206 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
The purpose of this study is to investigate how repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) affects brain networks measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Participants will undergo a screening that includes a psychiatric and medical history screening, TMS and MRI safety screening, and urine screening. If participants pass the screening procedure, they will be introduced to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and a task that involves viewing words, sentences, or pictures. There will be up to seven visits and each visit will take less than 3 hours. MRI can be dangerous for people that have medical devices, metal objects, or metal debris in their bodies. TMS procedures are associated with a very low risk of seizures, "muscle-tension" type headache, ear damage, numbness of the face, fainting, dizziness, memory impairment, trouble concentrating, and acute mood changes. This study will use only levels of TMS that are within safety guidelines. There is also a risk of potential loss of confidentiality.
This project investigates the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on neural circuits as a function of spatiotemporal parameters and brain state in order to better understand why the method works and how to improve its efficacy. Leveraging our expertise in application of TMS methodology during concurrent single neuron recording techniques in non-human primates and imaging and scalp potential techniques in humans, the investigators aim to resolve three interlocking problems in the design and application of rTMS: stimulation frequency, spatial targeting, and interactions with brain state.
The investigators aim to examine the immediate effect of transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) on brain activity in healthy adults.
The goal of this pilot study is to test the feasibility of assessing how biological factors and chemical properties of sugars may influence metabolism and food reward in humans. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Can differences in appetitive responses and neural activations to sucrose (table sugar) and its chemical components (glucose and fructose) be measured and quantified? * Are there detectable differences in how combinations of sugars and non-nutritive sweeteners commonly found in our food supply influence appetitive responses and neural activation? This study is a crossover design, meaning every participant will complete every condition. Participants will consume beverages containing sucrose, glucose, or fructose, which are each novelly flavored, 6 times within a week. During one of the consumption times, energy expenditure, carbohydrate oxidation, and blood glucose will be measured in the lab before and for 2 hours after consumption. After participants have consumed each condition, they will undergo a tasting task in the MRI scanner, neural responses to receipt of the beverages are measured. Another group of participants will undergo the same study design but with sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, or sucrose + non-nutritive sweetener as the conditions.
As children pass through puberty the timing of their sleep-wake cycle shifts and they experience a strong urge to stay up and awaken late. High school typically starts early in the morning and a significant percentage of normal adolescents arrive at school each day with an insufficient amount of sleep, which can take a substantial toll on their academic performance. As the primary reason for insufficient sleep is a naturally occurring propensity to stay up later in the evening it seems plausible that bright light treatment (BLT) at the appropriate time may phase advance biological clocks and potentially reverse this problem. Hence, the investigators are testing the hypothesis that consistent morning use of a light emitting diode (LED) BLT device (LiteBook Edge™) by healthy adolescents will shift the phase of their sleep wake cycle and enable them to receive an increased amount of sleep during the school week and perform better on tests of attention and academic performance and evidence signs of improved alertness. Alternatively, BLT could potentially enhance alertness through other mechanisms, such as a direct arousing effect, without exerting a discernible effect on circadian phase or sleep duration.
The purpose of this research is to use 18 F Fluorodopa positron emission tomography (FDOPA PET) to measure dopamine function, and utilize magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure inflammatory and oxidative stress markers in persons with Parkinson's disease. The overall goal of this study will be to further the understanding of the effects of a novel meditation technique called orgasmic meditation (OM) on these neurophysiological parameters.
