Search Results
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
Study to Assess the Effect of Ofatumumab in Treatment Naïve, Very Early RRMS Patients Benchmarked Against Healthy Controls. (AGNOS)
This study will evaluate the impact of ofatumumab in Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) participants that are very early in the course of their disease using clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) outcomes. The study will also assess changes in disease using monitoring techniques including digital biometric device use, biomarker analysis and non-conventional MRI. Select outcomes in the ofatumumab treated group will be compared to a group of Healthy participants to determine if there are similarities between the groups after the patients with MS undergo treatment with ofatumumab.
Call 214-648-5005
studyfinder@utsouthwestern.edu, mahi.patel@utsouthwestern.edu
• Signed informed consent must be obtained prior to participation in the study
• Age 18-35 years Patients in the healthy control arm eligible for inclusion must fulfill the following criteria:
• Able to obtain MRI (HC with abnormal MRI at Screening will be excluded) and use wearable device
• Able to provide blood sample (no CSF will be collected in HC) Patients in the ofatumumab-treated arm eligible for inclusion must fulfill the following criteria:
• Diagnosis of RRMS per McDonald Criteria (2010/2017)
• Within 6 months of diagnosis of clinically definite MS (CDMS)
• EDSS 0-3.0 (Inclusive)
• Treatment-naïve to MS DMT
• Able to obtain MRI and attend study visits at sites
• Able to use wearable device
• Able to provide blood sample (and CSF for sub-group n=15) Key
• Confounding medical condition as determined by the investigator RRMS patients fulfilling any of the following exclusion criteria are not eligible for inclusion in this study:
• Diseases other than multiple sclerosis responsible for the clinical or MRI presentation
• Patients with neuromyelitis optica, Radiologic/ Clinically Isolated Syndrome, Secondary Progressive or Primary Progressive MS diagnosis
• Use of experimental or investigational drugs for MS
• Previous use of Disease Modifying Therapy (DMT) or chemotherapeutic medications for MS
• Relapse between screening and Baseline visits
• Known sensitivity to gadolinium; patients with chronic, severe kidney disease
• Known history of hypersensitivity to any of the study treatments or its excipients or to drugs of similar chemical classes
• CNS anomalies that are better accounted for by another disease process or MRI anomalies causing clinically apparent impairments
• Known active malignancies
• Pregnant or nursing (lactating) women
• Females of childbearing potential (all women physiologically capable of becoming pregnant) should use effective contraception while receiving ofatumumab and for 6 months after the last treatment of ofatumumab
• Patients with an active chronic disease (or stable but treated with immune therapy) of the immune system other than MS or with immunodeficiency syndrome
• Patients with active infections including systemic bacterial, viral (including SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19) or fungal infections, or known to have AIDS or to test positive for HIV antibody at Screening
• Patients with neurological findings consistent with Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML), or confirmed PML
• Patients with IgG or IgM levels below LLN at Screening
• Patients that have received any live or live-attenuated vaccines within 4 weeks prior to first dose of study drug administration
• Patients at risk of developing or having reactivation of hepatitis
A Prospective, Multi-center, Randomized Controlled Blinded Trial Demonstrating the Safety and Effectiveness of VNS Therapy® System as Adjunctive Therapy Versus a No Stimulation Control in Subjects With Treatment-Resistant Depression (RECOVER)
Objectives of this study are to determine whether active VNS Therapy treatment is superior to a no stimulation control in producing a reduction in baseline depressive symptom severity, based on multiple depression scale assessment tools at 12 months from randomization.
Call 214-648-5005
studyfinder@utsouthwestern.edu, Hila.AbushSegev@UTSouthwestern.edu
Abatacept in Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Myocarditis (ATRIUM)
The primary aim is to test whether abatacept, as compared to placebo, is associated with a reduction in major adverse cardiac events (MACE) among participants hospitalized with myocarditis secondary to an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI). The primary outcome, MACE, is a composite of first occurrence of cardiovascular death, non-fatal sudden cardiac arrest, cardiogenic shock, significant ventricular arrythmias, significant bradyarrythmias, or incident heart failure.
Call 833-722-6237
canceranswerline@utsouthwestern.edu
• Must have provided informed consent in a manner approved by the Investigator's Institutional Review Board (IRB) prior to any study-related procedure being performed. If a participant is unable to provide informed consent due to his/her medical condition, the participant's legally authorized representative may consent on behalf of the study participant, as permitted by local law and institutional Standard Operating Procedures;
• Aged greater than or equal to 18 years at the time of informed consent;
• Recent use of an FDA-approved immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI, defined as administered an immune checkpoint inhibitor ≤ 6 months of myocarditis diagnosis), alone or in combination with other cancer therapies (i.e. chemotherapy, radiation therapy or targeted therapy). The FDA-approved ICI could be given as part of a clinical trial but not in combination with a new investigational agent which may cause myocarditis;
• A diagnosis of myocarditis.
