Search Results
UTSW NORC Pilot Spinal Cord Injury Dietary Program
The goal of this observational study is to learn about the effects of a 9-week dietician-guided program modified from the National Diabetic Prevention Program (modified DPP-diet) in people with spinal cord injury on body composition and insulin sensitivity. The main question it aims to answer is: Does 9 week modified DPP-diet reduce body fat percentage and insulin resistance? Participants will: Have 9 weeks of Telehealth visit with dietician certified in providing DPP. Visit the laboratory before, immediately and 9 weeks after completion of the modified DPP-diet. Share with the researcher on the perceived benefit and obstacles in implementing the modified DPP-diet as part of their daily activities.
Call 214-648-5005
studyfinder@utsouthwestern.edu, LUCY.CHRISTIE@UTSouthwestern.edu
Effect of the Stellate Ganglion Block on the Retinal Microcirculation
Surges in the sympathetic nervous system occur at the ictus of a variety of neurological critical illnesses including intracranial hemorrhage and ischemic stroke. It is hypothesized that these exaggerated increases in sympathetic nervous activity produce maladaptations that promote secondary brain injury. One of these possible mechanisms include diffuse vasospasm that cause cerebral ischemia. Hence, methods to abrogate the sympathetic nervous system in this context are under active investigation. One possible method is the regional anesthesia technique of the stellate ganglion nerve block, which is ordinarily used for complex regional pain syndrome, but has been shown to reduce cerebral sympathetic activity and reduces vasospasm in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage. However, its effect on the microcirculation is not clear. Hence, we propose to study patients receiving the stellate ganglion nerve block as part of their standard medical care and to image their retinal microcirculation before and after the procedure using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA).
Call 214-648-5005
studyfinder@utsouthwestern.edu, Emily.Melikman@UTSouthwestern.edu
Pathways Relating Amnestic MCI to a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury History (PATH)
This study will probe if the biological changes in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) are related to a history of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) using high definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) and blood-derived biomarker tools. Participants who Do as well as those who Do Not have a history of mTBI will be enrolled in the study.
Call 214-648-5005
studyfinder@utsouthwestern.edu, Hannah.Cabrera@UTSouthwestern.edu
• Active diagnosis of amnestic mild cognitive impairment
• Presence of an mTBI history for the mTBI+ group; absence of an mTBI history for a control sample
• Female and male subjects
• All races/ethnicities
• Age 55 years and older
• Fluent in English
• Mild traumatic brain injury within past year
• Lifetime history of moderate or severe brain injury
• Lifetime major neurologic syndromes (e.g., stroke, epilepsy, brain tumor)
• Lifetime major cardiovascular conditions (e.g., heart attack, heart failure)
• Current substance use disorder
• Current major psychiatric disorders (e.g., major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder)
• Current vision or hearing impairment that interferes with testing
• Any electronic and or metallic implants in the skull or brain
• Current medication use known to alter HD-tDCS reactivity
Safeguarding the Brain of Our Smallest Infants Phase III (SafeBoosC)
the SafeBoosC-III trial investigates the benefit and harms of treatment based on near-infrared spectroscopy monitoring compared with treatment as usual. The hypothesis is that treatment based on near-infrared spectroscopy monitoring for extremely preterm infants during the first 72 hours of life will result in a reduction in severe brain injury or death at 36 weeks postmenstrual age.
Call 214-648-5005
studyfinder@utsouthwestern.edu, Monica.MadridOrnelas@UTSouthwestern.edu
• Infants born with postmenstrual age less than 28 weeks
• Signed informed consent, unless the NICU has chosen to use 'opt-out' or deferred consent as consent method.
• Missing written parental informed consent (if the 'opt-out' method is used for consent, lack of a record that the clinical staff have explained the trial and the 'opt-out' consent process to parents and/or a record in the infant's clinical file of parents' decision to opt-out, are exclusion criteria)
• Decision not to conduct full life support
• No possibility to place cerebral NIRS oximeter within six hours after birth
Brain Networks and Consciousness
General anesthesia (GA) is a medically induced state of unresponsiveness and unconsciousness, which millions of people experience every year. Despite its ubiquity, a clear and consistent picture of the brain circuits mediating consciousness and responsiveness has not emerged. Studies to date are limited by lack of direct recordings in human brain during medically induced anesthesia. Our overall hypothesis is that the current model of consciousness, originally proposed to model disorders and recovery of consciousness after brain injury, can be generalized to understand mechanisms of consciousness more broadly. This will be studied through three specific aims. The first is to evaluate the difference in anesthesia sensitivity in patients with and without underlying basal ganglia pathology. Second is to correlate changes in brain circuitry with induction and emergence from anesthesia. The third aim is to evaluate the effects of targeted deep brain stimulation on anesthesia induced loss and recovery of consciousness. This study focuses on experimentally studying these related brain circuits by taking advantage of pathological differences in movement disorder patient populations undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery. DBS is a neurosurgical procedure that is used as treatment for movement disorders, such as Parkinson's disease and essential tremor, and provides a mechanism to acquire brain activity recordings in subcortical structures. This study will provide important insight by using human data to shed light on the generalizability of the current model of consciousness. The subject's surgery for DBS will be prolonged by up to 40 minutes in order to record the participant's brain activity and their responses to verbal and auditory stimuli.
Call 214-648-5005
studyfinder@utsouthwestern.edu, Sahil.Chilukuri@UTSouthwestern.edu
• Willingness and ability to cooperate during conscious operative procedure for up to 40 minutes
• Clinical diagnosis of Parkinson's disease or essential tremor
• Preoperative MRI without evidence of cortical or subdural adhesions or vascular abnormalities
• Patients with recent use (within one week) of anticoagulant or antiplatelet agent use
• Neurocognitive testing indicating amnestic cognitive deficits
• History of intolerance of propofol or medical indications to use an anesthetic other than propofol