Stroke Clinical Trials

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on motor cortex excitability in individuals who have suffered stroke and to study the influence of the phase of the oscillatory rhythm (mu frequency) on motor excitability in stroke individuals. Read Less

Sensorimotor impairments following stroke often involve complex pathological changes across multiple joints and multiple degrees of freedom of the arm and hand, thereby rendering them difficult to diagnose and treat. The objective of this study is to evaluate multi-joint neuromechanical impairments in the arm and hand, then conduct impairment-specific treatment, and determine the effects of arm versus hand training and the effects of passive stretching before active movement training. Read Less

Sensory and motor impairments following stroke can lead to substantial disability involving the arm and hand. The investigator hypothesized that excessive local and cross-coupled stiffness, diminished individuation and proprioceptive acuity will be present among multiple degree of freedom in the upper limb. The stiffness and spasticity will increase with time post-stroke. The objective of this study is to quantify the progression throughout the arm and hand during recovery from stroke. The investigator will measure the clinical assessment scores, and neuromechanical properties including range of motion, active and passive cross coupling, and spasticity by the IntelliArm robot. Read Less

Following a stroke, many individuals have a high risk of falls, which can negatively influence quality of life. Unfortunately, current treatments have not effectively addressed this problem. This study investigates whether two methods of delivering mechanical perturbations during walking have the potential to improve post-stroke walking balance and reduce real-world fall incidence. Read Less

The NSR-GENE study is a longitudinal cohort study of approximately 300 parent-child trios from the Neonatal Seizure Registry and participating site outpatient clinics that aims to evaluate whether and how genes alter the risk of post-neonatal epilepsy among children with acute provoked neonatal seizures. The researchers aim to develop prediction rules to stratify neonates into low, medium, and high risk for post-neonatal epilepsy based on clinical, electroencephalogram (EEG), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and genetic risk factors. Read Less

Ankle braces are commonly prescribed to individuals who have suffered a stroke to help their ankle joints work properly, which allows these individuals to walk better. Currently, there are no standardized guidelines to follow when choosing which brace is best for an individual. Prior work has shown that customizing the level of assistance that these braces provide based on each individual's level of ankle impairment improves the individuals' walking function more than their current brace. The next important step is to fine-tune the customization and work to develop a set of guidelines that can be used by clinicians to help them prescribe the right brace for each patient's needs. The purpose of this study is to test different levels of assistance provided by the brace to determine the optimal customization method. Additionally, this study aims to begin to create a guide to help clinicians choose the best brace for each individuals' needs. To accomplish this goal, individuals will walk with a brace under five different assistance level conditions. The individual's walking function, performance on clinical measures, and response to questionnaires will be examined to determine both the optimal brace for each individual and hopefully identify clinical tools that can be used to guide prescription of the brace. This study is a major step towards developing effective, standardized prescription guidelines that optimize walking of individuals post-stroke. Read Less

The purpose of this investigator-initiated study is to establish if powered exoskeleton therapy as a part of a rehabilitation program can be used as a standard of care in stroke rehabilitation. Read Less

The purpose of this research study is to find out the optimal intensity and frequency of Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound (LIFU) that is safe and tolerable in people who have had a stroke. Read Less

Novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as a major international public health concern. While much of the morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19 has been attributed to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) or end-organ failure, emerging data suggest that disorders of coagulation, in particular hypercoagulability and venous thromboembolism (VTE), may represent an additional major, and possibly preventable, complication (Wu C, et al. JAMA Intern Med. 2020 Mar 13. [Epub ahead of print] and Tang N, et al. Thromb. Haemost. 2020 Feb 19. [EPub Ahead of Print]). Abnormal coagulation testing results, especially markedly elevated D-dimer and FDP, have been associated with a poor prognosis in COVID-19 infection. We propose the following Electronic Health Record (EHR)-guided 10000-patient, retrospective observational cohort study to assess VTE incidence, risk factors, prevention and management patterns, and thrombotic outcomes in patients with COVID-19 infection. In order to gain the valuable perspective of other regional and national centers providing care for large populations of COVID-19, we have started a collaborative network with 5 additional sites which will provide us with de-identified data from 1000 patients each. These 5000 patients in addition to the 5000-patient cohort we are enrolling within the Mass General Brigham Network will comprise this study population. Read Less

The objective of this project is to investigate the validity of a handheld spasticity measurement tool against standard clinical measurements of spasticity. We propose the testing apparatus will accurately provide an equivalent clinical measure of spasticity while also providing a more precise estimation of spastic response in persons with stroke. Read Less

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh are conducting a research study to see how combining brain, nerve, and hand stimulation affect hand movement after stroke. The primary purpose of this study is to examine changes in the connection between the brain and the weak hand muscles after the combined brain, nerve, and hand stimulation. The primary hypothesis is that the combined brain, nerve, and hand stimulation will increase the the connection between the brain and the weak hand muscles. The secondary purpose of this study is to examine changes in weak hand's movement and function after the combined brain, nerve, and hand stimulation. The secondary hypothesis is that the combined brain, nerve, and hand stimulation will increase weak hand movement and function. Read Less

For the breathing intervention, participants completed two experimental sessions at least two weeks apart. The experimental sessions were randomized between the slow-breathing condition (6 breaths/min) or the control breathing condition (12 breaths/min). Breathing interventions were 15 minutes in length and completed with the assistance of the breathing app, Breathe Deep (Mineev, Bizi Apps LLC). The breathing intervention is currently completed. The reliability and validity study of AFAS is ongoing. This is a one-time visit for participants in which participants will undergo screening of sensation and movement as well as fill in some questionnaires. Read Less