• Hospitalized at the time of randomization;
• On 1000 mg of solumedrol per day for myocarditis or with an intent to initiate 1000 mg of solumedrol per day for myocarditis within 24 hours of first administration of study drug;
• Serum evidence of ongoing myocardial injury: Serum evidence of ongoing myocardial injury will be defined as an institutional troponin (either conventional or high-sensitivity troponin I or T, using the standard institutional assay) with a value that is ≥5 times the upper limit of the reference standard normal for that institution. The troponin assay may be adjusted based on sex depending on institutional standards. This value of troponin of ≥5 times above the institutional upper limits of normal value must be noted within 10 days prior to potential randomization. The 10-day period can be in the outpatient or inpatient setting. For example, a participant with a troponin value that on one occasion was ≥5 times the upper limits of institutional normal in the 10-day window prior to potential randomization (whether in the inpatient or outpatient setting), but later decreases below that threshold, typically due to starting corticosteroids, would still be considered eligible;
• The following laboratory parameters, not older than 48 hours at the time of randomization, and measured as part of usual care:
• Total white blood cell (WBC) count >2,500/μl
• Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) >1,500/μL
• Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) <20 times the upper limit of the institutional normal ranges;
• Women of childbearing potential (i.e., not postmenopausal, or surgically sterilized) must have a negative highly sensitive urine or serum pregnancy test prior to randomization. Participating women of childbearing potential must be willing to consistently use effective methods of contraception from screening until at least 90 days after administration of the last dose of study drug. Participating men must also be willing to consistently use effective methods of contraception from screening until at least 90 days after administration of the last dose of study drug; and
• Must be willing and able to abide by all study requirements and restrictions.
• Must not have experienced any of the following (as defined in the section on the primary endpoint) in the 30-day period prior to randomization:
• A sudden cardiac arrest
• Cardiogenic shock as defined. A significant bradyarrhythmia (Mobitz type II second degree atrioventricular block or third degree (complete) atrio-ventricular (AV) block, for which an intervention with a temporary or permanent pacemaker is completed or recommended).
• A significant tachyarrhythmia (ventricular fibrillation of any duration or sustained ventricular tachycardia (>30 seconds, >120 beats per minute); or a ventricular tachyarrhythmia requiring intervention.
• Recent (≤2 month) exposure to abatacept or belatacept.
• Concurrent or recent (≤2 month) use of the following non-corticosteroid immunosuppressive therapies prior to randomization: mycophenolate, JAK STAT inhibitors (including but not limited to upadacitinib, tofacitinib, baricitinib, and filgotinib), tacrolimus, anti-thymocyte globulin, alemtuzumab, infliximab, and plasma exchange. The use of intravenous immunoglobulin is permitted prior to randomization and during study treatment.
• Currently enrolled in another interventional study utilizing systemic agents for the management of ICI-related toxicities.
• Female who is pregnant, breastfeeding, or is considering becoming pregnant during the study or for approximately 90 days after the last dose of study drug.
• Male who is considering fathering a child or donating sperm during the study or for approximately 30 days after the last dose of study drug.
• Any active, chronic, or recurrent viral infection that, based on the investigator's clinical assessment, makes the participant an unsuitable candidate for the study. These may include hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV), recurrent or disseminated (even a single episode) herpes zoster, and disseminated (even a single episode) herpes simplex. Active HBV and HCV are defined as: HBV: hepatitis B surface antigen (HBs Ag) positive (+) or detected sensitivity on the HBV deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) qualitative test for Hepatitis B core antibody (HBc Ab) positive (+) participants; HCV: HCV ribonucleic acid (RNA) detectable in any participant with anti-HCV antibody (HCV Ab). Patients with active Covid-19 infection will be excluded. This is defined as the period of ongoing symptoms in the setting of a positive Covid-19 test, or until 10 days after symptom onset and after resolution of fever for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing medications.
• Known active tuberculosis (TB), history of incompletely treated TB, suspected or known extrapulmonary TB, suspected or known systemic bacterial or fungal infections;
• Receipt of any live vaccine within four weeks prior to the first dose of study drug, or expected need of live vaccination during study participation including at least 90 days after the last dose of IV study drug.
• Any medical condition that could interfere with, or for which the treatment might interfere with, the conduct of the study or interpretation of the study results, or that would, in the opinion of the Investigator, increase the risk of the participant by participating in the study.
• Any factors that, in the Investigator's opinion, are likely to interfere with study procedures, such as history of noncompliance with scheduled appointments.