Lay Summary: Walking problems, such as slow and short steps, are very common in Parkinson's disease and lead to increased falls risk, as well as reduced mobility and quality of life. Walking issues are difficult to treat as medication interventions do not restore walking ability in people with Parkinson's, therefore physiotherapy approaches are used to help improve walking. Various physiotherapy strategies have been used, such as internal (thinking about bigger steps) or external prompts. External prompts include auditory (a metronome beat to step in time to), visual (lines to step over on the floor) and tactile (metronome-like vibration to step with) prompts that are very commonly used to improve walking in Parkinson's. However, the reason why walking improves in people with Parkinson's with these physiotherapy strategies is unknown, which has led to not all patients benefiting and only short-term walking improvements being seen. The main issues are that it is unclear if these various internal or external prompt strategies are effective with the progression of Parkinson's disease, and it is unknown which type of strategy is most effective at different disease stages or with more severe walking impairment, such as freezing (the inability to progress walking for short periods despite wanting to do so). Being able to use specific brain regions to pay attention to different internal or external prompts has been suggested to be the reason why people with Parkinson's can overcome their walking problems, but this has not been tested. Therefore, this study will use state-of-the-art digital technology to measure walking and brain activity changes with different internal and external prompts. The investigators think that the walking improvement with different prompt strategies relies on the ability to activate specific brain regions, and that brain region activity in response to internal or external prompts will change at different stages of Parkinson's disease. Ultimately, understanding the reasons why people benefit from these physiotherapy strategies and who benefits most from specific strategies will enable clinicians to provide more timely and efficient treatment for people with Parkinson's, and to develop more effective strategies to further improve walking.
A mainstay in the diagnosis and care of hospitalized patients is the assessment of mental status. Changes in mental status can have broad clinical significance, and while some patients are admitted with mental status changes, nearly half of the patients who experience delirium in the hospital develop it after admission in a manner that is hard to predict on the level of individual patients. Patients with altered mental status such as delirium have worse clinical outcomes, suggesting that early monitoring of mental status can identify important clinical populations who may benefit from targeted delirium prevention and intervention. Delirium remains under-recognized in the hospital, in part due to its fluctuating nature. Typically, mental status is assessed sporadically, perhaps once a day, through intermittent and subjective clinical interactions. As such, there is a clear clinical need for objective, continuous methods to monitor mental status. Such methods could potentially improve detection of delirium, potentially even predicting it prior to clinical recognition, and therefore direct multimodal delirium prevention and intervention strategies when most effective-before delirium becomes fully manifest. In this proposal we plan on testing noninvasive, continuous monitors of mental status in the inpatient setting, primarily through the use of EEG.
The aim of this study is to compare brain changes in individuals with overweight or obesity enrolled in either the Noom Healthy Weight program or a matched control. The study objectives (primary and secondary) are to measure brain change reported as ERP and EEG data over a 16-week timeframe. Additionally, we will explore changes in the default mode network (resting-state asymmetry in EEG measurements), changes in executive functioning, quality of life, mood, and salivary markers as they relate to EEG data.
This study is to better understand the systems-level neuronal mechanisms by which general anesthetics produce loss of consciousness.The researchers believe that anesthetics suppress consciousness by disrupting the functioning of large-scale brain networks that support information integration in the brain.
The purpose of this research study is to learn more about how patterns of brain activity change during different thinking tasks and how these changes relate to the intensity and unpleasantness of the neuropathic pain that people with SCI experience.
Although the majority of older adults are aware of the compelling evidence that regular exercise is critical to the maintenance of health into old age, most do not meet recommendations for daily exercise. This lack of engagement in 'goal-directed' physical activity stems from numerous interrelated factors including lack of motivation, depressed mood, and cognitive "executive" impairments that diminish one's ability to regulate behavior over time. Intriguingly, each of these factors has been linked to the function of brain networks that include the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive and safe means of modulating the excitability of specific brain regions and their connected neural networks. tDCS designed to facilitate the excitability of the left dlPFC has been shown to improve motivation, mood, and multiple aspects of executive function in healthy adults. The investigators thus hypothesize that tDCS holds promise to increase goal-directed physical activity in older adults. This project aims to conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial on the feasibility and effects of a 2-week, 10-session tDCS intervention targeting the left dlPFC, combined with behavioral intervention aimed at increases daily physical activity, on physical activity over a two-month follow-up period, in relatively sedentary older adults without overt illness or disease.
The purpose of this research study is to develop a method to improve thinking difficulties in individuals who have experienced a traumatic brain injury and report experiencing difficulties in attention and concentration. This study aims to understand how cognitive rehabilitation of attention difficulties affects brain activity.
The investigators are doing a study of women with and without binge-eating disorder to learn more about what happens when people engage in everyday decision-making activities. The investigators are interested in learning more about brain activity during everyday decision-making and how everyday decision-making relates to a variety of daily experiences. Examples of everyday decisions include deciding which product to buy, deciding what to eat for a snack, and deciding how to spend free time.
The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of NKTR-181 on brain activity in healthy, non-physically dependent recreational opioid users. This study will last about 88 days for each participant.
The objective of this study is to determine the central neural control of mobility in older adults by acquiring data with multiple modalities of neuroimaging (EEG, fNIRS, MRI) and associating these data with a comprehensive set of diverse mobility outcomes (clinic-based walking, complex walking and community mobility measures).
This study will assess effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and THC + alcohol in marijuana users on prefrontal brain activity, using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) during resting state and during memory task performance. Participants will complete fNIRS testing 120 minutes following THC or identical placebo (Phase 2A), or THC/ethanol, THC/placebo ethanol, placebo THC/ethanol, and placebo THC/placebo ethanol (Phase 2B), and oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) concentration will be measured.
Aphasia is a loss of language due to stroke or other brain injury. Word-finding in conversation is a universal and persistent difficulty in aphasia. While several techniques exist to improve word-finding in aphasia, it is unclear how the brain changes in response to behavioral therapy. In this study, persons with aphasia will receive behavioral therapy aimed at helping them to be more successful at finding words. Twenty therapy sessions will be provided in a 10-week period. Each therapy session will last about 2 hours and will include a variety of language tasks. Prior to beginning word-finding therapy, each participant will receive two fMRI scans, spaced 10 weeks apart. After finishing therapy, each participant will receive two additional fMRI scans, spaced 10 weeks apart. For a portion of the MRI scan, participants will complete language tasks. The purpose of these fMRI scans is to measure brain changes that may occur due to successful behavioral therapy. The hypotheses are as follows: First, that the behavioral therapy will improve word-finding as it has been shown to do in the past. Second, that the brain will change in a couple of different ways. It is expected that the network of regions that support word-finding will be more connected and work together more efficiently after therapy. It is also expected that the networks of regions that support other aspects of cognitive function, such as attention and executive function, will also be more connected and work together more efficiently.
L-theanine and caffeine are two natural constituents of tea. Both of these compounds are among the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's list of Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) substances. Results of several clinical trials the PI and his team has conducted are consistent with results of many others to indicate that oral intake of each of 2.5 mg/kg body weight of L-theanine and 2.0 mg/kg body weight of caffeine is associated with improved attention in adults. Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that, when taken in combination, L-theanine and caffeine seem to have additive effects in improving attention in adults. However, the specific actions of these substances have not been examined in children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), who are characterized by impaired attention, hyperkinesia and impulsivity. Therefore, the investigators plan to study the functional activity of brains (both at rest and when performing standard tasks designed to measure attention) in children diagnosed with ADHD using functional magnetic resonance imaging, after they consume either 2.5 mg/kg of L-theanine, 2.0 mg/kg of caffeine and their combination as compared to a placebo (water). Based on our previous findings, the investigators expect to observe improvements (speed of responding and accuracy) in standard tests of attention with intake of L-theanine, caffeine and their combination as compared to the placebo. The investigators also expect to observe decreased functional activity in brain regions that typically show increased activity during mind wandering with intake of L-theanine, caffeine and their combination.
This observational study will investigate whether differences in birth events and oxygen levels during the newborn period affects the brain activity of children during the middle childhood years.
To address joint position sense in cervical dystonia patients and how it affects the brain activity.
This study will look into the effects of Botulinum Toxin in patients with primary cervical dystonia. The effects will be determined by neck muscle activity measurements and brain function activity measurements. The goal of the study is to try to identify markers of the effects of Botulinum toxin.
