Clinical Research Directory

Eye-Tracking FP "A Pilot Study of the Quantitative Evaluation of the Attention Paid to Faces With Facial Palsy by the Eye-tracking Technology.

The facial palsy concerns between 15 and 40 people per 100000 inhabitants. They are of various etiologies such as infectious, tumoral, traumatic or idiopathic. It has variable severities with sometimes heavy functional repercussions and different recovery potentials. The proposed palliative treatments are based on surgery, physiotherapy and botulinum toxin injections. However, when recovery is incomplete, acceptance is more difficult, with an impacted quality of life. In this context, patients' expectations and feelings about their care may become difficult for clinicians to apprehend. The eye-tracking is widely used in the marketing field, but it also finds medical applications including head and neck lesions and facial palsy in particular. Published studies focus on the gaze of photographs, excluding any notion of dynamics and by the analysis of the gaze of outside observers, ignoring the patient's gaze.The main objective is to evaluate the attention paid to the facial side with abnormal facial movement by patients with facial paralysis compared to healthy volunteers.

Exteroceptive Stimulation for Facial Palsy After Stroke

Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability worldwide and frequently results in central facial palsy, which manifests as facial asymmetry, impaired muscle control, and reduced functional ability. These impairments can affect speech, emotional expression, and overall quality of life. Conventional physiotherapy is commonly used to manage post-stroke facial palsy; however, the additional benefit of sensory-based rehabilitation approaches remains insufficiently explored, particularly in clinical settings with limited resources. This study was conducted to evaluate whether the addition of exteroceptive stimulation to conventional physiotherapy leads to greater improvement in facial symmetry and functional outcomes compared to conventional physiotherapy alone. Exteroceptive stimulation aims to enhance sensory input and facilitate neuromuscular activation, potentially improving motor recovery in affected facial muscles. In this double-blind randomized controlled trial, a total of 36 participants diagnosed with post-stroke facial palsy were recruited and randomly allocated into two groups. The experimental group received exteroceptive stimulation in addition to conventional physiotherapy, while the control group received conventional physiotherapy alone. Both interventions were administered over a period of four weeks. Outcome measures were assessed at baseline and at the end of the intervention period. The primary outcome was lip angle deviation, used as an indicator of facial symmetry. Secondary outcomes included facial function and disability assessed using standardized tools such as the Facial Disability Index and the Synkinesis Assessment Questionnaire. The findings of this study aim to provide evidence on the effectiveness of integrating sensory-based techniques into routine rehabilitation programs for post-stroke facial palsy. The results may support the development of more comprehensive and effective rehabilitation strategies to improve patient outcomes.

Relationship Between Facial Palsy and Psychological Distress

The goal of this observational cross-sectional study is to investigate whether the severity of facial dysfunction is associated with psychological distress in patients with unilateral facial palsy. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Is there a significant relationship between the degree of facial muscle dysfunction (as measured by Sunnybrook Facial Grading Scale and EMG parameters) and levels of anxiety and depression (as measured by HADS)? * Does reduced facial function correlate with lower self-esteem levels (as measured by the Arabic version of the Single-Item Self-Esteem Scale)? Researcher will assess and analyze the correlation between facial motor impairment and psychological outcomes to determine whether greater functional impairment is associated with increased psychological distress. Participants will: * Undergo clinical assessment using the Sunnybrook Facial Grading Scale to evaluate facial nerve function * Receive electrophysiological evaluation using surface electromyography (sEMG) to measure muscle activity * Complete standardized questionnaires including the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Arabic Single-Item Self-Esteem Scale (A-SISE)

Effect of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation on Unilateral Central Facial Palsy

Background Central facial palsy (CFP) is a common condition in stroke, with an estimated prevalence of 45%. CFP can lead to facial asymmetry, problems with mouth closure and food processing, bite marks on the cheek, social isolation, and reduced quality of life. CFP is seen as an important area of rehabilitation, and training is therefore often carried out to reduce the consequences of CFP. In a recent systematic review conducted by the principal investigator, the results showed that very few studies have been conducted that have investigated the effect of training for CFP, and there is currently no scientific evidence to support the effect of the various training interventions. Objective To investigate the effect of Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) on facial symmetry compared to usual practice, in participants with CFP as a result of stroke. Hypothesis: Participants who receive training with NMES together with usual training for facial paralysis have greater improvement in facial symmetry than participants who only receive usual training for facial paralysis. Trial design Randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a nested pilot trial. A pilot trial/RCT will be conducted in order to power calculation in an RCT. The protocol for the pilot trial and RCT will be the same, and participants from the pilot trial and their outcome data are thus expected to be included in the RCT.

