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Post Stroke Intensive Rehabilitation

Conditions
Stroke Rehabilitation
Registration Number
NCT03866057
Lead Sponsor
Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi Onlus
Brief Summary

Prospective observational cohort study, with 6 months follow up, to identify clinical, instrumental and genetic predictors of functional recovery in hospitalized patients undergoing intensive rehabilitation after stroke. All patients will be evaluated with a standardized protocol. Functional recovery will be assessed at the discharge and after a period of 6 months.

Detailed Description

Despite progress in the treatment of cerebrovascular diseases in the acute phase, stroke remains a catastrophic event with important public health implications. Post-acute intensive rehabilitation is recommended in patients with neurological deficits, but standardized evaluation protocols are essential for evaluate the efficacy of rehabilitation and for the early identification of prognostic factors of recovery. The search for biomarkers of response to specific treatments aimed to customizing the intervention. Recent studies highlight the importance of neurophysiological markers as predictors of post-stroke epilepsy onset and prognosis. Also genetic substrate and epigenetic mechanisms have a prognostic role; the latter may be modified by the administration of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) drugs, largely prescribed according to guidelines in post-stroke depression, confirming the neurotrophic role of these drugs postulated in many studies but never demonstrated in vivo in humans. Specific physiotherapeutic interventions also seem to stimulate optimal functional recovery and brain neuroplasticity, in particular those based on the intensive repetition of tasks, such as robotics and Mirror Therapy. Given that the mechanisms of neuronal plasticity activated by these interventions are presumably different, it is hypothesizable that there are specific predictors of response for each of them.

The primary endpoint of this study is to identify clinical, instrumental and genetic predictors of functional recovery in hospitalized patients undergoing intensive rehabilitation after stroke, evaluated with standardized protocol. Recovery will be assessed at discharge and at follow-up after 6 months.

Secondary endpoints are:

* evaluate the development of post-stroke epilepsy according to the presence of early clinical seizures or electroencephalographic (EEG) anomalies identified at admission to rehabilitation;

* demonstrate in vivo the activation of neuroplasticity by serotonin reuptake inhibitors drugs;

* evaluate in patients with hemiplegia / hemiparesis of upper limb undergoing Mirror Therapy, robotic rehabilitation and traditional physiotherapy, the presence of specific factors predictive of functional recovery, and of response to different treatments.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
UNKNOWN
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
270
Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

-Stroke occurred more than 30 days after the transfer to intensive rehabilitation

Additional exclusion criteria for Epigenetic subproject (for retrospective analysis):

  • history of major psychiatric disorder or recent exacerbation
  • global aphasia
  • refusal of the patient to participate in the study.

Study & Design

Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Study Design
Not specified
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
change in Modified Barthel Index (mBI)Admission: Time 0; Discharge, up to 3/4 weeks: Time 1; 6-months Follow up: Time 2

Functional recovery; Score from 0 to 100; higher values represent a better outcome.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
change in Modified Rankin scoreAdmission: Time 0; Discharge,up to 3/4 weeks: Time 1; 6-months Follow up: Time 2

Functional recovery; Score from 0 to 6; higher values represent a worse outcome.

change in Oxford Cognitive Score (OCS)Admission: Time 0; Discharge, up to 3/4 weeks: Time 1; 6-months Follow up: Time 2

The Oxford Cognitive Screen (OCS) describes the cognitive deficits after stroke.The scale consists of 10 tasks encompassing five cognitive domains: attention and executive function, language, memory, number processing, and praxis.

change in Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)Admission: Time 0; Discharge, up to 3/4 weeks: Time 1; 6-months Follow up: Time 2

depression and anxiety; Score from 0 to 21, subitems Depression and Anxiety. Higher values represent a worse outcome.

change in Fugl Meyer Assessment (FMA)Admission: Time 0; Discharge,up to 3/4 weeks: Time 1; 6-months Follow up: Time 2

Sensomotor recovery; Total score from 0 to 64, Upper-limb subscale 0-36; lower-limb subscale 0-28. Higher values represent a better outcome.

change in National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS)Admission: Time 0; Discharge, up to 3/4 weeks: Time 1; 6-months Follow up: Time 2

clinical recovery; 15 items scored from 3 to 4 ( total score from 0 to 42). Higher values represent a worse outcome.

change in communication ability (Scala di disabilità comunicativa -SDC)Admission: Time 0; Discharge, up to 3/4 weeks: Time 1; 6-months Follow up: Time 2

Communication recovery; Score from 0 to 4; higher values represent a better outcome.

change in Trunk Control Test (TCT)Admission: Time 0; Discharge, up to 3/4 weeks: Time 1; 6-months Follow up: Time 2

Trunk control recovery; Score from 0 to 100;Higher values represent a better outcome.

Post Stroke EpilepsyAdmission: Time 0; Discharge, up to 3/4 weeks: Time 1; 6-months Follow up: Time 2

We will report possible post stroke seizures.

change in Functional Ambulation Classification (FAC)Admission: Time 0; Discharge, up to 3/4 weeks: Time 1; 6-months Follow up: Time 2

Walking recovery; Score from 0 to 5. Higher values represent a better outcome.

change in Numeric Rating Score (NRS) -PainAdmission: Time 0; Discharge, up to 3/4 weeks: Time 1; 6-months Follow up: Time 2

Pain assessment; Score from 0 to 10; Higher values represent a worse outcome.

change in Ashworth spasticity scaleAdmission: Time 0; Discharge, up to 3/4 weeks: Time 1; 6-months Follow up: Time 2

Spasticity; Score from 0 to 4; Higher values represent a worse outcome.

change in serum Brain Derived Neurotrophic factor (BDNF) epigenetic profileAdmission: Time 0; Discharge, up to 3/4 weeks: Time 1; 6-months Follow up: Time 2

Neural plasticity

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Fondazione don Gnocchi

🇮🇹

Florence, Italy

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