Clinical Research Directory

Screening for Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) and Cognitive Function in Individuals With History of Stroke

Background: Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. It is also a leading cause of disability. More than 70% of people who survive strokes have mental impairment or dementia. Medical factors, such as the severity of the stroke, affect whether a person will have mental impairment afterward. But social factors, such as education and ethnicity, seem to play a role as well. Researchers want to learn more about how social and lifestyle factors affect a person s chances of maintaining mental functions after a stroke. Objective: To better understand how social and lifestyle factors affect the risk of mental impairment after a stroke. Eligibility: People aged 18 years and older who had a stroke and a brain scan while they were enrolled in NIH Study 01N0007 (Natural History of Stroke Study). Design: Participants will have 1 study visit, by telephone. The call will last about 45 minutes. Participants will talk about their health since their stroke. They will answer questions about themselves. Topics will include: * Their race * Education * Ethnicity * Employment * Marital status * Residence address * Recent health history * Medical insurance They will have tests of their memory, attention, and language skills. They will repeat numbers and words forward and backward. Researchers will look at the data and imaging scans collected during participant s enrollment in NIH Study 01N0007. This data will include: * The hospital that first saw the participant at the time of their stroke. * The type of imaging that was first used then. * The primary diagnosis at admission. * Other medical details.

Natural History of Stroke: Cause and Development

The purpose of this study is to learn more about stroke and obtain information that may serve as the basis for future investigations. It will 1) establish a registry of patients with cerebrovascular disease (stroke); 2) characterize the natural history of acute stroke and transient ischemic attacks (TIA)-an interruption of blood flow to the brain that causes stroke symptoms for a short period of time); and 3) evaluate the data to generate ideas for future studies. Patients 18 years of age or older with suspected acute stroke or TIA may be eligible for this study. Subjects will be recruited from patients who present with stroke at the emergency department of Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. The study will gather data collected from diagnostic and laboratory tests the patient undergoes as part of standard medical care, including findings of medical and neurological examinations and other tests. In addition, studies will be done for research purposes only to gather data about stroke and TIA. These may include the following: * Blood and urine tests not more than 2 tablespoons of blood will be drawn for various tests. * Electrocardiogram (EKG) (heart tracing)-electrodes placed on the chest wall detect the heartbeat and heart rhythm. * Computed tomography (CT) scan of the head-specialized X-rays are used to obtain images of the brain. * Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain-a strong magnetic field and radio waves are used to produce images that provide information about the brain tissue and blood vessels. * Transcranial Doppler (TCD)-sound waves are used to image the arteries of the brain and neck. * Echocardiogram-sound waves are used to image the heart and evaluate heart function. Patients may be asked to return to Suburban Hospital for follow-up testing in 1, 3, and/or 12 months, when some of these tests may be repeated to assess changes over time

Inflammatory and Infectious Diseases of the Nervous System

Background: \- Inflammation is how the body reacts to infection or injury. Infections or inflammation in the brain and nerves can be serious. There aren t always good tests to detect this. Researchers want to learn more about how diseases affect the brain and nerves to develop better tests and treatments. Objective: \- To learn more about how inflammation and infections hurt the brain and nervous system. Eligibility: \- People at least 2 years old with a diagnosis or suspected diagnosis of nervous system infection or inflammation. Design: * For some participants, a clinician outside of NIH will collect blood, tissue, and other samples. These will be sent to NIH and analyzed. * Other participants will have several visits to NIH. Children may not have all these tests. * Participants will have: * Medical history. * Physical and neurological exam. * Blood and urine samples collected. * Saliva collected. They will chew on a piece of sterile cotton for one minute. * Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. The scanner is a metal cylinder in a strong magnetic field. Participants will lie on a table that slides in and out of the cylinder. Participants will get a contrast agent through an intravenous (IV) catheter during the MRI. A needle will be used to guide a thin plastic tube (catheter) into an arm vein. * Lumbar puncture. Skin will be numbed and a needle will be inserted into the space between the bones in the back. Fluid will be removed. * Some participants may have optional study procedures. These may include eye tests, memory and thinking testing, tests with electrodes on the head, or skin biopsy.

Long-term Brain Stimulation of the Motor Ventral Thalamus (VOP/VIM) to Improve Motor Function

This study aims to recruit patients already implanted with Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) for movement disorders to complete tasks assessing parameters of motor output, speech, and swallowing functions, both with and without stimulation. DBS parameters would be adjusted prior to motor testing. Patients would then participate in multiple sessions performing contralateral upper extremity movement tasks measuring movement speed, grip strength, and strength modulation, facial movement, swallowing, and speech tasks.

Prospective Evaluation of Atrial Fibrillation-Related Stroke Patients in Rehabilitation Program (PEARL), an Observational Cohort Study

The goal of this observational study is to determine if rehabilitation program intensity impacts functional recovery and specific needs in adult ischemic stroke patients who require inpatient rehabilitation. The main questions it aims to answer are: Do patients with stroke of Atrial-related subtypes (AFRS) have distinct rehabilitation needs and functional outcomes compared to non-AFRS patients? Does higher-intensity inpatient rehabilitation (3-5 sessions/day) result in better functional recovery at six months (measured by the Barthel Index) than moderate-intensity programs (1 session/day)? The study is non-invasive, does not interfere with usual care. The investigators' ultimate goal is to enhance the understanding of recovery after following different rehabilitation usual programs.

