A Longitudinal Examination of Aging With a Spinal Cord Injury: Cardiovascular, Cerebrovascular and Cognitive Consequences

Completed

Conditions studied: Spinal Cord Injury

In brief

The general population is aging, today 12% of the United States population is older than 65 and it is estimated that by 2020 the number of people in the United States older than 65 will outnumber children younger than 5. As the general population ages, the spinal cord injury (SCI) population is also aging and it is estimated that 14% is older than 60. Although persons with SCI are living longer, life expectancy remains below that of the general population with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases accounting for more than 25% of all deaths since 1995. Similar to findings in the general population, BP dysregulation may impact cognitive function, and investigators reported poorer performance on tasks of memory and attention processing in hypotensive individuals with SCI compared to a normotensive SCI cohort. Thus, it is imperative that investigators work to minimize the impact of cognitive deficits on these aspects of life quality in persons with SCI as they age. Therefore the goals of this study are: Study 1) to compare cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and cognitive function and fMRI between older individuals with SCI (50-75 years) and older age-matched controls and Study 2) to determine 3-5 year longitudinal changes in cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and cognitive function and fMRI in relatively young individuals with SCI (28-54 years) compared to relatively young age-matched controls.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT03023163

Run by

James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center

People needed

92

Starts

2016-12-01

Expected to finish

2022-12-01

Last updated by the study team

2023-06-26

Who can join

Age: 28 and older, up to 75. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Study 1) Between the ages of 50-75 years old
• Study 2) Between the ages of 28-54 years old
• Completed Impact of Age on Cardiovascular, Cerebrovascular and Cognitive Health study
• For Both:
• Primary language is English
• Additional Inclusion Criteria: SCI Subjects
• Level of injury between C1-T12;
• Non-ambulatory (wheelchair dependent);
• AIS grade A, B, or C;
• Injury occurred more than 1 year ago.

You may not qualify if…

• Acute illness or infection;
• Controlled or uncontrolled hypertension or Diabetes mellitus;
• Documented history of traumatic brain injury;
• Stroke
• Epilepsy or seizure disorders;
• Multiple sclerosis \& Parkinson's disease;
• Psychiatric disorders (post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder);
• Alzheimer's disease \& dementia

Where it is running

• Kessler Foundation Research Center — West Orange, New Jersey, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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