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Disorder of ConsciousnessNCT04921683

The Use of LIFUP in Chronic Disorders of Consciousness

A study testing BX Pulsar 1002 (LIFUP) Low intensity Focused Ultrasound Pulsation in people with Disorder of Consciousness and Vegetative State, run by Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

When patients survive a severe brain injury but fail to fully recover, they often enter a Disorder of Consciousness (DoC) --that is, a set of related conditions of decreased awareness and arousal including the Vegetative State (VS) and the Minimally Conscious State (MCS). Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
What is being tested?
BX Pulsar 1002 (LIFUP) Low intensity Focused Ultrasound Pulsation
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
16 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
21 Jun 2021to 14 Apr 2023
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Diagnosis of VS or MCS based on the CRS-R .
  • Chronic status:
  • 3 months post-injury for non-traumatic etiologies
  • 12 months post-injury for traumatic etiology
  • 18 years of age or older.
  • If on a psychotropic medication regimen, that regimen will be stable for at least 4 weeks prior to entry to the study and the patient will be willing to remain on a stable regimen during the protocol.

Who cannot join

  • History of neurological disorder (other than the brain injury).
  • Unsuitability to undergo Magnetic Resonance (MR) assessment (e.g., non-MR compatible implants).
  • Unsuitability to undergo LIFUP neuromodulation (e.g., presence of non-bone implant or absence of bone under the expected positioning of the device by the left temporal bone window).
  • Manifest continuous spontaneous movement (which would prevent imaging)
  • Participation in another concurrent clinical trial.
  • Having undergone PET, CT, or other exam involving the use of ionizing radiation in the 12 months prior to the date of scheduled admission to Casa Colina.
  • Dependence on ventilator.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Casa Colina Hospital

    Pomona, California, 91709

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Biomarkers of Thalamic LIFUP in Chronic Disorders of Consciousness

When patients survive a severe brain injury but fail to fully recover, they often enter a Disorder of Consciousness (DoC) --that is, a set of related conditions of decreased awareness and arousal including the Vegetative State (VS) and the Minimally Conscious State (MCS). When these conditions become chronic, there are no approved treatments to help bolster any further recovery. In prior work, we have shown the clinical feasibility and potential of Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound Pulsation (LIFUP) as a remarkably safe form of non-invasive brain stimulation in these conditions.

Read the detailed description

In the present study, we propose taking the "next step" to assess whether LIFUP can affect objective and validated markers of DoC patient impairment (in the direction of lesser impairment). Specifically, patients will be admitted at Casa Colina Hospital for a 10-day (in-patient) protocol, and two follow-up sessions, conducted remotely (e.g., over the phone) at 7 and 30-days post-discharge. The full length of the study is 40 days from admission. Over the admission period, patients will undergo multiple measurements of validated biomarkers, including behavioral testing, brain metabolism (using Positron Emission Tomography), and electroencephalography, before and after one session of LIFUP to thalamus.

Being tested
BX Pulsar 1002 (LIFUP) Low intensity Focused Ultrasound Pulsation
Medical subject headings
Consciousness Disorders, Persistent Vegetative State, Brain Injuries, Traumatic, Stroke, Hypoxia, Brain, Coma

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • BX Pulsar 1002 (LIFUP) Low intensity Focused Ultrasound PulsationDevice

    Administration of LIFUP will be performed at the bedside using frameless stereotaxy. Specifically, the LIFUP transducer will be fit to the patient's head employing adjustable straps, and will be positioned over the patient's left temporal bone, over the "temporal window" in order to minimize bone absorption and refraction. Accurate aiming will be ensured employing the BrainSight neuronavigation device, customized for tracking our LIFUP transducer (total ~10 min). Once satisfactory aiming is achieved, the LIFUP exposure will be initiated employing the settings described previously (which meet the FDA safety limits: ISPPA <= 190W/cm2, ISPTA <= 0.72W/cm2). Accurate aiming will be monitored in real-time throughout exposure using the Brain Sight Neuronavigation interface.

Study groups in NCT04921683
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Treatment LIFUPExperimentalLIFUP will be performed at the bedside using frameless stereotaxy. Specifically, the LIFUP transducer will be fit to the patient's head employing adjustable straps, and will be positioned over the patient's left temporal bone to minimize bone absorption and refraction. Accurate aiming will be ensured using the Brain Sight neuronavigation device, customized for tracking our LIFUP transducer. Following LIFUP, the patient will undergo a second EEG session, except for the EEG cap being fit to the patient's head prior to the LIFUP session so that, as soon as LIFUP administration is complete, the EEG paradigm can be promptly administered. The patient will then be allowed to rest (~1h).The patient will then be administered a second dose of tracer in order to undergo a second PET measurement. Finally, at the end-of-day, the clinical coordinator will collect an Adverse Event Questionnaire and will fit the PSG device for night monitoring.
Receives: Device: BX Pulsar 1002 (LIFUP) Low intensity Focused Ultrasound Pulsation

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Coma Recovery Scale-Revised

    Change in maximum total and subscale scores.

    Measured: Coma recovery scale-revised is completed at enrollment and twice a day on Day 1-10, except for Day 4. Maximum score is 23 with a minimum of 0. Higher scores mean better outcome.

  2. Electroencephalography

    Change in fast to slow frequency power spectrum density and in P3b amplitude.

    Measured: The EEG will be conducted at Day 3, 4, 7 and 10 of the study.

  3. Positron Emission Tomography

    Assess change in local standard uptake value (SUV) and global SUV.

    Measured: This will be conducted on Day 4.

  4. Polysomnography

    Change in nightly average density of sleep-spindles and sleep structure.

    Measured: This will be conducted Day 1-10 of the study.

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted10 Jun 2021
  2. Study start21 Jun 2021
  3. Primary completion1 Mar 2023
  4. Study completion14 Apr 2023

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Model description
A single group model is when a group of subjects is administered treatment/exposure to device. Then it is measured and observed using behavioral and diagnostic tools over a specified amount of time throughout the study.
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
16 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04921683
Sponsor's protocol ID
IRB#21-000091
Status last verified
May 2023
First submitted
17 May 2021
Last updated
6 May 2023
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
Yes
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Adams JH, Graham DI, Jennett B. The neuropathology of the vegetative state after an acute brain insult. Brain. 2000 Jul;123 ( Pt 7):1327-38. doi: 10.1093/brain/123.7.1327.

    PubMed 10869046
  • Monti MM, Schnakers C, Korb AS, Bystritsky A, Vespa PM. Non-Invasive Ultrasonic Thalamic Stimulation in Disorders of Consciousness after Severe Brain Injury: A First-in-Man Report. Brain Stimul. 2016 Nov-Dec;9(6):940-941. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2016.07.008. Epub 2016 Jul 22. No abstract available.

    PubMed 27567470
  • Monti MM. Cognition in the vegetative state. Annu Rev Clin Psychol. 2012;8:431-54. doi: 10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032511-143050. Epub 2012 Jan 3.

    PubMed 22224835
  • Pasquinelli C, Hanson LG, Siebner HR, Lee HJ, Thielscher A. Safety of transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation: A systematic review of the state of knowledge from both human and animal studies. Brain Stimul. 2019 Nov-Dec;12(6):1367-1380. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2019.07.024. Epub 2019 Jul 31.

    PubMed 31401074
  • Schnakers C, Monti MM. Disorders of consciousness after severe brain injury: therapeutic options. Curr Opin Neurol. 2017 Dec;30(6):573-579. doi: 10.1097/WCO.0000000000000495.

    PubMed 28901969
  • Yoo SS, Kim H, Min BK, Franck E, Park S. Transcranial focused ultrasound to the thalamus alters anesthesia time in rats. Neuroreport. 2011 Oct 26;22(15):783-7. doi: 10.1097/WNR.0b013e32834b2957.

    PubMed 21876461

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing BX Pulsar 1002 (LIFUP) Low intensity Focused Ultrasound Pulsation in people with Disorder of Consciousness and Vegetative State, run by Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 7 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 6 May 2023. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (time frame: Coma recovery scale-revised is completed at enrollment and twice a day on Day 1-10, except for Day 4. Maximum score is 23 with a minimum of 0. Higher scores mean better outcome.). The study lists 4 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT04921683, which also lists 6 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 6 May 2023.

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