke. With this pilot study, the brain mechanisms that control the change of pre-existing stable memories of a motor skill will be tested with electroencephalography (EEG). Non-invasive brain stimulation will be used to modulate these brain mechanisms and test if it is possible to change the pre-existing motor memory and the learning of a new motor skill. Read Less