Clinical Research Directory

Feeding Disorders in Children

Pediatric Feeding Disorders (PFDs) are conditions characterized by persistent difficulties in food intake, commonly manifesting as food selectivity, food refusal, and dysfunctional mealtime behaviors. Their prevalence in the general pediatric population ranges from 3% to 10%, with substantially higher rates reported among children with neurodevelopmental disorders. The impact of PFDs extends beyond growth and nutritional status, affecting cognitive and emotional development as well as the well-being of the entire family system. Although several treatment models have been proposed, scientific evidence supporting outpatient interventions remains limited and Italy-specific studies are lacking. Moreover, despite the availability of standardized assessment tools, feeding-related outcomes are not yet systematically addressed within outpatient clinical practice for children with neurodevelopmental disorders. The present study aims to evaluate whether an interdisciplinary intervention protocol involving a psychologist, a speech and language therapist (SLP), and a Neuro and Psychomotor Therapist of Developmental Age (TNPEE) can improve food variety and reduce dysfunctional mealtime behaviors in this population. The study is designed as a pilot randomized controlled trial developed across five sequential phases: participant enrollment and screening using the Montreal Children's Hospital Feeding Scale (MCH-FS); baseline standardized assessment (T0) using the Pediatric Eating Assessment Tool (PediEAT) and the Short Sensory Profile (SSP); random allocation of participants to an experimental group or a control group; delivery of the interdisciplinary intervention exclusively to the experimental group; and a final standardized assessment conducted six weeks later (T1) to evaluate changes over time and between groups. This pilot study primarily aims to assess feasibility and to estimate the variability of outcome measures; therefore, no formal sample size or power calculation was performed. The planned enrollment of 12 participants per group was determined based on feasibility considerations and in line with CONSORT recommendations for pilot trials. The proposed protocol seeks to address current gaps in the literature by systematically targeting feeding-related outcomes through an explicitly interdisciplinary approach that integrates psychological, speech and language, and neuropsychomotor perspectives in the management of PFD.

TAP-GRIN: Interventional Study on Patients With GRIN-related Neurodevelopmental Disorders

The goal of this clinical study is to find out whether L-serine dietary supplementation helps improve overall clinical functioning in children and young adults (2-30 years) with GRIN-related neurodevelopmental disorders (GRIN-NDD) caused by loss-of-function (LoF) variants in GRIN1, GRIN2A, GRIN2B, or GRIN2D. It will also assess the safety and tolerability of L-serine. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does L-serine improve overall clinical status, measured mainly by the Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) score? Does L-serine improve behaviour, cognition, adaptive functioning, motor skills, sleep, and (in those with epilepsy) seizure frequency and EEG findings? What side effects or medical problems occur during L-serine compared with placebo? Do neurophysiological measures (including TMS-EMG/TMS-EEG) change with treatment and potentially act as biomarkers of response? Researchers will compare L-serine to a placebo (maltodextrin powder with similar appearance/texture) using a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled "n-of-1" approach, where each participant receives both treatments in alternating periods. Results from multiple single-patient trials will then be combined (aggregated) to estimate the overall treatment effect across the study population. Participants will: Complete a 4-week baseline period with assessments (and seizure diary use where applicable) Receive L-serine and placebo in alternating 3-month periods within each cycle (minimum 2 cycles, up to 4 cycles; each cycle lasts 6 months) Take the assigned study product by mouth 3 times per day at 500 mg/kg/day (maximum 30 g/day for participants ≥60 kg) Have the first 7 days of each 3-month period treated as washout, with data from that week not analysed Attend regular clinic visits for clinical exams, safety labs, and standardized assessments of global status, behaviour/cognition, motor function, and sleep If they have epilepsy: keep a seizure diary and undergo EEG assessments after each treatment period In some sites (Italy and France): undergo TMS-based neurophysiology testing Optionally, a subset may join a cellular biomarker substudy (blood collection to generate iPSC-derived neuronal models and organoids) to explore treatment effects in variant-specific lab models.

