Search Results Within Category "Brain & Nervous System"
Transdiagnostic Cognitive Biomarkers
The overall objective of this study is to determine the feasibility of identifying transdiagnostic biomarkers of cognitive function mediated by neuromodulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex that are translatable across disease groups in order to more accurately phenotype clusters of cognitive dysfunction. Completing behavioral paradigms with electrophysiology and TMS is a challenging frontier. This study focuses on the feasibility of such an endeavor for those with chronic pain or depression as well as healthy controls.
Gabby Hernandez - hern0245@umn.edu
• all participants must be adults 18 years or older
• diagnosis of chronic pain that isn't controlled with oral pain medication OR
• diagnosis of major depression OR
• healthy volunteers
• unable to have TMS due to metallic hardware (such as cochlear implants, deep brain stimulator, medication pumps)
• history of seizures or epilepsy
• unable to have a MRI
• unable to complete tasks associated with study
• women who are pregnant
• non-English speaking
• blindness
• healthy volunteers may not have a diagnosis of chronic pain or depression
Genetics of Developmental Disorders - Data and Specimen Repository
This project is a data and specimen repository for developmental disorders. Participants provide biological samples and permission to store their health-related data. The purpose is collect and manage these materials for use in biomedical research related to developmental disorders.
Williams Dobyns - wbdobyns@umn.edu
• All ages
• Individuals with a developmental disorder (mostly but not exclusively developmental brain disorders)
• Parents and other selected relatives of individuals with developmental disorders
Optimization of deep brain stimulation parameters in patients with medically refractory epilepsy
This study will develop a platform for stimulation setting optimization based on power spectral density (PSD) measures. Randomized, controlled trials have demonstrated that stimulation of the anterior nucleus of the thalamus (ANT) suppresses seizures. The central hypothesis tested here will be that PSD measured in the ANT will correlate with seizure frequency and stimulation settings that suppress broadband activity will result in lower seizure rates.
Robert McGovern - rmcgover@umn.edu
Brain Mechanisms of Qigong for Neuropathic Pain Relief in Adults with Spinal Cord Injury
The researchers aim to prove that Qigong practice can result in reduced or relieved neuropathic pain, improved mood, life satisfaction, self-efficacy, enjoyment to move, and community integration; and decreased fear of movement, use of medication or health care services for adults with spinal cord injury.
Ann Van de Winckel - avandewi@umn.edu
• 18 to 75 years old
• spinal cord injury (SCI) at least 3 months ago
• medically stable with paraplegia (T1 and below) or tetraplegia (C4 and below)
• highest level of below-level SCI-related neuropathic pain >3 on the numeric pain rating scale.
• unable to have a MRI (stabilizing hardware is typically MRI safe)
• uncontrolled seizure disorder; cognitive impairment and/or communicative disability (e.g., due to brain injury) that prevent the participant from following directions or from learning
• ventilator dependent
• pregnant or plans to become pregnant during study
• inability to perform kinesthetic imagery
Humanitarian Use Device: Medtronic DBS Therapy for Dystonia (HDE #H020007) (Dystonia IRB)
Humanitarian Use device application for DBS therapy for dystonia
Kelly Ryberg - rybe0010@umn.edu
• 7 to 99 years old
• diagnosed with chronic, intractable (drug refractory) primary dystonia determined by a neurologist or neurosurgeon
• patients who are at significant surgical risk as determined by the neurosurgeon and/or anesthesiologist
• patients who have not had an adequate trial of medical or non-surgical treatment
Circuit-Based Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's disease; Udall Clinical Core
The goal of this study is to provide comprehensive longitudinal assessments of a cohort of PD patients before, during, and after DBS surgery, including neurological, neurophysiological, and neuropsychological data.
Kelly Brown - ksbrown@umn.edu
• age 21 years and older
• diagnosis of Parkinson's disease
• candidate for DBS
• diagnosis of dementia
• women who are pregnant
Mechanisms and effects of pallidal deep brain stimulation on levodopa resistant motor signs in Parkinson's disease; Udall Project 2, Aim 2
1.1 Purpose: This protocol will carry out Aim 2 (Experiments 1 and 3) of Udall Project 2, leveraging the novel (on-label, FDA-approved) local field potential measuring capability of the Medtronic Percept™ PC DBS system to study the effects of globus pallidus internus and globus pallidus externus (GPi, GPe) DBS on: the wash-out and wash-in dynamics of motor behavior and local field potentials (LFPs) and correlations between fluctuations in gait and LFPs during activities of daily living (recorded over 4 weeks).
