Actively Recruiting
SeeMe: Using Automated Facial Tracking to Detect Voluntary Behavior in Brain Injury
Led by Stony Brook University · Updated on 2026-05-05
80
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
191 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
Sponsors
S
Stony Brook University
Lead Sponsor
N
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Collaborating Sponsor
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
Objective: This prospective interventional study introduces "SeeMe," an automated, high-resolution computer vision platform designed to objectively quantify microscopic, auditory command-evoked movements in patients with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Current clinical assessments, such as the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R), rely on subjective human observation and often fail to detect low-amplitude motor responses, potentially misclassifying up to 25% of patients as unresponsive. Methodology: SeeMe utilizes vector analysis, cross-correlation, and deep neural networks (DNNs) to track individual facial pores and hand movements with sub-millimeter precision (0.5 mm) and high temporal resolution (0.03s). The study will enroll a cohort of 60-80 TBI patients, alongside healthy controls and pharmacologically paralyzed subjects, to validate SeeMe's sensitivity and specificity. Primary Goals: 1. Validation: Compare SeeMe's detection of voluntary motor recovery against gold-standard clinical examinations (CRS-R). 2. Synchronization: Simultaneously record and time-lock electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocorticography (ECoG) with SeeMe-detected movements. 3. Biomarker Identification: Characterize neural signatures (specifically Beta-band oscillations) associated with the return of voluntary behavior. Impact: By providing a real-time, objective measure of motor intention and execution, SeeMe aims to identify "Cognitive-Motor Dissociation" (CMD) earlier than current methods, facilitating more accurate prognostications and laying the framework for future closed-loop neuromodulation (e.g., Vagus Nerve Stimulation) to accelerate TBI recovery.
CONDITIONS
Official Title
SeeMe: Using Automated Facial Tracking to Detect Voluntary Behavior in Brain Injury
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Adults aged 22 years or older with acute traumatic brain injury
- Glasgow Coma Scale score of 8 or less at hospitalization
- Clinically stable as determined by neurosurgery or ICU team
- Intact auditory pathways confirmed by brainstem auditory evoked responses
- Family consent obtained for participation
- Adults aged 22 years or older with no neurological or psychiatric disorders for healthy controls
- Normal baseline neurological exam for healthy controls
- Ability to provide informed consent and follow simple auditory commands in English for healthy controls
- Adults aged 22 years or older undergoing elective spine surgery with general anesthesia and pharmacological paralysis
- Clinically stable for study procedures as determined by anesthesia and surgical teams
- Intact auditory pathways for surgical patients
- Ability to provide informed pre-operative consent for surgical patients
You will not qualify if you...
- Hearing impairment confirmed by absence of brainstem auditory evoked responses preventing hearing auditory commands
- No legal authorized representative available to provide consent if patient is comatose
- Any medical condition making participation unsafe as judged by investigator
- Pregnant women
- Previous history of traumatic brain injury (for healthy controls and sedated patients)
- Any neurodegenerative disease such as dementia
- Any motor impairment interfering with facial or hand movement tracking (healthy controls)
- Significant baseline facial or hand motor deficits before anesthesia administration (sedated patients)
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
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Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
Stony Brook University Hospital
Stony Brook, New York, United States, 11794
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
S
Sima Mofakham, PhD
CONTACT
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
SINGLE
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Model
PARALLEL
Primary Purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Number of Arms
3
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