Clinical Research Directory

Lf-rTMS Attenuates Visceral Pain in Irritable Bowel Syndrome With Diarrhea

Objectives: To identify a central hub of visceral pain in IBS-D and elucidate the mechanism by which repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) confers analgesic effects. Methods: A total of 42 IBS-D patients were recruited and randomly assigned (1:1) to the sham rTMS or the rTMS group. A nested cohort of 21 IBS-D participants who completed baseline fMRI assessments prior to randomization was included. Consistent with the randomization procedure，these individuals were evenly distributed between the two groups. Both participants and outcome assessors remained blinded to treatment allocation throughout the study. All patients completed the two-week intervention and were included in the final analysis.

Effects of tDCS for Enhancing Cognitive Function in Individuals With Persistent Post-Concussion Syndrome

Globally, 10 million new traumatic brain injury (TBI) cases are estimated annually, with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) accounting for 75-90% of all TBI cases. It is estimated that 40-80% of individuals with mTBI may experience the post-concussion syndrome (PCS), which is characterized by a range of physical, cognitive, and emotional symptoms. Although the underlying basis of cognitive dysfunction of patients with persistent PCS remains to be clarified, converging evidence shows that the clinical symptoms is underpinned by abnormal neural information processing as a result of axonal injury due to mTBI. Recent studies have demonstrated abnormalities in both structural and functional cortical connectivity, and a loss of cortical excitability-inhibitory (E/I) balance after TBI. Yet, there is no consensus for treating chronic symptoms of concussion, and PCS remains a chronic and highly disabling condition. One potential treatment option is transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that has been shown to modify behavior by enhancing connectivity between targeted brain areas. However, research on the therapeutic effect of tDCS on PCS symptoms is limited, and the neurologic mechanisms underlying its effects are not well understood. The proposed study aims to address these knowledge gaps by examining the effects of tDCS on the central nervous system function in patients with PCS, with a specific focus on functional cortical connectivity and cognitive functions such as processing speed and executive function. The study also aims to add value to existing evidence by potentially opening new directions for designing intervention programs for the treatment of PCS after mTBI.

The Clinical Study of Synaptic Plasticity-based Lencanumab for the Treatment of Early Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) manifests itself in cognitive decline, impaired ability to perform daily life, and a variety of behavioral and psychiatric symptoms, seriously endangering the health of the elderly. The prevalence and disability rates of AD in China remain high, and the lack of effective treatment options has brought a heavy burden to patients and their families. Early intervention is regarded as an effective strategy to improve clinical symptoms, delay disease progression and maintain current quality of life. The humanized monoclonal antibody lencanemab (Lecanemab) was approved by the U.S. FDA in July 2023 for the treatment of mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia caused by AD, and was officially approved in January 2024 in China. Lencanemab highly targets soluble and insoluble neurotoxic β-amyloid (Aβ) proteins, reducing pathogenic Aβ plaque deposition and preventing its formation in the brains of AD patients, thus reducing neurotoxicity and improving patients' cognitive functions. In addition, lencanumab may also play a neuroprotective role by modulating synaptic plasticity and regulating neural network activity in brain neurons. However, there is a lack of clinical studies to prove this mechanism. In this study, we will enroll consecutive patients with early AD treated with lencanemab infusion as well as those receiving conventional anti-dementia therapy, and comprehensively assess the effects and intrinsic molecular mechanisms of lencanemab on synaptic function and neural networks using magnetic resonance imaging, molecular imaging positron emission tomography (PET), neuropsychological assessment, and analysis of blood cerebrospinal fluid samples.

High Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS) for Early Alzheimer's Disease

To investigate the clinical effect neural mechanism of high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation combined with cognitive training on early AD

MRI-Eye Tracking Pairing, a Tool for Assessing Social Cognition in Children With ASD

Most studies use static visual percepts that are less representative of joint attention versus an ecological environment. This has the consequence of decreasing the perception of an interaction with a social partner, which is an essential step in achieving joint attention. The originality of this study is to improve the design of visual percepts (in the form of video) in order to mimic an ecological environment as much as possible by using MRI-ET coupling. The second originality of this study is the longitudinal exploration of the neurodevelopment of social cognition in autistic children. Studies by the Redcay and Oberwelland teams observe different activations at different ages. The hypothesis is that the perception of joint attention varies over time in people with ASD. To date, there are no studies to determine the influence of childhood neurodevelopment in autistic people on the perception of joint attention. It would be unprecedented to use the MRI-ET pairing as a tool for assessing social cognition as a function of the development of children with ASD.

Repeated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Relieves Maternal Care Impairment

Objective: To evaluate the overall efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in the treatment of maternal care impairment and to explore the central mechanism of rTMS for maternal care impairment. Methods: Fifty participants meeting the inclusion criteria were divided into high-score and low-score groups based on the Maternal Care Rating Scale (MCRS). Participants in the low-score group received rTMS treatment (1 Hz, 20 minutes per session, once daily) for two weeks. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and MCRS assessments were conducted both before and after the treatment to evaluate changes. Additionally, in the high-score group, fMRI was used to assess functional changes in specific brain regions.