Kristin Garland - garl0038@umn.edu
• receiving DBS therapy in for treatment of Parkinson's Disease (PD)
• implanted with Medtronic Percept DBS system
• at least 3 months since initial activation of the DBS
• musculoskeletal disorders that significantly affect the ability to perform the motor tasks
• dementia or cognitive impairment
• other significant neurological disorders
• post-operative complications or adverse effects of the DBS stimulation
Effects of Pallidal Deep Brain Stimulation Location on Motor Impairment in Parkinsons disease; Udall Project 2 Aims 1 & 2 Study
This protocol will characterize the effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) location (both adverse and beneficial) on motor signs in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). This information can be used to inform future DBS protocols to tailor stimulation to the specific needs of a patient. If targeted dorsal GP stimulation is shown to significantly improve motor features that are typically resistant to dopamine replacement therapy, these experiments will likely have major impact on clinical practice by providing a potential strategy to these medically intractable symptoms.
Kelly Ryberg - rybe0010@umn.edu
• diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's Disease (PD)
• have a deep brain stimulator (DBS)
• have had a 7T brain scan
• history of musculoskeletal disorders that significantly affect movement of the upper or lower limbs
• other significant neurological disorder
• history of dementia or cognitive impairment
• post-operative complications or adverse effects of DBS
Kinematic signatures of postural instability and gait in Parkinson Disease
This is a prospective study aimed at quantifying walking and balance in Parkinson's Disease patients in the clinical setting. To accomplish this, we will use a portable motion capture system that is widely used to study biomechanics in humans. Once quantified, we want to test the effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) frequency in patients who already have DBS systems in place. Thus, our objectives are: 1. Develop an anonymized database of quantitative postural responses and gait of PD patients. 2. Develop software that can quantify the postural response and gait of PD participants using only standard video camera footage. 3. Test the effectiveness of bilateral high and low frequency STN-DBS on the postural responses and gait of PD patients using the portable motion capture system. 4. We will passively record thalamic LFPs from patients with Medtronic Percept DBS devices while the DBS is OFF, set to low frequency, and set to high frequency.
Thomas Lisko - tlisko@umn.edu
• People diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, with or without implanted Deep Brain Stimulator (DBS). May be at any age of disease progression.
• Healthy adults of similar age to participants who have Parkinson's Disease and are enrolled in the study.
A longitudinal study of imaging biomarkers in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and primary lateral sclerosis (PLS)
The purpose of the study is to test new biomarkers of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) using MRI scans at 3 tesla (3T). Identifying biomarkers of a disease can lead to a better understanding of the disease as well as improved treatments.
Valerie Ferment - ferm0016@umn.edu
• 21 to 75 years old
• diagnosis of possible, laboratory-supported probable, probable, or definite ALS or PLS
• other neurodegenerative diseases (Parkinson disease, Alzheimer's disease, etc).
• inability to undergo MRI scanning
• needs assistance to walk or climb stairs
Building Resilience in Adrenoleukodystrophy with Imaging and Neuropsychology (BRAIN)
This is a prospective, longitudinal cohort study involving data collection regarding performance of children with ALD and typically developing (TD)children on neurocognitive testing and collection of neuroimaging data. The first goal of this study is to understand more about how ALD affects a child’s brain and development in childhood as they take part in their normal medical care and monitoring. This is important to identifying the best ways to detect and treat manifestations of ALD such as cerebral ALD. The second goal is to learn about how ALD affects caregivers, so that clinicians can offer better support to families in the future.
Brain Study - brainstudy@umn.edu
• 3 to 15 years old
• male
• diagnosis of ALD either at-risk for ALD: patients with genetically or biochemically-diagnosed ALD who currently have no evidence of cerebral disease on MRI and b) Cerebral ALD: boys with the cerebral form of ALD who underwent or are undergoing evaluation or treatment for this condition and have early stage disease
• for healthy volunteers: males between 3 and 15 years old
• girls are excluded because this is a genetic disease that only males get
• history of a genetic, neurological, or neurodevelopmental disorder affecting brain development
• history of significant brain insult, infection or injury
Plasticity of motor systems in early stage Parkinson's disease
The purpose of this project is to provide new knowledge of the relationship between structural and functional changes in cortico-basal ganglia pathways and the severity of motor and non-motor deficits in humans with PD.
