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DBS for Cognitive Deficits After Traumatic Brain Injury
Sponsor: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Summary
Patients with memory and cognitive deficits following TBI that do not respond to conventional treatments experience a decrease in quality of life. Despite advances in neuroimaging, genetics, pharmacology and psychosocial interventions in the last half century, little progress has been made in altering the natural history of the condition or its outcome. This study would explore whether a surgical therapy is safe and potentially effective in patients who develop refractory memory and cognitive deficits following TBI. Preclinical studies suggest that DBS may improve memory deficits in TBI models. Moreover, DBS delivered to the fornix has shown promising clinical results in patients with Alzheimer's disease. The main mechanism for the improvements induced by DBS in memory tests is the development of multiple forms of plasticity.
Official title: Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) for the Treatment of Cognitive Deficits After Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Pilot Trial
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - 70 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
10
Start Date
2024-11-01
Completion Date
2026-11-01
Last Updated
2025-02-11
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
Deep Brain Stimulation
Patients will arrive on the morning of surgery to the medical imaging department of the Sunnybrook Hospital. They will have a stereotactic frame attached directly to their skull, after infiltration with local anesthesia. The frame allows precise coordinates to be acquired so that deep brain structures can be targeted with implanted electrodes. The patient will then undergo a CT scan with the frame in place, followed by transport directly to the operating room. The anesthesia team will insert an intravenous line and may use gentle sedation to relax the patient prior to and during the operation, as they will remain awake during the first stage of the operation. In the operating room the patient's head, via the frame, will be attached to the operating room table, and their scalp infiltrated with additional local anesthetic. A skin incision will be made and two burr holeswith approximately 1.4cm in diameter drilled through the skull. A small electrode will identify the optimal spot for ele
Locations (1)
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Toronto, Ontario, Canada