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Clinical research in the Department of Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation is focused on new treatments
that improve the quality of life of our patients. Many of
our patients experience long term disability due to their
injury or disease process. It is our goal to help each patient
achieve their maximum potential through our established
treatment regimens as well as through our clinical research
studies.
Our previous clinical trials have included
studies on new treatments for spasticity from spinal cord
injury, improving cognitive functions in stroke and head
injury patients, the use of botulinum toxin for post-stroke
spasticity and pain management, and new treatment regimens
for chronic pain.
Anne Bonnett, RN, CCRC, is the Clinical Research
Coordinator for the department. Anne coordinates each clinical
trial and assists the physicians with patient study visits.
Anne also communicates with the study sponsors and maintains
study records for each trial. Fred Murdock, Ph.D., our Research
Specialist, is primarily involved with regulatory documentation,
compliance, and communication with sponsors.
We are grateful for the participation of our
patients in these clinical trials. You may benefit from
our efforts to advance science and medicine through research.
If you are interested in volunteering for
a clinical trial, see below for details
about the clinical trials open for enrollment at this time.
Current Studies
in the
Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Traumatic Brain Injury
Dr. Jon Rupright is conducting a clinical trial to determine if the drug Namenda improves memory and attention in patients with mild to moderate traumatic brain injury . Namenda is an FDA approved drug for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease produces memory and attention problems that are similar to those experienced by patients with traumatic brain injury. This study will evaluate whether Namenda can improve short term memory and attention in patients with traumatic brain injury. To be eligible to participate, you must be 18 -50 years old and must have had a mild to moderate traumatic brain injury at least one year prior to study entry.
Each subject will participate for a total of 32-34 weeks and have 10 clinic visits. Each subject will take Namenda for 12 weeks and will have psychological tests to evaluate memory and attention. Each subject will also take placebo (fake medicine) for 12 weeks and will have similar psychological tests of memory and attention. Each subject will have physical examinations and laboratory tests. All study procedures will be performed at no cost to the subject and a small stipend will be paid to assist subjects with travel expenses.
If you are interested in participating in the study, contact Anne Bonnett RN, Study Coordinator, at 573-884-6119 or by e-mail at bonnetta@health.missouri.edu.
SCIM Study
Dr. Michael Acuff is participating in a national multi-site study to assess the validity, reliability, and sensitivity of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM III). As new treatments for spinal cord injuries are developed, reliable methods of measuring the effectiveness of these treatments are needed. The SCIM III is being developed as a means of measuring the effects of new treatments. The SCIM III is an evaluation completed by a healthcare professional that is used to measure the progress of people with spinal cord injuries during rehabilitation. Twenty inpatients at Howard A. Rusk Rehabilitation Center are participating in the study. The study is coordinated by Dr. Kimberly Anderson-Erisman, PhD,
at the University of California-Irvine and will enroll 660 people at 22 rehabilitation centers nationwide.
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