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Multi-Centre Studies
The purpose of our ongoing Brain Canada study is to use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to gain insight into changes in the brain’s structure and function through the first year of recovery following an arterial ischemic stroke. This is a multi-centre study, with participating sites across Canada and the United States. We use state-of-the-art imaging techniques such as arterial spin labelling, multi-shell diffusion weighted images and cerebrovascular reactivity, imaging techniques that have not been previously studied in a pediatric stroke population to our knowledge. This will allow clinicians and researchers to better understand the mechanisms of injury and repair in the brain, and will allow us to better predict outcomes and develop new strategies for brain protection and rehabilitation following stroke.
Are you interested in getting involved?
We are looking for typically-developing, healthy children between the ages of 7-18 with no known metal in their bodies to take part in this study. Participants will be asked to complete two 1-hour long MRI scans on the same day. Participants will be asked to complete a task where they are required to hold their breath for 15-20 seconds at a time 8 times over the course of a scan. This scan will be repeated 3 different times. The study also involves the use of a device called the RespirACT, which simulates a breath hold. For this scan, the participant will have to wear a special mask on their face while the scan is completed. Participants will be able to sleep or watch a movie for the remainder of the scans.
All participants will receive a $100 gift card, a picture of their brain and volunteer hours if needed. Please contact Amanda Robertson at stroke.research@sickkids.ca for more details/participate.
The SPORT study compares motor function in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (CP) before and after the completion of an intensive motor learning camp held at Holland Bloorview Rehabilitation Hospital for Kids. Many children who have had a stroke in the first 28 days of life experience weakness and trouble moving one side of the body. These problems can lead to difficulties with day-to day activities. The rehabilitation therapies currently used for children with CP sometimes can’t fix these weaknesses, and there is a need for new therapies that will help us better understand the brain and improve motor function on the weak side. This study hopes to use state-of-the-art imaging techniques to understand how the brain restructures motor pathways after a stroke.
The SPORT Study began in 2018 with hospitals participating across Canada. The study aims to recruit a total of 72 participants.
The CP-NET network aims to better understand the causes of cerebral palsy (CP), as well as to improve the treatments that are available to children with CP. A powerful province-wide initiative, this network has created a registry of children and youth with CP to help understand its risks and causes, create new clinical trials for interventions, and support CP care and service across Ontario.
SILC acts as a data core for the CP-NET neuroimaging arm. Clinically-acquired neuroimaging data is sent from CP-NET sites to SILC, where it is de-identified and processed. The imaging is then scored by a neuroradiologist using a standardized form, allowing researchers from other arms of the CP-NET network to leverage the imaging data into their research findings.
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