Madison Aasen - aasen056@umn.edu
• Diagnosis of Parkinson's disease
• Not taking medication to treat Parkinson's
• Age: 21-75 years
• Able to walk independently Inclusion Criteria For Control Subject Group: Age and sex matched to participants with PD and able to walk independently
• Dementia diagnosis
• History of musculoskeletal disorders
• History of bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder or major depressive disorder
• Other significant neurological disorders that may affect participation or performance in the study
• Implanted DBS or other neurosurgeries to treat PD
• Pregnant women
• History of seizures, epilepsy, stroke, multiple sclerosis, or traumatic brain injury
• Intracranial metallic or magnetic devices (e.g. cochlear implant, deep brain stimulator)
• Pacemaker or any implanted device
• History of surgery on blood vessels, brain, or heart
• Unexplained, recurring headaches or concussion within the last six months
• Severe hearing impairment Exclusion Criteria for Control subject Group: same as exclusion criteria of PD group
MultiStem Administration for Stroke Treatment and Enhanced Recovery Study (MASTERS-2)
This study is evaluating the efficacy of MultiStem (drug) on functional outcome in participants with ischemic stroke.
Justin Eklund - eklun063@umn.edu
• clinical diagnosis of ischemic stroke involving cerebral cortex
• moderate to moderately severe stroke with a persistent neurologic deficit
• stroke involving other areas of the brain
• stroke or head injury within the past 6 months
The Organ Care System (OCS) Lung Thoracic Organ Perfusion (TOP) Post Approval Study (PAS) Registry - OCS Lung TOP PAS Registry (TOP)
To collect additional real-world safety and effectiveness data for the OCS™ Lung System and to expand the long-term clinical evidence supporting the use of OCS™Lung System in lung transplantation.
Henry Madden - madde123@umn.edu
• people who received OCS preserved double lung transplants
• OR people who receive a single lung transplant from OCS preserved lung pairs from either standard criteria donors
• AND all donor lungs that were perfused on OCS Lung System
Asymmetries in motor control and their impact on functional independence
We are trying to learn more about how the brain controls movement and how this affects function after stroke. We expect differences in the side of brain damage to result in distinct movements of each arm. We will collect information with standard clinical exams and movements during tasks completed on the Kinereach virtual reality system. We will compare results between people who have and have not had a stroke.
Shanie Jayasinghe - jayas045@umn.edu
• right-handed
• stroke occurred at least 3 months ago
• stroke on only one side of brain
• weakness on one side of the body
• able to understand instructions
• history of more than 1 stroke
• pacemaker
• pregnant
• major psychiatric diagnosis (schizophrenia, major affective disorder, substance abuse requiring hospitalization)
• significant joint pain
• arthritis
• neurological disease other than stroke
• taking prescription drugs with sedative properties
• unable to have a MRI
Wearable monitor for FOG detection
Freezing of gait is a common problem in people with Parkinson's disease. Episodes of freezing can be overcome when a sensory cue is provided. This study will further develop and study the efficacy of a wireless shoe insole that can monitor walking and provide a cue (acoustic or vibrotactile) when a freezing event is detected. The experiment is designed to further test the ability of the device and algorithm to reliably detect freezing and release the episode with an external cue. This study has the potential to develop a tool that can help reduce the incidence and severity of freezing events in people with Parkinson's disease.
Madison Aasen - aasen056@umn.edu
• Age: 21 to 75 years
• Able to walk independently without the assistance of a walking aid
• History of musculoskeletal disorders
• Other significant neurological disorders
• Hallucinations
• Unable to walk
• Legally Blind
• Symptomatic low blood pressure
• Additional exclusion criteria for young and healthy controls: diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, or a family member with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.
Wearable sensors for the combined use of early detection of postural instability and fall risk prediction in Parkinson s disease patients
This is a prospective study aimed at quantifying walking and balance in patients with parkinsonism in the clinical setting in addition to a living environment setting. To accomplish this, we will use a portable motion capture system that is widely used to study biomechanics in humans. Once quantified, we want to test the effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) frequency in patients who already have DBS systems in place. Thus, our objectives are: 1. Demonstrate that parkinsonism patient-specific kinematics can be used to detect postural instability in the clinic using wearable IMUs. 2. Demonstrate that individualized, home-based postural response curves can detect postural instability and prospectively predict fall risk in patients with parkinsonism.
