Search clinical trials by condition, location and status
This is an early feasibility trial to determine whether transcutaneous neuromuscular electrical stimulation, with or without transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation, using an investigational neurostimulation device improves functional arm/hand movements in individuals with paralysis or paresis due to a spinal cord injury or stroke and improves functional arm/hand or leg/foot movements in individuals with paralysis or paresis due to other brain or nerve injuries. In this study, eligible individuals that agree to participate will be asked to attend up to 5 study sessions a week for 1 year (depending on participant availability), with each session lasting up to 4 hours. At the first study session, participants will have their demographic information collected, vital signs assessed, and have measurements performed of their limbs and torso, as appropriate. They will also undergo clinical evaluations and tests to assess their current functional movement and sensation capabilities. During subsequent study sessions, participants will undergo many tasks designed to improve functional movements in paralyzed limbs. Specifically, participants will receive neuromuscular electrical stimulation to the limb(s) and/or electrical stimulation to the spinal cord to evoke specified movements. The stimulation parameters and locations on the spinal column and/or limb(s) that evoke specific movements will be noted. The movements will be assessed with visual inspection, electromyography, and/or sensors. The clinical evaluations and tests to assess functional movement and sensation capabilities will be repeated throughout the study and at the last study session to assess for functional improvements compared to the first study session. Upon completion of these study sessions, the individual's participation in the study is considered complete.
The investigators objective is to run human clinical trials in which brain activity recorded through a "brain-chip" implanted in the human brain can be used to provide novel communication capabilities to severely paralyzed individuals by allowing direct brain-control of a computer interface. A prospective, longitudinal, single-arm early feasibility study will be used to examine the safety and effectiveness of using a neural communication system to control a simple computer interface and a tablet computer. Initial brain control training will occur in simplified computer environments, however, the ultimate objective of the clinical trial is to allow the human patient autonomous control over the Google Android tablet operating system. Tablet computers offer a balance of ease of use and functionality that should facilitate fusion with the BMI. The tablet interface could potentially allow the patient population to make a phone call, manage personal finances, watch movies, paint pictures, play videogames, program applications, and interact with a variety of "smart" devices such as televisions, kitchen appliances, and perhaps in time, devices such as robotic limbs and smart cars. Brain control of tablet computers has the potential to greatly improve the quality of life of severely paralyzed individuals. Five subjects will be enrolled, each implanted with the NCS for a period of at least 53 weeks and up to 313 weeks. The study is expected to take at least one year and up to six years in total.
About 60% of children with cerebral palsy (CP) have impaired arm function. Improving arm function requires hundreds of repetitions per day, which is impossible in a single clinical visit. Thus, therapeutic exercises should be sustained in the home environment; however, the compliance in performing home exercise is low due to poor motivation, boredom, and forgetfulness. A better home program is needed. The objective of this project is to examine the effect of our developed "THRIVE" system (Therapeutic Humanoid Robot In Virtual Environment: the combination of robot with virtual reality games), which can provide a motivating and tailored upper-extremity intervention program with instant feedback, to improve arm function in children with CP at their home. The investigators believe the newly developed "THRIVE" system can increase children's engagement and motivation in home exercises as the robot is their playmate to demonstrate and correct their movements. The investigators will also interview parents and children with CP to understand their impression of using technology at home to shape the intervention. The expected outcome is that children with CP receiving "THRIVE" will improve their arm function more and have better engagement than those who receive VR alone immediately after intervention and at follow-up. The long-term goal is to have the "THRIVE" system be the optimal home exercise platform as it can provide challenging but motivating exercises to improve children's arm function while assisting parents in supervising their children with CP to complete home exercises.
Individuals with cerebral palsy are known to have a reduced amount of physical activity; yet, there are no known intervention strategies for improving the number of steps they take each day. This study will use wearable physical activity monitors to assess if behavioral coaching is a viable strategy for combating the reduced physical activity seen in this patient population.
Children with cerebral palsy have increased muscle tone which often results in decreased active and passive movement at the ankle. While many management strategies exist (including passive stretching, WBV, serial casting, Botox, and surgical tendon lengthening), the utilization of WBV in combination with active exercises and serial casting has not been previously explored. Serial casting is the repeated application of a fiberglass cast (such as that applied to manage stable fractures) on a scheduled (usually weekly basis) to gradually increase the range of motion at a specific joint. It is theorized that combining previously established standard of care practices may result in more rapid clinical change, and hence reduce the need for prolonged intervention; ultimately reducing healthcare costs.
The goal of this research study is to measure changes in patients' quality of life after surgeries that affect the facial nerve, including nerve transfer as treatment for facial paralysis.
Our aim is to study the effect of art therapy for people with PSP, with a focus on alleviating the symptoms associated with PSP, enhancing the overall quality of life for patients, and reducing caregiver stress. Overall, through our collaborative efforts on this study, we hope to unlock the benefits of art therapy for this vulnerable patient population, ultimately improving their overall well-being and enhancing their quality of life.
This study looks at how a medicine called trihexyphenidyl works in children with dystonic cerebral palsy. The study aims to understand how trihexyphenidyl is broken down and used in the body of pediatric patients and whether this is impacted by a person's genetics. Information from this study will also be used to design future clinical trials.
The goal of this study is to characterize the head-neck motion of children with cerebral palsy and investigate how robotics can be used to improve the head-neck coordination of these children. Aim 1 is a cross-sectional study. In this single-session, kinematic and muscle activity data will be collected during the postural static, active-proactive, and reactive postural head tasks. Gross Motor Functional Classification System (GMFCS) levels will also be collected to categorize the sample into subgroups. Aim 2 is a prospective cohort quasi-experimental study. The data will be collected at baseline, across 12 intervention sessions, 1 week post-intervention, and 3 months follow-up. Functional assessments will be used to compare across the pre, mid, and post training. Participants will be assessed in Gross Motor Functional Measures (GMFM), Seated Posture and Reaching Control (SP\&R-co), and Canadian Occupational and Performance Measure (COPM). The primary outcomes will be SP\&R-co test and COPM pre- and post-intervention.
The goal of this interventional study is to learn about the biomechanical factors underlying the beneficial changes in children with cerebral palsy after using individually-adapted stand-on ride-on power mobility devices (PMD). The main questions we aim to answer are: * How does the use of stand-on PMDs affect static balance in children with cerebral palsy? * How does the use of stand-on PMDs affect dynamic balance and mobility function in children with cerebral palsy? Children ages 4-6 years old with cerebral palsy (GMFCS levels II and III) will: * Use individually-adapted stand-on PMDs for three months. * Undergo tests to measure static balance, dynamic balance, and mobility function before and after the intervention. * Receive a full biomechanical assessment (kinematics, kinetics, muscle activity, gait spatiotemporal characteristics). Researchers will compare pre-intervention and post-intervention measurements to quantify improvements in balance, muscle activation, and mobility.