Demyelinating Disease
Conditions
Brief summary
The neural circuits in our brains require a layer of insulation in order to transmit signals in a rapid and efficient fashion. This insulation is called White Matter and is comprised of a specific type of brain cell called an oligodendrocytes. Damage to brain white matter occurs following injury and in disorders like Multiple Sclerosis and results in sensory, motor, and cognitive problems. Currently there are no effective medical therapies to promote brain repair and reduce disability following damage to white matter. In this project, we hope to change the situation by encouraging the brain itself to generate new oligodendrocytes and thus new white matter. Our first step is to find measures sensitive to white matter growth.
Interventions
None listed
Sponsors
The Hospital for Sick Children
Study design
Observational model
CASE_CONTROL
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
5 Years to 18 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Experienced a demyelinating event (Only applicable to patient subjects) * Between the ages of 5 years to 18 years and 11 months of age * Has either English as his or her native language or has had at least two years of schooling in English
Exclusion criteria
* Children with non-demyelinating etiologies of white matter dysfunction (i.e., metabolic disorders, vasculitis, and non-specific MRI abnormalities * Is younger than 5 years of age * Is 18 years and 11 of age or older * Has a prior history of traumatic brain injury, neurological disorder, cerebral palsy, developmental delay, or learning disability * Requires sedation for brain scanning * Is claustrophobic, as brain scanning requires children to enter a tunnel in the MRI machine
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Neuronal responses during pro/anti-saccade eye movements | 60 minutes | Video-based eye tracking monocularly in the MEG and binocularly outside the MEG |
| Electrical potentials initiated by brief visual stimuli | 10 minutes | Visual Evoked Potentials (VEP) |
| MRI scans of the brain, including Diffusion Tensor Imagine (DTI) | 90 minutes | — |
| Neurocognitive Testing | 90 minutes | Computerized Penn Neurocognitive Battery |
| High contrast visual acuity | 10 minutes | — |
| Low contrast visual acuity; colour vision; visual fields testing; OCT testing; | 10 minutes | — |
| Colour vision testing | 10 minutes | — |
| Visual fields testing | 20 minutes | — |
| Optical coherence tomography (OCT) | 25 minutes | — |
| Neurological Exam - Standard physical exam performed by neurologist to determine the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score. | 20 minutes | — |
| Clinical Interview | 10 minutes | — |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed