NCT06245434

Brief Summary

Acute brain injury is a major cause of admission to intensive care units, as well as of mortality and morbidity, worldwide and for all age groups. With most patients surviving these injuries thanks to recent medical advances, society is facing not only the growing burden of disability, but above all the ethical issues involved in withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies (WSLT). To resolve this dilemma, effective treatment would be necessary, but this is hampered by our limited knowledge of the pathophysiological mechanisms of the natural history of coma, from onset to recovery. A more systematic description of coma awakening using a multimodal battery in intensive care unit patients would enable us to refine the awakening and re-emergence of consciousness and define appropriate biomarkers for selecting candidates in interventional studies. The investigators hypothesize that the current postulate of successive stages (i.e. from one clinical class to the next) of coma recovery is incomplete, as it does not take into account the rhythmic nature of wakefulness. The investigators propose that the best correlate of the natural history of coma recovery is a gradual shift from the loss of physiological cycles to a circadian rhythmicity of arousal indices (behavioural and neurophysiological) and a wide amplitude of metric fluctuations in assessing content richness.

Trial Health

77
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
90

participants targeted

Target at P50-P75 for not_applicable

Timeline
32mo left

Started Dec 2024

Longer than P75 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress36%
Dec 2024Dec 2028

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

January 30, 2024

Completed
8 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

February 7, 2024

Completed
10 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

December 2, 2024

Completed
4 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

December 2, 2028

Expected
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

December 2, 2028

Last Updated

February 6, 2026

Status Verified

February 1, 2026

Enrollment Period

4 years

First QC Date

January 30, 2024

Last Update Submit

February 4, 2026

Conditions

Keywords

Circadian rhythmsConsciousnessWakefulnessBiomarkersMonoamines

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Consciousness outcome

    Coma Recovery Scale - revised used to define 4 possible consciousness outcomes (the best observed before death if the patient died at the date of assessment): * Coma * Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome * Minimally Conscious State * Exit-Minimally Conscious State (conscious patient)

    2, 3, 4,6 months post injury

Secondary Outcomes (3)

  • Functional outcome

    GOS: 2, 3, 4,6 months post injury GOSE: 6 months post injury

  • Cognitive outcome

    6 months post injury

  • Quality of life outcome SF-36 scale

    6 months post injury

Study Arms (3)

Main group with acute brain injury and initial Disorders of consciousness

EXPERIMENTAL

50 patients in the initial phase of acute brain injury with disturbed consciousness, hospitalized in the Neurological Intensive Care Unit and at risk of delayed awakening

Behavioral: Repeated behavioural assessmentBehavioral: Act-Pass paradigmBehavioral: Biological measures of circadian and monoamines biomarkersBehavioral: Transcriptomic and genomic analysisBehavioral: Polysomnography with concomitant environment recordingBehavioral: ActimetryBehavioral: Morphological MRIBehavioral: Assessment of correlation between patients' behaviour and neurophysiological markers of consciousness.

Comparative group with acute brain injury without Disorders of consciousness

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

20 patients in the initial phase of brain damage WITHOUT disturbance of consciousness, hospitalized in the Neurological Intensive Care Unit and presenting similar causes of brain damage.

Behavioral: Repeated behavioural assessmentBehavioral: Act-Pass paradigmBehavioral: Biological measures of circadian and monoamines biomarkersBehavioral: Transcriptomic and genomic analysisBehavioral: Polysomnography with concomitant environment recordingBehavioral: ActimetryBehavioral: Morphological MRIBehavioral: Assessment of correlation between patients' behaviour and neurophysiological markers of consciousness.

Comparative group with post-acute Disorders of consciousness

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

20 patients in the sub-acute or chronic phase of a consciousness disorder and admitted to the Post-Resuscitation Rehabilitation Service.

Behavioral: Repeated behavioural assessmentBehavioral: Act-Pass paradigmBehavioral: Biological measures of circadian and monoamines biomarkersBehavioral: Transcriptomic and genomic analysisBehavioral: Polysomnography with concomitant environment recordingBehavioral: ActimetryBehavioral: Morphological MRIBehavioral: Assessment of correlation between patients' behaviour and neurophysiological markers of consciousness.

Interventions

Video recording of spontaneous patients' movements in the bed and synchronized during 2h with high-density EEG.

Comparative group with acute brain injury without Disorders of consciousnessComparative group with post-acute Disorders of consciousnessMain group with acute brain injury and initial Disorders of consciousness

One CRS-R per visit * 4 SECONDs * Eye tracking during every clinical assessment * Recording every 2-4h of the Glasgow Coma Score * Recording every 2h of the temperature and pupillometer reactivity to light

Comparative group with acute brain injury without Disorders of consciousnessComparative group with post-acute Disorders of consciousnessMain group with acute brain injury and initial Disorders of consciousness

Before and after sedation withdrawal Assessment of infra-clinical response to an active paradigm (attention focalisation or diversion).

