Baby Brain Recovery Study

January 10, 2024 updated by: University of Wisconsin, Madison

Perinatal Stroke: Longitudinal Assessment of Infant Brain Organization and Recovery Through Neuroexcitability, Neuroimaging and Motor Development

This study will be a longitudinal multiple-visit observational study, done to identify possible bioindicators of recovery and repair of motor corticospinal pathways which may be targeted by future interventions in infants with perinatal stroke.

65 participants will be recruited and complete 1 visit at time point 1 (0-2 months), and 2 visits at each timepoints 2-5 with windows of +- 4 weeks (3-6 months, 12 months, 18 months and 24 months). Visits will consist of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) assessment during the child's natural sleep, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), and Motor Behavioral Assessments.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

Perinatal stroke has disabling consequences; 50-75% of individuals will develop life-long motor impairment, and 10-60% will also have cognitive deficits. These deficits lead to challenges in the school and home environments, with decreased likelihood of employment and independence and increased caregiver burden. Additionally, perinatal stroke is one of the primary causes of cerebral palsy (CP), a chronic and disabling neurological condition affecting motor function.

The first two years of life constitute a critical period of brain development and heightened neuroplasticity. There is now a consensus that, due to brain plasticity and rapid development, providing an early intervention may result in optimal recovery and lower costs of care. Unfortunately, researchers still have only limited understanding of how the brain develops after perinatal stroke and as a result CP diagnoses are typically not made until two years of age. There is an urgent need for very early diagnosis, prognosis and understanding of mechanisms in order to develop novel early interventions to improve outcomes in perinatal stroke with resultant CP.

Integrating study team's experience in studying and caring for this vulnerable infant stroke population, they propose to use non-invasive brain stimulation, neuroimaging, and behavioral assessments to analyze associations between development patterns, especially in the CST, and potential diagnosis of CP.

Specific aims of this study are:

  • Aim 1. Map the presence and excitability of corticospinal pathways.
  • Aim 2. Map the structural integrity and connectivity of corticospinal pathways.
  • Aim 3. Compare motor outcomes from clinical behavioral assessments against corticospinal tract excitability and integrity.
  • Aim 4. Identify the association between brain white-matter connectivity and general movements.
  • Aim 5. Identify the association between corticospinal circuitry and general movements.

Protocol Amendment approved on 10/22/2021 removes TMS intervention and outcomes, adds a study time point at 0-2 months, and lowers the eligibility age to term.

Protocol Amendment approved on 12/21/2021 adds the TMS intervention back.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

65

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

  • Name: Bernadette Gillick, PhD, MSPT
  • Phone Number: 608-262-3079
  • Email: bgillick@wisc.edu

Study Locations

    • Wisconsin
      • Madison, Wisconsin, United States, 53705
        • Recruiting
        • University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

1 second to 2 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Pre-term and term born infants with corrected gestational age between term age and 24 months with radiologically-confirmed acute unilateral or bilateral brain lesions, including perinatal stroke, neonatal hemorrhagic or thrombotic stroke, involving the motor cortex and/or subcortical structures, and intracranial hemorrhage, involving the motor cortex and/or subcortical white matter, or periventricular leukomalacia. Parents/legal guardians and infants able to attend study visits at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Infants with corrected gestational age between term age and 24 months of age at study enrollment
  • Radiologically-confirmed acute unilateral or bilateral brain lesions, including perinatal stroke, neonatal hemorrhagic or thrombotic stroke, involving the motor cortex and/or subcortical structures, and intracranial hemorrhage, involving the motor cortex and/or subcortical white matter, or periventricular leukomalacia
  • Diagnosis of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy
  • English-speaking parent/legal guardian (able to provide consent)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Other neurologic disorders unrelated to perinatal stroke
  • Metabolic disorders
  • Neoplasm
  • Disorders of Cellular Migration and Proliferation
  • Acquired Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Received surgeries that may constrain current spontaneous movements
  • Indwelling metal or incompatible medical devices, or other contraindications for MRI or TMS assessment
  • Apneic episodes and syncope (known heart defects) for the safety of participants in the study
  • Supplemental ventilation
  • Uncontrolled seizure

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Infants
Pre-term and term born infants with corrected gestational age between term age and 24 months with radiologically-confirmed acute unilateral or bilateral brain lesions, including perinatal stroke, neonatal hemorrhagic or thrombotic stroke, involving the motor cortex and/or subcortical structures, and intracranial hemorrhage, involving the motor cortex and/or subcortical white matter, or periventricular leukomalacia. Parents/legal guardians able to attend study visits at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
3 Tesla Discovery MR750 MRI scanner (GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI) will be used to perform structural imaging, diffusion MRI, relaxometry and microstructural imaging. The exact scan length and parameters of each scan type (T1, T2, DWI) will be set for this study to optimize the quality of data and decrease the length of scanning session for each type of scan. All of the imaging methods have been previously implemented at UW-Madison. Each sequence will take approximately 5-10 minutes.
Other Names:
  • MRI
TMS will be used to assess cortical excitability and circuitry (not as a neuromodulation intervention). Single-pulse TMS (Magstim 200², Magstim, UK) with a scalp surface coil will be used to assess how the brain is developing and how connected the tract is, between the brain and a target muscle on the arm. 10-20 TMS stimulation pulses will be delivered at a range of stimulation intensities (50-100%) increasing by 5% maximal stimulator output (MSO) at each stage. In sum, around 150 stimulation pulses per hemisphere are expected for TMS assessment for each infant.
Other Names:
  • TMS
The behavioral assessments (GMA: General Movements Assessment; HINE: Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination; Baby Observation of Selective Control AppRaisal (BabyOSCAR); Bayley-4 / Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development 4th ed; Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory -Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT)) are infant and age-specific and will be administered by trained pediatric occupational and physical therapists.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Cortical excitability measured as presence/absence of motor evoked potentials (MEP)
Time Frame: 3-6 months (one visit in this time frame), 12±1 months, 18±1 months, 24±1 months

Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) are the electrical signals recorded from the descending motor pathways or from muscles following stimulation of motor pathways within the brain.

Responses from TMS pulses will be measured by recording muscle activity, referred to as motor evoked potentials (MEP).

3-6 months (one visit in this time frame), 12±1 months, 18±1 months, 24±1 months
Change in Cortical excitability measured by intensity of motor threshold (MT)
Time Frame: 3-6 months (one visit in this time frame), 12±1 months, 18±1 months, 24±1 months
The MT is the minimum stimulation intensity that will elicit a consistent MEP of a pre-determined amplitude. MT and MEP are the common measures of TMS-induced excitability. Together, these measures provide information about the brain's excitability, associated with synaptic activity.
3-6 months (one visit in this time frame), 12±1 months, 18±1 months, 24±1 months
Change in Mean Fractional Anisotropy (FA) within the CST
Time Frame: 1 ±1 month, 3-6 months (one visit in this time frame), 12±1 months, 18±1 months, 24±1 months

Mean Fractional Anisotropy (FA) within the CST will be used to study structural connectivity. It is a dimensionless index between 0 and 1. (0 equals no anisotropy; greater anisotropy is indicated by higher FA values approaching the maximum of 1).

N=10 infants aged 0-2 months (first timepoint) will participate in MRI scans

1 ±1 month, 3-6 months (one visit in this time frame), 12±1 months, 18±1 months, 24±1 months
Behavioral assessments: General Movements Assessment (GMA) reported on binary (Y/N) scale
Time Frame: 1 ±1 month

The General Movements Assessment is used to identify absent or abnormal general movements. GMA requires 5-10 minutes video taping when infants are placed in spine position for scoring.

"Absence or abnormal movements" will be reported as "Y".

1 ±1 month
Behavioral assessments: General Movements Assessment (GMA) reported on binary (Y/N) scale
Time Frame: 3 ±1 months

The General Movements Assessment is used to identify absent or abnormal general movements. GMA requires 5-10 minutes video taping when infants are placed in spine position for scoring.

"Absence or abnormal movements" will be reported as "Y".

3 ±1 months
Behavioral assessments: Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination (HINE) score
Time Frame: 1 ±1 month

The HINE includes three sections, the Neurological Examination, the Development of Motor Functions and the State of Behaviour. The first section evaluates cranial nerve, posture, movements, tone and reflexes. These items are not age-dependent. The second section evaluates head control, sitting, voluntary grasping, rolling, crawling and walking. The third section evaluates state of consciousness, emotional state and social orientation.

The maximum score for any one item is a score of 3 and the minimum is a score of 0. A subscore can be given for each section and the overall global score can be calculated by summing up all 26 items (range: 0-78), with higher scores indicating better neurological performance.

1 ±1 month
Behavioral assessments: Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination (HINE) score
Time Frame: 3-6 months (one visit in this time frame)

The HINE includes three sections, the Neurological Examination, the Development of Motor Functions and the State of Behaviour. The first section evaluates cranial nerve, posture, movements, tone and reflexes. These items are not age-dependent. The second section evaluates head control, sitting, voluntary grasping, rolling, crawling and walking. The third section evaluates state of consciousness, emotional state and social orientation.

The maximum score for any one item is a score of 3 and the minimum is a score of 0. A subscore can be given for each section and the overall global score can be calculated by summing up all 26 items (range: 0-78), with higher scores indicating better neurological performance.

3-6 months (one visit in this time frame)
Behavioral assessments: Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination (HINE) score
Time Frame: 12±1 months

The HINE includes three sections, the Neurological Examination, the Development of Motor Functions and the State of Behaviour. The first section evaluates cranial nerve, posture, movements, tone and reflexes. These items are not age-dependent. The second section evaluates head control, sitting, voluntary grasping, rolling, crawling and walking. The third section evaluates state of consciousness, emotional state and social orientation.

The maximum score for any one item is a score of 3 and the minimum is a score of 0. A subscore can be given for each section and the overall global score can be calculated by summing up all 26 items (range: 0-78), with higher scores indicating better neurological performance.

12±1 months
Behavioral assessments: Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination (HINE) score
Time Frame: 18±1 months

The HINE includes three sections, the Neurological Examination, the Development of Motor Functions and the State of Behaviour. The first section evaluates cranial nerve, posture, movements, tone and reflexes. These items are not age-dependent. The second section evaluates head control, sitting, voluntary grasping, rolling, crawling and walking. The third section evaluates state of consciousness, emotional state and social orientation.

The maximum score for any one item is a score of 3 and the minimum is a score of 0. A subscore can be given for each section and the overall global score can be calculated by summing up all 26 items (range: 0-78), with higher scores indicating better neurological performance.

18±1 months
Behavioral assessments: Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination (HINE) score
Time Frame: 24±1 months

The HINE includes three sections, the Neurological Examination, the Development of Motor Functions and the State of Behaviour. The first section evaluates cranial nerve, posture, movements, tone and reflexes. These items are not age-dependent. The second section evaluates head control, sitting, voluntary grasping, rolling, crawling and walking. The third section evaluates state of consciousness, emotional state and social orientation.

The maximum score for any one item is a score of 3 and the minimum is a score of 0. A subscore can be given for each section and the overall global score can be calculated by summing up all 26 items (range: 0-78), with higher scores indicating better neurological performance.

24±1 months
Behavioral assessments: Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development Test, 4th edition (Bayley-4) score
Time Frame: 3-6 months (one visit in this time frame)
Bayley-4 is a developmental test that measures cognitive, language, motor, and social-emotional domains of infants and young children between 1 and 42 months of age. A higher score generally corresponds with higher function.
3-6 months (one visit in this time frame)
Behavioral assessments: Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development Test, 4th edition (Bayley-4) score
Time Frame: 12±1 months
Bayley-4 is a developmental test that measures cognitive, language, motor, and social-emotional domains of infants and young children between 1 and 42 months of age. A higher score generally corresponds with higher function.
12±1 months
Behavioral assessments: Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development Test, 4th edition (Bayley-IV) score
Time Frame: 18±1 months
Bayley-4 is a developmental test that measures cognitive, language, motor, and social-emotional domains of infants and young children between 1 and 42 months of age. A higher score generally corresponds with higher function.
18±1 months
Behavioral assessments: Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development Test, 4th edition (Bayley-4) score
Time Frame: 24±1 months
Bayley-4 is a developmental test that measures cognitive, language, motor, and social-emotional domains of infants and young children between 1 and 42 months of age. A higher score generally corresponds with higher function.
24±1 months
Baby Observation of Selective Control AppRaisal (Baby OSCAR)
Time Frame: 1±1 month
Baby OSCAR assessments are scored from video recordings of infant movement. Each limb is scored separately, with scores ranging 0-7 per lower limb, and 0-9 per upper limb for a total score of 0-32. Higher scores indicate better selective motor control.
1±1 month
Baby Observation of Selective Control AppRaisal (Baby OSCAR)
Time Frame: 3-6 months (one visit in this time frame)
Baby OSCAR assessments are scored from video recordings of infant movement. Each limb is scored separately, with scores ranging 0-7 per lower limb, and 0-9 per upper limb for a total score of 0-32. Higher scores indicate better selective motor control.
3-6 months (one visit in this time frame)
Change in Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT)
Time Frame: 1 ±1 month, 3-6 months (one visit in this time frame), 12±1 months, 18±1 months, 24±1 months
Patient/caregiver-reported outcome measure of functional abilities and performance in children with disabilities. Scores are displayed instantly after completion of an assessment. A Detailed Score Report and a Summary Score Report are available. Normative scores are provided as age percentiles and T scores are based on a child's chronological age and intended for use by clinicians so that they may interpret a particular child's functioning relative to others of the same age. Scaled scores provide a way to look at a child's current functional skills and progress in these skills over time. Scaled scores are especially helpful in documenting improvements in functional skills for children not expected to exhibit or regain normative levels of functioning.
1 ±1 month, 3-6 months (one visit in this time frame), 12±1 months, 18±1 months, 24±1 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in blood pressure
Time Frame: 1 ±1 month, 3-6 months (one visit in this time frame), 12±1 months, 18±1 months, 24±1 months
1 ±1 month, 3-6 months (one visit in this time frame), 12±1 months, 18±1 months, 24±1 months
Change in heart rate
Time Frame: 1 ±1 month, 3-6 months (one visit in this time frame), 12±1 months, 18±1 months, 24±1 months
1 ±1 month, 3-6 months (one visit in this time frame), 12±1 months, 18±1 months, 24±1 months
Change in skin integrity reported as presence/absence of skin redness/rash
Time Frame: 1 ±1 month, 3-6 months (one visit in this time frame), 12±1 months, 18±1 months, 24±1 months
1 ±1 month, 3-6 months (one visit in this time frame), 12±1 months, 18±1 months, 24±1 months
Change in body temperature
Time Frame: 1 ±1 month, 3-6 months (one visit in this time frame), 12±1 months, 18±1 months, 24±1 months
1 ±1 month, 3-6 months (one visit in this time frame), 12±1 months, 18±1 months, 24±1 months
Change in respiration rate
Time Frame: 1 ±1 month, 3-6 months (one visit in this time frame), 12±1 months, 18±1 months, 24±1 months
Respiration rate will be measured as breaths/minute.
1 ±1 month, 3-6 months (one visit in this time frame), 12±1 months, 18±1 months, 24±1 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Bernadette Gillick, PhD, MSPT, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

July 26, 2022

Primary Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 13, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 13, 2021

First Posted (Actual)

August 19, 2021

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 12, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 10, 2024

Last Verified

January 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2021-0412
  • SMPH/PEDIATRICS/PEDIATRICS (Other Identifier: UW Madison)
  • A536761 (Other Identifier: UW Madison)
  • 7R01HD098202-02 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • Protocol ver 13 (Other Identifier: UW Madison)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data collected during the trial will be shared after deidentification.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Beginning 3 months after publication of primary outcomes, and ending 5 years after that date

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Data will be shared with the researchers whose proposed use of the data is for independent verification of study outcomes or to conduct subsequent clinical research. Data sharing will be approved by an independent review committee identified for this purpose.

Proposals should be directed to bgillick@wisc.edu. If approved after review by regulatory counsel, requestors will enter into a formal data sharing agreement. Data will be shared via encrypted single-user file transmission protocol.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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