12 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
The purpose of this research is to determine the feasibility of an uneven terrain walking program for lower limb prosthesis users. The training is designed to induce step-to-step variability during walking within a safe environment, with the aim of improving walking skill and confidence.
Special Operations Forces (SOF) train continually to maintain peak performance. Thus, they are nearly always in a state of recovery, and in need of noninvasive therapies to address the taxing workload. Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) is a noninvasive treatment where a low-level laser is applied to the body to enhance healing, recovery, and performance. Army Tactical Human Optimization Rapid Rehabilitation and Reconditioning (THOR3) provides a consistent avenue for implementation of PBMT as a modality. Studies in athletes have shown performance and recovery benefits with pre-and post-workout focal application of PBMT. While there is less evidence on the potential cognitive/behavioral effects of a systematic application of PBMT, self-reported fatigue has also been found to be significantly lower in groups with focal PBMT application as compared to placebo. Further, PBMT research in healthy military tactical athletes is limited. PBMT may be a promising tool for enhancing physical performance by accelerating musculoskeletal and psychological recovery in the SOF population. The investigators aim to study the physiologic and behavioral effects of PBMT application post-exercise on performance in SOF Operators. The Intent: The investigators propose to conduct a single-blinded randomized-control trial with sham control to investigate the effectiveness of providing PBMT post physical training in a SOF population. The specific aims of this study are to: 1. Analyze and describe the physiologic effects, if any, of PBMT application post-exercise in Special Forces Operators undergoing coach-led training. 2. Analyze and describe the behavioral effects, if any, of PBMT application post-exercise in Special Forces Operators undergoing coach-led training. 3. Evaluate the overall clinical utility of focal PBMT subsequent to physical training in a US Army SOF, tactical athlete population.
The chronic stress of police work may reduce human performance through increases in anxiety, depression, pain, and insomnia. Land's End VR may teach mindful meditation that is associated with reduced anxiety, depression, pain, and insomnia. tACS may produce similar effects to Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) without the side effect risks of SSRIs by stimulating neurotransmitter production and modulating the default mode network, resulting in reduced anxiety, depression, pain, and insomnia. These two technologies have not been investigated as interventions among police officers. Therefore, we propose a pilot randomized waitlist-controlled crossover trial of the feasibility and efficacy of Land's End VR and tACS among police officers.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of Astym® treatment, The Stick® treatment and massage treatment on performance among healthy college athletes and to investigate any relationship between functional movement and functional performance. Participants will be recruited from Division II, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) basketball and volleyball teams. The participants will be randomized into one of three groups: Astym treatment (AT), The Stick treatment (ST) or massage treatment (MT). The participant will have baseline measures of vertical jump (VJ), Y-Balance Lower Quarter Screen (YBLQ), and a rating of current perceived lower extremity function using a visual analog scale (PLEF-VAS). The participants will be treated using either the AT, ST, or MT following baseline measures. Immediately following the intervention, a second measurement of VJ, YBLQ, and PLEF-VAS will take place. The data will be analyzed using mixed ANOVA tests which will be conducted for each dependent variable. In addition, functional movement is thought to be related to functional performance. A Pearson Product Correlation analysis will be used to understand any relationship between YBLQ and VJ. It is hypothesized that those in the AT group will have different percent change in their YBLQ, VJ, and PLEF-VAS compared to those in ST and MT groups. It is hypothesized that a correlation between YBLQ and VJ will exist. As a result, clinicians could use AT among basketball and volleyball athletes without hindering acute performance. Any risks the participants could encounter are minimal. Participants may withdraw themselves and their data at any time. The intervention and testing are similar to what an athlete would be exposed to during their collegiate career. Any participant injured during this study will be referred to their university sports medicine staff, health center, or the Indiana Wesleyan University health center.
Canadian Critical Care Nutrition Guidelines assist health practitioners in identifying best practices for feeding critically ill patients. However, guidelines have resulted in little change in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) practices, possibly because barriers to change differ between ICUs. Change may be facilitated if strategies specifically address identified barriers. The investigators hypothesize that barriers are inversely related to nutrition performance. Tailoring change strategies to overcome barriers to change will reduce the presence of these barriers and lead to improvements in nutrition practice.