Genetic Studies of Strabismus, Congenital Cranial Dysinnervation Disorders (CCDDs), and Their Associated Anomalies

The purpose of this study is to identify genes associated with impaired development and function of the cranial nerves and brainstem, which may result in misalignment of the eyes (strabismus) and related conditions.

Safety and Effectiveness of the BlinkER System in Participants With Facial Nerve Palsy

Prospective, single-arm, multicenter, single-masked, pivotal study to Evaluate the Safety and Effectiveness of the Blinker system in Participants with Facial Nerve Palsy.

Multimodal Quantified Analysis of Facial Movements: Comparison Between Pathological and Control Subjects

The facial palsy is a frequent disease with a lot of etiologies. It has variable severities with sometimes heavy functional repercussions and different recovery potentials. The proposed treatments are based on surgery, physiotherapy and botulinum toxin injections. However, when recovery is incomplete, acceptance is more difficult, with an impacted quality of life. Thanks to Motion Capture and Electromyography, a quantification of the facial mimicry is now possible with a great precision. In addition with the quantification of the facial mimicry, eye-tracking, wich is widely used in the marketing field, but it also finds medical applications including head and neck lesions and facial palsy in particular, will be used to evaluate the visio of the patients on their pathology in function of the movement quantification measured with MoCap and Electromyography. The aim of this research is to measure in a combined way the action potentials by sEMG and the amplitudes of displacement of the markers in motion capture, for movements determined in a population of patients presenting a facial pathology, in order to compare them with reference values obtained in healthy subjects. In a second step, the aim will be to study if there is a link between the way the patient looks at his pathology and the results of his management (treatment, rehabilitation) which will be quantitatively evaluated thanks to MoCap and sEMG.

Evaluation of Cortisone Treatment in Children With Acute Facial Nerve Palsy

Acute facial nerve palsy occur in 10-20/100 000 children/year in Sweden. About 20 % of these children will have persistent symptoms with excessive tear secretion, drooling and social problems due to asymmetry in the face. Studies on cortisone treatment to adult patients with acute facial nerve palsy have shown beneficial effects, but no studies with strong quality have been performed in children. Investigators will perform a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled multicenter trial on children with acute facial nerve palsy. Participants will be recruited consecutively at 9-12 study centers in Sweden during 2019-2020. Oral cortisone (prednisolone) 1 mg/kg x 1 in 10 days (or placebo) will be started on admission. Clinical data, including recovery will be followed-up until 12 months. The primary outcome is defined as total recovery of the facial nerve palsy, measured with the House-Brackmann scale (grade 1) at 12-months follow-up. The overall purpose is to assess the utility of cortisone treatment given to children with acute facial nerve palsy in this study. If the total recovery rate is significantly improved in the prednisolone group as compared to the placebo group, prednisolone treatment will be introduced in clinical practice for children with acute facial nerve palsy in order to reduce the risk of persistent symptoms.

Stellate Ganglion Block in Longstanding Facial Nerve Palsy Patients

The goal of the present study is to verify the efficacy of stellate ganglion block (SGB) in the treatment of facial pain

Explorative Proteomics in Pediatric Neuroborreliosis

This study aims to use proteomic analysis to diagnose Lyme Neuroborreliosis (LNB) in children. Pediatric patients with suspected LNB will be enrolled, and their blood samples will be collected for proteomic analyses. Mass spectrometry will be used to compare protein profiles of LNB-positive and LNB-negative patients. The data will be analyzed by bioinformaticians. The expected impact is to establish a non-invasive, reliable method for early LNB diagnosis to improve patient outcomes.

Functional Recovery From Facial Paralysis

This is a controlled, single-blind (hybrid) clinical investigation that aims to analyze the process of recovery of muscle function in people with peripheral facial paralysis who receive kinesthetic treatment with electrostimulation compared to those who receive treatment without electrostimulation, in the UNNE University Kinesiology Service, during the period 2023-2025, to promote early reintegration into their social activities of daily life. An initial evaluation will be carried out, the movements that cause the requested gestures will be observed and recorded and recorded on a monitoring sheet and on video. The House Brackman and Sunnybrook scale will be used to measure functional outcomes. The initial and final evaluations will be external and blind. Patients will sign informed consent approved by Resolution No 04/23 of the Health Sciences Research Bioethics Committee. The following inclusion criteria will be taken into account: patients with a medical referral that indicates a diagnosis of peripheral facial paralysis, Bell's palsy, frigori facial paralysis, idiopathic facial paralysis, who have not received previous kinesic treatment. Patients with central facial paralysis (associated with stroke), with peripheral facial paralysis of more than 6 months of evolution, who present dermal lesions that interfere with the application of electrical currents (open wounds, lacerations or burns) will be excluded from the study. ) In addition, those patients who attend with a medical prescription that advises in writing against the use of electrostimulation will be excluded.