Buspirone for the Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Irritability and Aggression

Description

The purpose of this study is to improve behavior control displayed by persons with traumatic brain injury by assessing effectiveness of treatments for post-TBI irritability and aggression.

Conditions

Traumatic Brain Injury

Study Overview

Study Details

Study overview

The purpose of this study is to improve behavior control displayed by persons with traumatic brain injury by assessing effectiveness of treatments for post-TBI irritability and aggression.

Brain Research in Aggression and Irritability Network (BRAIN): Building Evidence-Based Approaches to Managing Traumatic Brain Injury

Buspirone for the Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Irritability and Aggression

Condition
Traumatic Brain Injury
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Indianapolis

Indiana University and Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46254

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * Closed head injury (impaired brain function resulting from externally inflicted trauma without penetrating injury as defined below) at least 6 months prior to enrollment
  • * Irritability that is either new or worse than level of irritability before the traumatic brain injury, by report of observer or person with TBI
  • * Age at time of enrollment: 18 to 70 years
  • * Voluntary informed consent of patient and observer
  • * Subject and observer willing to comply with the protocol
  • * Observer-rated NPI Irritability Domain score 6 or greater to include only moderate-severe irritability
  • * Medically and neurologically stable during the month prior to enrollment.
  • * If taking antidepressant, anxiolytic, hypnotic, or stimulant medications, no change anticipated in these medications during the month prior to enrollment
  • * No change in therapies or medications planned during the 91-day participation
  • * No surgeries planned during the 91-day participation
  • * Vision, hearing, speech, motor function, and comprehension sufficient for compliance with all testing procedures and assessments
  • * Observer (e.g.: family member, close friend, employer) with whom subject interacts sufficiently to observe occurrences of irritability. The observer interacts with the participant for a period long enough and of a nature to be able to judge the participant's irritability. The interactions would need to be adequate to judge observer distress over the irritability, severity of irritability and frequency of irritability on the following scale: \< once weekly; once per week; several times per week, but not every day; essentially continuous.
  • * Potential subject without a reliable observer
  • * Penetrating head injury as defined by head injury due to gunshot, projectile or foreign object
  • * Injury \< 6 months prior to enrollment
  • * Ingestion of buspirone during the month prior to enrollment
  • * Inability to interact sufficiently for communication with caregiver
  • * History of schizophrenia or psychosis
  • * Diagnosis of progressive or additional neurologic disease
  • * Clinical signs of active infection

Ages Eligible for Study

18 Years to 70 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Collaborators and Investigators

Indiana University,

Flora Hammond, MD, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, Indiana University/Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana

Study Record Dates

2025-04