Paralysis

This observational study investigates how self-compassion and self-efficacy relate to symptom severity, functional ability, and quality of life in adults diagnosed with Parkinsons disease. The research aims to better understand these psychological factors in people living with Parkinsons disease stages 1 to 3, within an age range of 40 to 85 years. Participants will complete a set of self-report questionnaires during one session to assess their levels of self-compassion, self-efficacy, symptom severity, functional status, and quality of life. No therapeutic treatments or interventions are provided. The study collects data at a single time point to analyze associations among these outcomes. During the study visit, participants will be assessed with various scales and tests including the Self-Compassion Scale, Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease scale, Unified Parkinsons Disease Rating Scale, Timed Up and Go test, Six-Minute Walk test, Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test, and Parkinsons Disease Questionnaire-39. These assessments help evaluate physical function, symptoms, and quality of life. The study is led by Acibadem University and participation involves completing questionnaires and physical tests in one session.

The 100-Year Human Aging Study is a long-term observational research project enrolling adult participants to undergo detailed multi-system health screenings and follow them throughout their lives until death. The study aims to identify which health measurements taken at enrollment and repeatedly over time can predict overall mortality, cause-specific death, serious diseases, and functional disability. It addresses the current lack of validated longevity measures by generating data on how various physiological and cognitive functions relate to aging outcomes. Participants undergo a comprehensive clinical screening that includes tests of cardiorespiratory fitness, strength, mobility, neurocognitive performance, sensory functions, and metabolic health. Structural imaging assessments like DEXA scans, echocardiography, electrocardiography, spirometry, retinal photography, and vascular ultrasound are performed. Laboratory tests and detailed medical, social, and environmental histories are also collected. The study allows participation from single tests up to a full two-visit screening, with repeat testing encouraged to track health changes over time. Throughout the study, participants receive individualized reports with investigational estimates of biological age and predicted mortality risks, which are being evaluated against actual health outcomes. Researchers collect data continuously on mortality, disease occurrence, disability, and health behavior changes. The study involves ongoing follow-up with periodic assessments and aims to preserve all collected data for future analyses, with participant involvement potentially spanning their entire lifespan.

Researchers are evaluating an implantable brain-computer interface BCI system designed to restore upper-limb function in adults with tetraplegia caused by spinal cord injury. This prospective, multicenter, single-arm clinical trial aims to assess the safety and clinical effectiveness of this device as a functional replacement for hand motor control. Participants will receive implantation of the Triple-F BCI device, followed by standardized brain-computer training including the use of brain-controlled pneumatic gloves. After implantation, follow-up visits will be conducted at 1, 2, 3, and 6 months to monitor progress and device performance. During the study, participants will undergo assessments using various scales and tests to evaluate hand function and device reliability. These include the ARAT score with and without BCI assistance, task completion rates for brain-controlled hand movements, and measures of daily living activities and neurological status. Device operability and user experience will also be evaluated throughout the follow-up period, which lasts up to 6 months post-implantation.

Spinal cord injury SCI occurs when trauma or other factors damage the spinal cord, disrupting communication between the body and brain. This can lead to changes in body awareness called disembodiment, where sensations feel different or limbs seem out of place. The study aims to explore how SCI affects embodiment, its impact on daily life, and the related brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging fMRI. Both individuals with SCI and healthy participants will take part in this research. Participants will be divided into groups some with SCI will undergo a detailed behavioral assessment of embodiment and sensory-motor symptoms, while others will also have brain activity measured through fMRI during a task involving a modified rubber hand illusion. Healthy controls will perform similar behavioral assessments, with some also undergoing fMRI. The fMRI task includes watching virtual legs being touched while their own legs are stroked to assess the feeling of embodiment. Each participant will attend one examination lasting about 2 to 2.5 hours, including approximately 55 minutes inside the MRI scanner. Researchers will evaluate responses to questionnaires measuring body feelings, pain, emotions, cognition, and daily functioning. Brain activity and embodiment strength will also be assessed. The study will monitor various physical, psychological, and quality of life aspects to understand how SCI changes body awareness.

Researchers are evaluating a group intervention called Lev-g, designed to promote healthy habits in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders or those closely related to children with disabilities. This brief, transdiagnostic, interprofessional program addresses health-related habits that influence mental and physical health, aiming to provide a usable model across various healthcare settings in Sweden. The study focuses on understanding the feasibility, acceptability, and potential effects of this intervention in improving health behaviors. Lev-g consists of three group sessions plus a booster session, employing psychoeducation, motivational interviewing, and applied behavioral analyses. The group format aims to provide peer support and sharing of tips among participants. There is no control group, as this trial tests the feasibility of the intervention. The program is delivered in healthcare settings and is intended for adults aged 15 to 80. Participants will be assessed for completion rates, satisfaction, treatment credibility, adverse events, and goal achievement throughout and after the intervention. Evaluations include questionnaires for both participants and healthcare workers at multiple time points up to 3 to 4 months. Researchers will measure well-being, self-efficacy, and changes in health-related habits, tracking progress from baseline through the booster session. The study is expected to conclude by early 2027.