Thomas Lisko - tlisko@umn.edu
• Anyone who has been diagnosed with parkinsonism including Parkinsons disease, Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, or atypical parkinsonism
• Healthy adults of similar age as study participants
• people who have dementia of sufficient severity to impair their ability to make health-care decisions for themselves
Efficacy and Mechanisms of Combined Aerobic Exercise and Cognitive Training in MCI (The ACT Trial)
This study will be a multi-site, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial (RCT) that will screen older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) using 4 steps (over the phone, in-person interview including informed consent, medical verification, exercise stress test/magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]). We will enroll 128 participants (target 96 completers, assuming 25% attrition rate at 6 months). After baseline assessment, participants will be enrolled and randomized within age (65-74 years of age or ≥75 years of age) and study site (Minnesota or Rochester) strata centrally at the University of Minnesota (UMN) to one of four groups: ACT, cycling only, SOP only, or control with equal allocation and using a randomization scheme generated by our UMN biostatistician (CI: Vock). Group allocations will be concealed to all investigators and data collectors. The interventions will last for 6 months with 12-month follow-up. Outcomes include: 1) cognition: composite measures of executive function and episodic memory, 2) AD signature cortical thickness: composite using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), 3) functional connectivity in DMN: resting-state using functional MRI (fMRI), 4) aerobic fitness, and 5) clinical and pathological AD conversion. Cognition and aerobic fitness will be assessed at baseline, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months; AD conversion at 6, 12, and 18 months; and AD signature cortical thickness and DMN at baseline, 6, 12, and 18 months. PIs Yu and Lin have developed and tested strategies in their preliminary studies to successfully ensure the protection of human participants.
Russell Spafford - spaff010@umn.edu
• diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment
• live in the community
• English speaking
• adequate vision
• physician confirms that exercise is safe
• stable on drugs affecting cognitive and psychological status
• able to have a MRI
• resting heart rate less than 50 or greater than 100
• additional medical or mental health diagnosis (study staff will review)
• enrolled in another intervention study related to cognitive improvement
A Clinical Trial of Cognitive Multisensory Rehabilitation for Sensory and Motor Recovery in Adults with Spinal Cord Injury
Almost 300,000 Americans with a spinal cord injury or disorder (SCI/D) suffer from reduced or complete loss of sensory and motor function, which can compromise functional independence and quality of life. The purpose of this study is to find better treatment options for improving sensation and movement after SCI/D.
Ann Van de Winckel - avandewi@umn.edu
• 18 to 75 years old
• incomplete or complete SCI/D of more than 3months
• medically stable.
• MRI contra-indications (stabilizing hardware is typically MRI safe)
• uncontrolled seizure disorder
• cognitive impairment and/or communicative disability (e.g., due to brain injury) that prevents following directions or learning
• ventilator dependent
• other major medical complications
• pregnant women
Prospective quantitative kinematic assessment of patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus
This is a prospective study aimed at quantifying walking and balance in normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) patients in the clinical setting. To accomplish this, we will use a portable motion capture system that is widely used to study biomechanics in humans. Once quantified, we want to test the effects of ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) on walking and balance among NPH patients. Thus, our objectives are: Aim 1: We will demonstrate the use of quantitative kinematic data on NPH patients pre-lumbar drain, post-lumbar drain and post-VPS in order to assess the predictive value of CSF removal on gait and balance. Aim 2: We will demonstrate the use of objective, neuropsychological data on NPH patients pre-lumbar drain, post-lumbar drain and post-VPS in order to assess the predictive value of CSF removal on cognition 3. We will demonstrate the use of objective, physical therapy data on NPH patients pre-lumbar drain, post-lumbar drain and post-VPS in order to assess the predictive value of CSF removal on therapeutic intervention in terms of walking and balance measures.
Thomas Lisko - tlisko@umn.edu
• People who have dementia of sufficient severity to impair their ability to make health-care decisions
• People who have other types of Parkinson's Disease
• People who are unable to stand without help
Safety and Acceptability of Patient -administered Sedation During Mechanical Ventilation
The primary objective of the study is to assess the efficacy of patient controlled sedation (Self-management of sedative therapy) using dexmedetomidine to reduce anxiety, delirium incidence and duration of mechanical ventilation compared to usual sedation practices in mechanically ventilated subjects.
Craig Weinert - weine006@umn.edu
• receiving mechanical ventilation (ventilator) in the Intensive Care Unit
• receiving medication for sedation or pain
• prone (facing down) ventilation being used
• low blood pressure that is being treated with medication
• unstable medical condition (staff will review)