To Explore the Functional Connectivity Pattern of Cortical Swallowing Network in the Oral Phase of Post-stroke Dysphagia Based on Dynamic Causal Modelling

Swallowing activity in the oral phase is regulated by the cortical swallowing network, and the functional connectivity pattern of the cortical swallowing network is related to swallowing activity. The structural damage of the cortical swallowing network and abnormal activation of brain areas related to swallowing in post-stroke dysphagia affect swallowing activity. The recovery of dysphagia after stroke is related to the compensation of swallowing network in the contralateral hemisphere and different connectivity patterns of diseased brain areas, and the integrity of cortical swallowing network connectivity affects the sequence of oral swallowing activities. However, it is not clear how the functional connectivity patterns and interactions of brain regions of the cortical swallowing network related to oral swallowing activity change in patients with oral dysphagia after stroke.

High Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS) for Refractory Epilepsy

To observe the clinical effect and safety of transcranial electrical stimulation on patients with refractory epilepsy before and after treatment and analyze its therapeutic mechanism.

Orchestra in Class, a Novel Booster for Executive Functions and Brain Development in Young Primary School Children

How to optimally stimulate the developing brain is still unclear. Executive functions (EF) exhibited substantially stronger far transfer effects in children who learned to play a musical instrument than in children who acquired other arts. What is crucially lacking is a large-scale, long-term genuine randomized controlled trial (RCT) in cognitive neuroscience, comparing musical instrumental training (MIP) to another art form and a control group. Collected data of this proposal will allow, using machine learning, to build a data-driven multivariate model of children's interconnected brain and EF development over the first 2 years of their academic curriculum (6-8 years), with or without music or other art training.

Randomized Controlled Study of Optical 3D Navigated Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Achalasia.

The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate the clinical efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of achalasia in patients diagnosed with achalasia by comprehensive evaluation of clinical symptoms, HREM, and barium meal examination, optimize rTMS treatment parameters, and provide an effective and noninvasive new treatment strategy for achalasia. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. To investigate the clinical efficacy of individualized treatment of achalasia with optical 3D navigation repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. 2. Optimize rTMS parameters to achieve the best clinical treatment. Participants will need to fill out the Eckardt score scale and SF-36 quality of life scale, undergo cranial T1 structural magnetic resonance for functional connectivity analysis, and select the brain region with the strongest positive functional connectivity to the DMV as the rTMS target. All patients were randomly divided into four groups: sham-rTMS group, 5Hz-rTMS group, 10Hz-rTMS group, and 30Hz-rTMS group, and each group received acute and chronic stimulation, respectively. In the acute stimulation stage, patients only need to do rTMS once, and HREM and HRV detection are given before and after rTMS (stimulation for 1s, interval for 4s, 10 pulses per second, receiving a total of 3000 pulses); in the chronic stimulation stage, patients receive 25 minutes of rTMS actual stimulation or sham stimulation each time, lasting for 20 times, which is completed within 30 days, and the actual stimulation parameters are the same as those of acute stimulation, and the sham stimulation coil is consistent with the appearance and sound of proper stimulation, but there is no substantial stimulation. High-definition esophageal manometry, timed barium meal, heart rate coefficient of variation, and serum neurotransmitters were performed before and after chronic stimulation. Finally, a weekly telephone follow-up was performed for 12 weeks, including Eckardt score and SF-36 quality of life scale.

Study for the Evaluation of the Feasibility of Applying Advanced MRI Scanning in Clinical Practice

The purpose of this research study is to evaluate the feasibility in conducting advanced MRI sequences in a clinical setting. The study will be observational in nature, and will only evaluate the studies of patients that have already been prescribed an advanced MRI for clinical neurological purposes. The only difference for the subject in participating in this study is that the data and information about their scan can be used and disclosed for research purposes, which is understanding if the time of the scan, patient comfort, and quality of the data are feasible. Standard MRI's have been extremely beneficial in the diagnosis and assessment of disease, injury, and anomalies throughout the body. Adding advanced MRI sequences to the arsenal of current standard MRI sequences, as well as analyzing the clinical significance of the data, may improve the benefits of MRI in the future. Within this scope, the study will be looking at the following factors: 1. The total time of the scan, including: * Patient arrival time/lateness * Patient preparation time * Time scanner is being occupied * Patient compliance (is the patient continually stopping the study for breaks, fear, movement, etc) 2. Patient dropout rate, including: * Change of mind * Cost of study is too much * Failure to finish the scan 3. Usability of data, including: * Movement artifact * Patient requiring re-scan for any reason The scan will consist of several advanced MRI sequences that will average between 7-15 minutes each, in addition to a routine 5 minute standard MRI sequence. The variability in the number of advanced sequences depends on the prescription and patient history. All sequences are performed using an FDA-approved MRI scanner.