Clinical trial NCT04157179: Cerebral Oxygen Metabolism in Children
Official title: Cerebral Oxygen Metabolism in Children
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Sickle Cell Disease
Cerebral Stroke
Keywords: extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
cerebrovascular reactivity
sickle cell disease
healthy controls
magnetic resonance imaging
Lead sponsor: Washington University School of Medicine
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2019-11-08
Enrollment: 350
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 3
Maximum age (years): 50
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: All arms will receive the same study conditions.
Primary purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE

Brief summary: The purpose of this research study is to better understand how blood flow and metabolism change can influence brain development in the early decades of life.

We will examine brain blood flow and metabolism using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The brain's blood vessels expand and constrict to regulate blood flow based on the brain's needs. The amount of expanding and contracting the blood vessels can do varies by age. The brain's blood flow changes in small ways during everyday activities, such as normal brain growth, exercise, or deep concentration. Significant illness or psychological stress may increase the brain's metabolic demand or cause other bigger changes in blood flow. If blood vessels are not able to expand to give more blood flow when metabolic demand is high, the brain may not get all of the oxygen it needs. In extreme circumstances, if the brain is unable to get enough oxygen for a long time, a stroke may occur. Sometimes small strokes occur without other noticeable changes and are only detectable on an MRI. These are sometimes called "silent strokes." In less extreme circumstances, not having as much oxygen as it wants may cause the brain to grow and develop more slowly than it should.

One way to test the ability of blood vessels to expand is by measuring blood flow while breathing in carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide causes blood vessels in the brain to dilate without increasing brain metabolism.

During this study participants may be asked to undergo a blood draw, MRI, and potential neuropsychological assessments. It is also possible that the study team will use a special mask to control the amount of carbon dioxide the participants breathe in so they don't breathe in too much.

Detailed description: The purpose of the study is to identify imaging biomarkers for brain tissue under high metabolic stress at risk for permanent injury. We will measure CBF, OEF, and CVR in children with and without perturbations in cerebral oxygen delivery over time to determine each parameter's role in clinical and radiologic neurologic outcomes. Measuring CBF and OEF can be done with specialized MRI sequences. Measuring CVR requires a vasoactive response, such as carbon dioxide. In order to delivery carbon dioxide evenly and as safely as possible, we will use an MRI-compatible device to prevent over-breathing carbon dioxide and allow rapid steady-state physiology to minimize total scan time.

Eligibility criteria: Healthy Controls:

* Healthy controls ages 3-50 years of age
* Able to participate in MRI scan without sedation
* Not currently pregnant
* No significant psychiatric history, defined as having a severe psychiatric diagnosis, per PI discretion
* No history of epilepsy
* No history of stroke or cerebrovascular disease
* May have occasional headaches if not taking a daily preventative medication for headaches
* Not on vasodilatory medication, such as sildenafil or verapamil

Sickle Cell Anemia Participants:

* Ages 3-50 years of age
* Hb SS or SBeta-thal
* Able to participate in MRI scan without sedation
* Not currently pregnant
* Not on vasodilatory medication, such as sildenafil or verapamil

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Survivors:

* Ages 3-50 years of age
* History of cannulation for ECMO
* Able to participate in MRI scan without sedation
* Not currently pregnant
* Not on vasodilatory medication, such as sildenafil or verapamil

Primary outcomes:
measure: Cerebral Oxygen Metabolism
timeFrame: From the beginning of the MRI scan to the completion of the MRI scan -- 75 minutes.
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Cerebrovascular Reactivity
timeFrame: From administration of carbon dioxide to end of inhalation of carbon dioxide -- 15 minutes.
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Saint Louis
country: United States
facility: Washington University of St. Louis
state: Missouri
Study officials:
References: