6 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Due to de-centralized cardiovascular control, persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) experience blood pressure (BP) dysregulation which manifests in chronic hypotension with exacerbation during orthostatic positioning. Although many individuals with SCI remain asymptomatic to hypotension and orthostatic hypotension (OH), we recently reported reduced memory and marginally reduced attention and processing speed in hypotensive individuals with SCI compared to a normotensive cohort. Thus, we believe that treatment of overtly asymptomatic hypotension and OH in the SCI population is clinically warranted. Currently the FDA has approved only midodrine hydrochloride for the treatment of dizziness associated with OH and proof of efficacy is limited. Acetylcholinesterase inhibition for treatment of OH is a novel concept and has gained recent recognition in models of neurogenic OH (multiple system atrophy; pure autonomic failure, diabetic neuropathy). The physiological rationale of this concept is unique: acetylcholine (AcH) is the pre-ganglionic neurotransmitter of the sympathetic nervous system. Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase will limit the breakdown of AcH thereby facilitating vascular adrenergic tone and peripheral vasoconstriction. Acetylcholinesterase inhibition has been reported to be efficacious in models of both pre-ganglionic (multiple system atrophy) and post-ganglionic (pure autonomic failure, diabetic neuropathy) origin and persons with SCI reflect a model of a preganglionic disorder. In theory, if an individual has a complete autonomic lesion, acetylcholinesterase inhibition would not be expected to improve orthostatic BP because little/no neural traffic would be transmitted to the pre-synapse. However, individuals with an incomplete autonomic lesion may benefit from this class of agent. Researchers are currently investigating the orthostatic BP effects of acetylcholinesterase inhibition with pyridostigmine bromide (60 mg) in 10 individuals with SCI.
The purpose of this study is to determine how blood pressure and blood flow are controlled during head-up tilt in a semi-upright position. In this investigation we are studying blood pressure and blood flow to the brain, with and without a medication which lowers blood pressure (Vasotec). We will determine how persons with a spinal cord injury are able to maintain blood flow to the brain (not get dizzy) as they assume a more upright position and their blood pressure decreases.
One of the most physiologically demanding things that older people do every day is to get up in the morning. After spending a night laying flat, where the blood distributes evenly across the body, when they stand in the morning (and the blood rushes to their feet), their cardiovascular system may not be able to compensate and maintain blood flow to the brain. This phenomenon is known as orthostatic or postural hypotension. The investigators have found in a group of young individuals that use of a dawn-simulation light that gradually wakes the brain is able to increase cardiovascular tone prior to arising. The goal of this experiment is to determine whether this dawn simulation light is able to increase cardiovascular tone in older adults such that they would have reduced or absent postural hypotension when they awaken in the morning. This would greatly reduce the risks of falls and their associated morbidities in older adults.
The purpose of this research study is to better understand what causes dysautonomia and how this affects blood pressure and pulse. Dysautonomia is a condition of the autonomic nervous system. It is associated with fluctuations in blood pressure and pulse and may cause symptoms of nausea and belly pain, fatigue, excessive thirst, lightheadedness, dizziness, feelings of anxiety or panic, and fainting. A common example of dysautonomia is postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome or POTS. Sometimes symptoms worsen when people move from lying down to standing, called orthostatic intolerance. We would like to learn more about the link between orthostatic intolerance and nausea. While medications currently used to treat orthostatic intolerance and nausea have proven to be effective in some patients, this may not be the best treatment for everyone as long term use could pose certain risks including high blood pressure. In order to provide a more focused and safer treatment for patients suffering from nausea and orthostatic intolerance, we have looked at how the blood pressure, pulse, and certain blood tests change during a tilt table test. This test helps to create the same circumstances that patients with orthostatic intolerance experience when they stand. To better understand if some of these problems are associated with the brain, we will study MRI in patients with dysautonomia compared to children without dysautonomia. This information may allow us to use alternative and safer treatments in the future.
Patients with Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) may not adequately expand their plasma volume in response to a high sodium diet. Mechanisms involved in the regulation of plasma volume, such as the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and renal dopamine (DA), may be impaired in POTS and may respond inappropriately to changes in dietary sodium. The investigators propose that the changes in urinary sodium and dopamine excretion caused by consuming low-sodium and high-sodium diets will be different between patients with POTS and healthy volunteers. The purpose of this study is to determine (1) whether changes in dietary sodium level appropriately influence sodium excretion in POTS; (2) whether changes in dietary sodium level appropriately influence DA excretion in POTS; (3) whether a high dietary sodium level appropriately expands plasma volume in POTS; and (4) whether patients with POTS have improvements in their orthostatic tachycardia and symptoms as a result of a high dietary sodium level.
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/Chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), otherwise known as Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), is an under-recognized disorder whose cause is not yet understood. Suggested theories behind the pathophysiology of this condition include autoimmune causes, an inciting viral illness, and a dysfunctional autonomic nervous system caused by a small fiber polyneuropathy. Symptoms include fatigue, cognitive impairments, gastrointestinal changes, exertional dyspnea, and post-exertional malaise. The latter two symptoms are caused in part by abnormal cardiopulmonary hemodynamics during exercise thought to be due to a small fiber polyneuropathy. This manifests as low biventricular filling pressures throughout exercise seen in patients undergoing an invasive cardiopulmonary exercise test (iCPET) along with small nerve fiber atrophy seen on skin biopsy. After diagnosis, patients are often treated with pyridostigmine (off-label use of this medication) to enhance cholinergic stimulation of norepinephrine release at the post-ganglionic synapse. This is thought to improve venoconstriction at the site of exercising muscles, leading to improved return of blood to the heart and increasing filling of the heart to more appropriate levels during peak exercise. Retrospective studies have shown that noninvasive measurements of exercise capacity, such as oxygen uptake, end-tidal carbon dioxide, and ventilatory efficiency, improve after treatment with pyridostigmine. To date, there are no studies that assess invasive hemodynamics after pyridostigmine administration. It is estimated that four million people suffer from ME/CFS worldwide, a number that is thought to be a gross underestimate of disease prevalence. However, despite its potential for debilitating symptoms, loss of productivity, and worldwide burden, the pathophysiology behind ME/CFS remains unknown and its treatment unclear. By evaluating the exercise response to cholinergic stimulation, this study will shed further light on the link between the autonomic nervous system and cardiopulmonary hemodynamics, potentially leading to new therapeutic targets.