The goal of this trial is to see if using a maximal effort, short cycling test is better at activating muscles to improve vertical jump height compared to a maximal effort back squat. The study looks to answer three questions: 1. will the Wingate bike test create a different change in counter movement jump height compared to a back squat? 2. What is the best recovery period after each test where the counter movement jump is the highest? 3. What person-specific factors predict success of the Wingate bike test as a activation activity for the counter movement jump? Participants will visit the lab 3 times, once to give informed consent and measure their 1 repetition max (RM) back squat, and twice to perform each intervention and measure vertical jump height.
Non-invasive brain stimulation has been shown to alter performance in both clinical and healthy populations on cognitive tasks. While the performance alterations have generally been shown to result in enhancement, mixed results remain in the literature. Much of the mixed results within the literature have been attributed to the use of different stimulation parameters, targeting of different brain areas, and using a variety of performance measures or assessing different constructs. However, non-invasive brain stimulation is a desirable method for enhancing Soldier performance given the ease of administration and minimal side effects as compared to other forms of performance enhancement (e.g., pharmaceuticals, caffeine). The objective of the current study is to evaluate the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in enhancing Soldier cognitive skills and performance on military tasks. A double blind within-subjects design will be used with healthy, rested Soldiers who will receive non-invasive brain stimulation and perform basic cognitive and operationally relevant tasks.
Crews of future long-duration exploration missions will have to cope with a wide range of stressors that present significant challenges for maintaining optimal performance. Crews will have to operate under conditions of high workload, reduced sleep and circadian dysregulation, limited sensory stimulation, confinement and extended separation from family and friends, and communication delays isolating them from real-time interaction with ground support, which may be particularly critical in the event of emergencies. These factors present significant risks to optimal cognitive/behavioral functioning and performance, across individuals and teams, and such challenges will only increase in criticality as human exploration moves beyond Earth's orbit to targets such as the Moon and Mars. To help mitigate these risks, Massachusetts General Hospital, along with collaborators at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will investigate a novel, personalized and scalable, closed-loop platform technology for on-board behavioral health management-one which adapts the local working environment to optimize performance based on biosensor feedback.
The objective of this randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, crossover study is to evaluate the effects of transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) on complex cognitive task performance in healthy adult volunteers. The primary questions this study aims to answer are: 1. Does tES improve task performance, including speed, accuracy, and overall success, during a computerized track-and-capture task? 2. Do different stimulation targets produce differential effects on performance? 3. Are there short-term post-stimulation effects on task performance (up to 48 hours)? Participants will: 1. Complete two testing sessions under either active or sham stimulation conditions. 2. Perform a complex operational task involving dual-hand controllers while undergoing tES or sham stimulation, and immediately after. 3. Return for follow-up task performance assessments at 24 and 48 hours post-stimulation to evaluate after-effects.
This study is designed to investigate how musical patterns (e.g., patterned sensory enhancement, PSE) and non-invasive brain stimulation (e.g., transcranial direct current stimulation, tDCS) are effective to improve functional upper extremity performances in patients with corticobasal syndrome (CBS). 20 individuals with CBS will be randomly assigned to either PSE group (n= 10) or PSE+tDCS (n=10) group. Both interventions are 30 minutes long, twice a week for three weeks (a total of 6 sessions). Participants' self-reported and measurable outcomes including upper extremity function, kinematic quantities, quality of life, mood, cognitive level, and brain activity (e.g. electroencephalography, EEG) will be assessed in the baseline, pre- and post- each session, and follow-up phase. This study seeks to assess the possibility that music-based intervention and non-invasive brain stimulation may improve outcomes in CBS patients for patients' non-invasive but cost-effective rehabilitation settings in the future.
A single-site, randomized study to assess the effectiveness of different types of closed-loop auditory stimulation on slow-wave enhancement using SmartSleep in an astronaut-like sample of adults between the ages of 30 and 55. Secondary analyses will be performed to determine whether slow-wave enhancement influences neurobehavioral performance in this population. Participants will be on study for 8 weeks.
This study evaluates the effects of acute huperzine A ingestion prior to exercise on cognitive function and perceived effort in exercise-trained individuals. Huperzine A has shown the ability to improve cognitive function in dementia patients, and is currently marketed as a cognitive enhancing supplement. Study participants will receive either huperzine A or placebo during the first experimental session, and will receive the other substance during the second session.