Study of Axial and Cognitive Symptoms and Biomarkers of Neurodegeneration in Brain-first and Body-first PD

This observational study aims to systematically characterize a cohort of patients with early-stage Parkinson's disease (PD) attending the Movement Disorders Center of AUSL-IRCCS Reggio Emilia, Italy. PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, affecting about 1% of individuals over 60 years of age. The project will explore clinical and biological differences between the recently proposed "Brain-First" and "Body-First" phenotypes of PD. Patients will undergo detailed clinical evaluation, neuroimaging, and biomarker assessments (including neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation markers). Particular attention will be given to the progression of axial and cognitive symptoms, which represent major contributors to disability. Findings from this study are expected to improve early patient stratification, clarify disease mechanisms, and support the development of precision medicine strategies and future disease-modifying therapies.

SGC Stimulation, Perioperative Vascular Reactivity, and Organ Injury in Cardiac Surgery

The goal of this mechanistic clinical trial is to learn about the effects of medications called soluble guanylyl cyclase stimulators on vascular function and markers of kidney and brain injury in patients having heart surgery. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does soluble guanylyl cyclase stimulation improve blood vessel function compared to placebo? 2. Does soluble guanylyl cyclase stimulation decrease markers of kidney injury and brain injury compared to placebo? Participants will be randomized to a soluble guanylyl cyclase stimulator called vericiguat or placebo, and researchers will compare vascular function and markers of brain and kidney injury to see if vericiguat improves vascular function and reduces markers of injury. This will provide important information to determine the underlying reasons that patients have some kidney and brain function problems after having heart surgery.

Deep Brain Stimulation Motor Ventral Thalamus (VOP/VIM) for Restoration of Speech and Upper-limb Function in People With Subcortical Stroke

The goal of this study is to verify whether the use of deep brain stimulation can improve motor function of the hand and arm and speech abilities for people following a stroke. Participants will undergo a surgical procedure to implant deep brain stimulation electrode leads. The electrodes will be connected to external stimulators and a series of experiments will be performed to identify the types of movements that the hand and arm can make and how speech abilities are affected by the stimulation. The implant will be removed after less than 30 days. Results of this study will provide the foundation for future studies evaluating the efficacy of a minimally-invasive neuro-technology that can be used in clinical neuro-rehabilitation programs to restore speech and upper limb motor functions in people with subcortical strokes, thereby increasing independence and quality of life.

Brain Connections for Arm Movement After Stroke

The purpose of this study is to use Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) while subjects are making reaching movements in a robotic arm device in order to discover how different brain areas control movement before and after stroke and when these brain areas are most sensitive to TMS.

Clinical Translation of a Novel Brain PET Insert for Simultaneous PET/MR

The primary goal of this project is to study the feasibility of a brain-dedicated PET insert for an MR scanner for simultaneous acquisition of PET/MR images of human brains. The study will also allow us to compare the imaging performance of the investigator's brain-dedicated PET insert against a commercial whole-body permanently integrated PET/MRI system using a common radiopharmaceutical.

Monitoring of Brain Metabolites Using Proton and Deuterium MR Techniques

MR pulse for whole brain optimal Deuterium (2H) Metabolic Imaging and EPSI (echo planar spectroscopic imaging) based SLOW-edited 1H-MRSI will be developed and optimized for use at an UHF scanner at 7 Tesla. The study has 4 phases. Phase I: The 2H and 1H MRSI sequences are developed and optimized in vitro (phantoms) Phase II: Sequences are applied in vivo in healthy volunteers and further optimized Phase III: Optimal 2H 1H pulse sequences are applied in 4 cohorts of healthy volunteers, to study the effect of aging with whole brain 2H and 1H MRSI. Phase IV: application of the sequences in 4 patient groups with different diseases: Alzheimer's diseases (AD) patients, diabetes mellitus type II (DM) patients, mild cognitive impaired (MCI) patients, and high grade carotid stenosis patients (HGCS). The ultimate aim is to create for individual patient specific 3dimensional spatial resolved z-score maps (similar to FDG-PET) based on the healthy control data of phase III of the trial.

18F-DPA-714 PET/MR in Dysfunctional Brain Diseases

This is a diagnostic pilot study that recruited 25 normal volunteers and 40 patients with dysfunctional brain diseases and performed 18F-DPA-714 PET/MR imaging to evaluate the correlation between the multimodal imaging features of dysfunctional brain diseases, to explore the potential pathological mechanisms of neuroimmune activation, and to further analyse the value of PET/MR-based multimodal imaging in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of dysfunctional brain diseases. and further analyse the diagnostic and differential diagnostic value of PET/MR-based multimodal imaging in dysfunctional brain diseases.

Investigating the Neural Signature of Freezing of Gait in Parkinson's Disease

Freezing of Gait (FOG) is a disabling symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD) and a leading cause for falls. Current medical management is inadequate to alleviate FOG so there is need for improved treatments. A major draw-back in the development of better treatments for FOG is the difficulty in detecting episodes and our poor understanding of its underlying pathophysiology. This study will investigate the cortical signature of FOG using ambulatory electroencephalography (EEG) to help improve FOG detection algorithms and provide novel insights into the underlying pathophysiology, which together will guide therapy development.

A Prospective, Experimental, Multicenter, Open-label, Randomized, Controlled Trial of 3-month Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Followed by Ticagrelor Versus 6-month Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Followed by Ticagrelor After Implanting Bridge

To compare the incidence of the composite endpoints of non-fatal ischaemic stroke, transient ischaemia (TIA) and all-cause mortality at 12-month follow-up after implantation of Bridge for the treatment of symptomatic vertebral artery stenosis in subjects who had been taking different durations of dual-antiplatelet therapy (3 vs 6 months) and ticagrelor monotherapy.