Characterization of Neurocognitive Profiles in Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Epilepsy: a Transdiagnostic Approach

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are early-onset conditions affecting personal, social, and academic functioning, with high comorbidity rates and shared neurobiological traits. Traditional diagnostic categories struggle to explain symptom overlap, supporting a transdiagnostic approach that views NDDs as dimensions rather than distinct entities. This project aims to identify common neuropsychological and neurophysiological profiles in ADHD, autism, intellectual disability, and learning disorders using high-density EEG and cognitive tasks assessing cognitive control. By integrating neuropsychological assessments, EEG responses, and behavioral data, the study seeks to identify shared functional profiles rather than disorder-specific biomarkers. Additionally, it will analyze the relationship between NDDs and epilepsy to validate behavioral and neurophysiological markers. Conducted in collaboration with the University of Padua, the study employs advanced data analysis to enhance personalized interventions.

Expanding NGS Data with Optical Genome Mapping (OGM)

Over 50% of pediatric neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders lack a molecular diagnosis after standard DNA sequencing and molecular karyotyping. This is due to technical limitations, incomplete variant interpretation, and inadequate genotype-phenotype correlations. New sequencing technologies are crucial for clinical decision-making, offering complete profiles of variants in a patient's DNA to personalize treatment. Optical Genome Mapping (OGM) can detect nearly all structural variants in one experiment. This project aims to use OGM alongside NGS to improve diagnostic yield in 60 children with severe disorders who tested negative for NGS/CMA.

Pai.ACT: AI-Driven ACT Chatbot for Mental Health Triage and Service Evaluation

Parents of children with special needs in Hong Kong often face limited psychological support, which can negatively impact the child rehabilitation process and the well-being of parent-child relationships. To address this gap, we have developed Pai.ACT, the first deep learning-based mental health advisory system for parents. Pai.ACT features an AI chatbot that integrates the counselling principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) through natural language processing, providing parents with a human-like voice-to-text experience. Using data from chatbot interactions, the Pai.ACT platform offers assessments regarding the individual's psychological inflexibility status and delivers stratified mental health interventions by: * Low-risk: Users access self-help ACT digital modules tailored to their specific psychological inflexibility processes. * Moderate-risk: In addition to the self-help modules, users receive 4-6 sessions of video-conferencing-based ACT interventions (45-60 minutes per session) conducted by our trained counseling team. * High-risk: Users are directed to specialized mental health services provided by collaborating units. The study includes a regional randomised controlled trial (RCT) in Hong Kong's Sha Tin District, in collaboration with the Shatin District Office. The goal of this regional study is to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of combining AI-driven mental health support across all of Hong Kong. Focus group interviews will also explore parents' perceptions of Pai.ACT and help identify the most effective service model for scaling its use. Pai.ACT provides accessible and comprehensive mental health services to Chinese-speaking parents, helping to alleviate the psychological burden of caregiving. By integrating mental health support with child rehabilitation services and non-governmental organisations, Pai.ACT has the potential to enhance family caregivers' well-being, reduce stigma associated with special needs children, and promote more significant mental health awareness in Chinese-speaking communities.

NEOnatal Multiexposure to Medical Devices Plasticizers: Endocrine Disruption MIXture Effects and Neurodevelopmental Disorders

The goal of this observational study is to evaluate the neurodevelopment of children from the ARMED NEO cohort through the ASQ3 score. Dose the multiexposure to medical devices plasticizers during the neonatal intensive care unit stay increases the risk of developing neurodevelopmental disorders ? Patients (their parents) will complète several questionnaires (ASQ3, environnemental survey, EPICES score) during a planned teleconsultation with the research team

Optical Genome Mapping for the Diagnosis of Neurodevelopmental Disorders

to evaluate the ability of the Optical genome Mapping (OGM) approach to detect simple and complex constitutional chromosomal aberrations of clinical relevance, which had previously been identified with standard diagnostic approaches (karyotyping, FISH, CNV-microarray) in the context of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) with/wo congenital anomalies (CA)