Comparative group with acute brain injury without Disorders of consciousnessComparative group with post-acute Disorders of consciousnessMain group with acute brain injury and initial Disorders of consciousness

Definition of the peripheral cellular clock by 2 transcriptomic measures Constitution of a genomic biobank to analyse the cofounding factors for circadian disruption and differential clinical recovery

Comparative group with acute brain injury without Disorders of consciousnessComparative group with post-acute Disorders of consciousnessMain group with acute brain injury and initial Disorders of consciousness

One 48h polysomnography for the first visit \+ 3\* 24h polysomnography for each visit Synchronised recordings of light, sound, activity in patients' rooms

Comparative group with acute brain injury without Disorders of consciousnessComparative group with post-acute Disorders of consciousnessMain group with acute brain injury and initial Disorders of consciousness
ActimetryBEHAVIORAL

Continuous recording of movements at the wrist during 7 days after sedation withdrawal

Comparative group with acute brain injury without Disorders of consciousnessComparative group with post-acute Disorders of consciousnessMain group with acute brain injury and initial Disorders of consciousness

Precise description of brain lesion by a 3T MRI within the 1st week after sedation withdrawal

Comparative group with acute brain injury without Disorders of consciousnessComparative group with post-acute Disorders of consciousnessMain group with acute brain injury and initial Disorders of consciousness

Systematic urinary sampling every 2 hours for melatonin, cortisol and monoamines metabolites

Comparative group with acute brain injury without Disorders of consciousnessComparative group with post-acute Disorders of consciousnessMain group with acute brain injury and initial Disorders of consciousness

Eligibility Criteria

Age17 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsChild (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Group 1
  • Admission to the Neurological Intensive Care Unit
  • Initial disorder of consciousness (GCS \< 8) or initial brain lesion (on CT or MRI) requiring intubation and sedation during management (for upper airway protection or due to coma)
  • Intubated patient under mechanical ventilation wwith no response to simple commands
  • Severity of clinical or morphological impairment leading to risk of persistent disturbance of consciousness
  • Sedation discontinued or able to be discontinued within 3 month of initial management of the disorder of consciousness or brain injury
  • Effective treatment of the cause of admission without risk of short-term recurrence
  • Patient aged 17 or over
  • Presence of relatives able to sign consent or of the minor's legal representative
  • Group 2
  • Admission to the Neurological Intensive Care Unit or the Neurological Continuing Care Unit
  • Absence of severe disorder of consciousness but possibility of minimal alteration of the initial Glasgow score (GCS between 9 and 15) with no time limit, with a stratification of three consecutive patient populations distinguished by the initial neurological alteration:
  • GCS = 15
  • GCS \< 15 by predominance of an initial defect in responses to simple or complex commands obtained by motor or verbal means, without abnormality of arousal (E score = 4 but M score \< 6 and/or V score \< 5)
  • GCS \< 15 with predominant initial somnolence, with or without abnormal motor or verbal responses to simple or complex commands (E score = 2 or 3 but M score = 6 and/or V score = 5).
  • +15 more criteria

You may not qualify if:

  • Group 1
  • Subjects with a contraindication to MRI scans
  • Admission for status epilepticus
  • Post-anoxic coma with bilateral abolition of N20 PES cortical responses
  • Coma related to a potentially recurrent cause of coma (tumours, infectious diseases with risk of relapse and inflammatory diseases)
  • Moribund patient (life expectancy \< 24h) or in WLST (no assessment possible of the dynamics of ongoing awakening)
  • Haemodynamic or respiratory instability incompatible with a prolonged attempt to stop sedation (except in the case of scheduled surgery outside the visit dates)
  • Patients under guardianship, curatorship or safeguard of justice
  • Patients not affiliated to the French health insurance system
  • Pregnant women or women of childbearing age without proof of the absence of a current pregnancy
  • Group 2
  • Subjects with a contraindication to MRI scans
  • Epileptic seizures on admission or during the stay
  • Single seizure: if no rapid return to consciousness (GCS \< 8 for \> 12 hours)
  • \> 2 distinct epileptic seizures regardless of the duration of loss of consciousness
  • +18 more criteria

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Service de Réanimation Polyvalente Neurologique Hôpital Neurologique Pierre Wertheimer

Bron, Lyon, 69500, France

RECRUITING

Study Officials

  • GOBERT FLORENT, M.D. Ph.D.

    Hospices Civils de Lyon

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

GOBERT FLORENT, M.D. Ph.D.

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
NON RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Purpose
BASIC SCIENCE
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

January 30, 2024

First Posted

February 7, 2024

Study Start

December 2, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 2, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 2, 2028

Last Updated

February 6, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Locations