The drug effects will be studied after a single dose of 50 milligram (mg) albiglutide and a single dose of 10 microgram exenatide, to gain insight into the central mechanisms of nausea associated with Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists. This study will explore the potential differences at the expected time of maximum concentration (Cmax) between a long-acting (albiglutide) and short-acting (exenatide) GLP-1R agonist in brain activation of healthy volunteers assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This is a phase IV, 2-part, 2-period crossover (session), single dose, randomized, single blind (blinded to both the subject and the imaging evaluators analysing the MRI data), placebo- and active-controlled study in adult healthy volunteers who are susceptible to motion sickness. Part A and Part B are the same in design, both consisting of a screening stage, a dosing/assessment stage, and a follow-up visit. Data from Part A will inform progression, methods, and analysis plan for Part B. Each sequence includes three scanning visits: albiglutide plus scan, exenatide plus scan and an off-therapy -natural history scan with a 6-9 week washout period between the dosing scans. A total of 24 to 28 subjects will be randomized in the study (Part A and Part B). The cross over design is divided into 2 sessions and schedule is as follow, on Day 1 (either Session 1 (S1) or Session 2 (S2) per, if randomized) subject will under go an off-therapy MRI scan, on Day 5 subject will receive a single dose of 50 mg albiglutide or albiglutide placebo, and Day 8 subject will receive a single dose of 10 microgram exenatide or saline placebo followed by a post-dose MRI scan. At each session subject will receive only one active drug (albiglutide or exenatide).
The primary purpose of this interventional, placebo controlled, crossover, double blind, basic science exploratory study is to investigate whether there is a difference in brain electrophysiological oscillatory activity in healthy adults before and after oral consumption of water containing very small bubbles of oxygen (electrokinetically modified water).
The purpose of this study is to test an innovative combination of direct-attention training and metacognitive training in the treatment of attention impairments in Veterans with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) who report experiencing attentional problems. Enrolled participants will be randomized to receive either the direct-attention training or metacognitive training first and then will be crossed over to receive the opposite intervention. The study will consist of two treatment periods of 4 weeks and a post-treatment 4 weeks later. In addition to the rehabilitation treatments, participants will also perform measures of complex functional activities (e.g., independent activities of daily living or IADLs) and neurocognitive tests of attention-control functions. Participants will also perform an attentional task that probes the function of three different attentional systems while brain wave activity (i.e., electroencephalography or EEG) is being recorded in order to assess changes in brain function that may be improved by the rehabilitation approach. Planned enrollment will be 36 Veterans.
The purpose of this study is early identification of asphyxiated newborns through eeg starting in the delivery room.
The objective of the research is to test the hypothesis that participating in group-based gardening activities alters brain network activation and function, and that such change occurring in the brain forms the neurobiological basis for much of the nonphysical activity portion of the therapeutic benefits of gardening and horticultural therapy. Assessment of the effects of the gardening activities on the experimental population will take two approaches, the first being the use of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to assess the regions of the brain that may become activated as a consequence of experiencing the cumulative gardening activities and associated stimuli. The allied approach will employ widely used and well-established self-reported assessment instruments that will capture information about the health and well-being that will then provide a psychometrically-based before and after physical and health summary of the participants in the control group and those engaged in the gardening activities.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether ketamine-induced brain activity changes are modulated by TAK-063 administration using neuroimaging battery tests.
The purpose of the study is to evaluate whether low-dose USP methylene blue (MB) will: i) improve short-term memory retention in a delayed match-to-sample task, ii) reduce reaction time in a psychomotor vigilance test, and iii) enhance responses to a visual-motor task as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). A single low-dose MB or placebo will be orally administered to self-declared healthy adults using double-blind study design. Non-invasive fMRI data will be acquired before and after MB administration in the same subjects. Each study will take 2-3 hours, inclusive of an hour break in between.
This study compares the efficacy of low and high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) as a means of treating subjects with schizophrenia. Magnetic pulses delivered over the scalp cause brain activity. This activity has been shown to help decrease the intensity and frequency of auditory hallucinations (AH) in schizophrenia. The investigators will compare whether low or high frequencies work best. The investigators will also examine what changes occur in the brain that are related to improvement.