Researchers are studying a surgically implanted functional electrical stimulation FES system designed to improve stability of the trunk and hips in people with spinal cord injuries, paralysis, tetraplegia, or paraplegia. This system uses small electric currents to make muscles contract, aiming to help users sit more steadily, breathe better, reach farther, push a wheelchair, or roll in bed. The study is conducted by the VA Office of Research and Development and focuses on how this neuroprosthesis affects posture and mobility. The study involves one surgical procedure to implant electrodes into the trunk and hip muscles. These electrodes connect to an 8-channel stimulator implanted in the abdomen. After surgery, participants spend two to six weeks at home with limited activity to allow healing. Following this, they undergo exercise and training to begin using the neuroprosthesis functionally. Participants will be assessed in the lab for strength, balance, and functional abilities both with and without the system, while the implanted devices technical performance is also monitored. Participants will be involved for up to 36 months, during which researchers will measure the effects of trunk stimulation on posture control, breathing, pressure distribution while seated, reach ability, stability, and personal mobility. They will also work on designing a simple position controller. The study includes post-operative training and follow-up visits to track progress, device function, and safety over time.

Researchers are exploring the effects of different types of stimulationmagnetic stimulation to activate the brain, electrical spinal cord stimulation, and electrical muscle stimulationon people with spinal cord injury SCI and able-bodied individuals. The study focuses on activating muscles in the arms, legs, and trunk to understand how these stimulations impact neuromotor function in these groups. Participants will receive interventions including intermittent theta burst stimulation iTBS, functional electrical stimulation FES, and transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation TSCS. Each treatment uses devices that apply magnetic or electrical pulses to activate specific brain regions, spinal cord areas, or muscles. There is also a sham iTBS group where a magnetic coil is placed but no stimulation is given. Each participant will attend at least 9 sessions over two months, with each visit lasting about 2 to 3 hours. Participants are grouped based on their injury status and ambulatory ability. During the study, participants will undergo assessments including the nine-hole peg test, foot tapping test, Function in Sitting Test for people with SCI, and Motor Evoked Potential measurements. These tests will be conducted at the start and throughout the two-month period to monitor changes. The study will evaluate how the different stimulations affect motor function and neuromuscular responses over time.

Researchers are evaluating the StrokeWear system to see how it affects clinical outcomes in people who have recently experienced a stroke. This study is a two-arm randomized clinical trial focusing on subacute stroke survivors with hemiparetic upper extremity weakness. The goal is to understand whether using the StrokeWear system combined with a motor and behavioral home intervention improves arm use compared to usual care involving a home exercise plan. Participants in the intervention group will use the StrokeWear system along with behavioral strategies designed to encourage arm use through feedback, goal setting, and daily activity planning over 6 months. They will receive weekly coaching sessions in the first month, bi-weekly in months two and three, and monthly sessions in months four to six, which can be in-person or remote. The control group will receive usual care, including standard rehabilitation and a home exercise plan, with monthly visits to update their exercises. Study participants will attend four evaluation visits screening and enrollment, baseline, 3 months, and at the studys 6-month completion. Researchers will assess upper-extremity motor function using multiple scales such as the Motor Activity Log and Fugl-Meyer Assessment. Additional tests include the Wolf Motor Function Test and Stroke Impact Scale. Monitoring includes assessing changes in arm use, motor function, and self-efficacy. The total participation lasts for six months, with assessments at regular intervals to track progress and outcomes.

This research aims to evaluate the immune response, safety, and consistency between different batches of the LBVD vaccine compared to the combined use of Pentavalent and Inactivated Poliomyelitis vaccines in healthy infants aged 6 to 8 weeks. The study is divided into two stages Stage 1 compares LBVD with licensed control vaccines, and Stage 2 confirms that LBVD is not inferior to control vaccines and assesses consistency across three lots of LBVD. Participants receive a three-dose primary vaccination series at 6, 10, and 14 weeks of age. The LBVD vaccine is administered as an intramuscular injection into the thigh. The control group receives co-administration of Pentavalent and Inactivated Polio vaccines. Stage 1 focuses on initial comparisons, while Stage 2 includes multiple LBVD lots to evaluate lot-to-lot consistency. Throughout the study, infants will be monitored for immune protection levels and antibody concentrations four weeks after completing the vaccination series. Safety is tracked by observing immediate reactions within 30 minutes, solicited side effects within 7 days, and other adverse events within 4 weeks post-vaccination. The study follows infants from 6 weeks through 8 weeks of age, including all vaccine administrations and safety assessments.

Researchers are evaluating the safety and usefulness of a new delivery device designed to inject LCTOPC1, a cell therapy, into the spinal cord of people with spinal cord injuries SCI. LCTOPC1 aims to replace or support cells lost or damaged due to trauma, with the goal of improving quality of life and helping restore or enhance function in individuals with cervical or thoracic SCI. This Phase 1b, open-label, multi-center study focuses on both subacute and chronic SCI patients with specific injury types and locations. The study involves a one-time injection of 10 million LCTOPC1 cells administered via the novel delivery device directly to the injured spinal cord tissue. Participants include those with subacute injuries occurring 21 to 42 days before treatment and those with chronic injuries from 1 to 5 years prior. The first four participants will be enrolled sequentially after safety criteria are met. The injection is given during an elective surgical procedure, and the study monitors safety over a long-term period. Participants will undergo close monitoring for safety, including assessments of adverse events related to the device and injection procedure up to 30 days, and additional evaluations of adverse events related to LCTOPC1 and immunosuppression up to 90 days. MRI scans will assess any changes in spinal cord condition at 90 days. The study plans to follow participants for up to 10 years after treatment to track long-term safety and outcomes.