Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Which projects need volunteers? | Institut Guttmann

Which projects need volunteers?

What is the purpose of the study?

In this project we are investigating new devices to optimise the rehabilitation process: we want to develop a new generation of wearable and easy-to-wear devices that monitor movement during rehabilitation and also on a day-to-day basis.

Who can take part?

People who have suffered a spinal cord injury, acquired brain injury or some other disease of neurological origin, and who have functional problems, particularly in the movement of arms and hands.

Study duration

Volunteers are asked to take part in a specified number of sessions lasting one hour each.

What is the purpose of the study?

The aim of the study is to investigate the safety, feasibility and usability of this device in patients with spinal cord injury.

Who can take part?

People with a spinal cord injury, during their hospitalisation at the Institut Guttmann or once they are discharged.

Study duration

You are required to complete 12 sessions in a training programme lasting between 4 and 6 weeks.

What is the purpose of the study?

The study aims to validate a platform of modular stimulation and robotic technologies that allow customisation and adaptation to the specific functional requirements of each user to assist them in walking.

Who can take part?

People who have suffered a stroke and have been admitted for treatment and rehabilitation at the Institut Guttmann.

Study duration

Volunteers are requested to complete a certain number of sessions lasting a maximum of one hour each.

What is the purpose of the study?

The aim of the study is to investigate sleep problems related to respiratory distress in patients with spinal cord injury.

Who can take part?

People who have suffered a spinal cord injury at the cervical or thoracic level and are susceptible to respiratory disorders and sleep disorders, and who are currently admitted to the Institut Guttmann.

Study duration

The study consists of a full night of monitoring.

What is the purpose of the study?

The study aims to assess whether a pre-rehabilitation programme before surgery, combining non-invasive brain stimulation techniques and intensive training, can lead to a change in the representation of motor or language function to reduce the risk of motor or post-surgical cognitive deficits.

Who can take part?

In this project we study people who have been diagnosed with a brain tumour and are awaiting brain surgery for their surgical treatment.

Study duration

The pre-rehabilitation project requires participation in several sessions and techniques: rehabilitation combined with different technologies for several weeks, the application of non-invasive brain stimulation procedures, and the study of functional activation during tasks, among others.

What is the purpose of the study?

The purpose of the trial is to test whether antibody therapy can improve movement and quality of life for tetraplegia patients.

Who can take part?

People between the ages of 18 and 70, with a traumatic spinal cord injury to the neck that occurred within the past 4-28 days.

Study duration

The study lasts 6 months.

What is the purpose of the study?

The aim of the study is to investigate the effects of transcutaneous electrical stimulation applied at the cervical level for the improvement/recovery of function in the arms.

Who can take part?

People who have suffered a cervical spinal cord injury and are undergoing treatment at the Institut Guttmann.

Study duration

Participants are asked to complete a specified number of electrical stimulation and rehabilitation sessions lasting a maximum of one hour over a period of approximately 6 weeks.

What is the purpose of the study?

The objective of the study is to evaluate whether the cellular drug we are investigating is safe and effective in patients with a cervical spinal cord injury.

Who can take part?

People of legal age with a spinal cord injury of traumatic aetiology, with between 1 and 5 years of evolution.

Study duration

The treatment consists of administering two doses of expanded umbilical cord mesenchymal cells by means of a lumbar puncture in the lower part of the back (one puncture at the beginning of the study and the second at three months). Assessments will also be made before treatment is received and throughout the study, with follow-up for 12 months. Patients will be randomly included in either the treatment group or in the control group administered a placebo.

What is the purpose of the study?

The BBHI is a research project aimed at knowing and understanding how we can maintain our brain’s health by studying the mechanisms that regulate neural plasticity throughout our lives.

Who can take part?

People between 40 and 65 years old, with no diagnosis of neuropsychological or psychiatric disease.

Study duration

To take part, all volunteers are asked to fill out questionnaires on the website. These questionnaires will be administered regularly until the end of the project. In addition, if you accept and meet certain criteria determined by the researchers, you can also be part of the assessment and intervention group in the other phases of the project.

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What is the purpose of the study?

The study consists of the application of a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that modulates the spontaneous activity of the cerebral cortex, which could enhance the effect of cognitive training.

Who can take part?

Patients of the Institut Guttmann who present a cognitive deficit as a consequence of a traumatic brain injury and who are going to undergo a computer-assisted cognitive training treatment.

Study duration

Participants are asked to pass different assessments before and after the interventions, with follow-up at six months, and to carry out the cognitive telerehabilitation sessions scheduled over 12 weeks, three sessions per week, with the application of the TRNS during the sessions depending on the assigned group.

What is the purpose of the study?

The aim of the study is to determine whether transcranial magnetic stimulation associated with physical therapy can increase the effect of gait rehabilitation in multiple sclerosis with gait disturbance.

Who can take part?

Patients of the Institut Guttmann suffering from multiple sclerosis with gait disturbance.

Study duration

The application of the transcranial magnetic stimulation technique lasts about twenty minutes, and immediately afterwards there will be a one-hour session of gait physiotherapy, daily from Monday to Friday, for three weeks. A series of clinical examinations, a gait analysis and an MRI will also be performed before and after these three weeks to assess any changes that may occur.

What is the purpose of the study?

The aim of the study is to determine whether transcranial magnetic stimulation associated with physical therapy can increase the effect of gait rehabilitation in multiple sclerosis with gait disturbance.

Who can take part?

Patients of the Institut Guttmann suffering from multiple sclerosis with gait disturbance.

Study duration

The application of the transcranial magnetic stimulation technique lasts about twenty minutes, and immediately afterwards there will be a one-hour session of gait physiotherapy, daily from Monday to Friday, for three weeks. A series of clinical examinations, a gait analysis and an MRI will also be performed before and after these three weeks to assess any changes that may occur.

What is the purpose of the study?

The aim of the study is to know and understand how to promote the participation of people with disabilities in society, with the aim of transforming society so that it is fully inclusive.

Who can take part?

People of legal age who have a disability and live in Spain or Andorra can take part, as well as individuals providing support who register and answer the questions on behalf of a person with a disability.

Study duration

Participation in the study is exclusively virtual, accessing the community, freely participating in discussion forums, accessing resources and responding to questionnaires and surveys that will be sent. There will be a maximum of one questionnaire to be answered per month, with an estimated response time of no more than 10 minutes.

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What is the purpose of the study?

The aim of the study is to demonstrate evidence from community occupational therapy intervention in mental health in people with an acquired brain injury, and its impact on quality of life.

Who can take part?

People who have suffered an acquired brain injury and are in a situation in which their mental health is affected, either by a mental disorder before or after the brain injury or by physical, cognitive and/or emotional reasons derived from the situation after the brain injury; and that they participate in a programme of home occupational therapy sessions developed by the Institut Guttmann.

Study duration

These individual sessions will be held at the person’s home or habitual residence twice or three times a week, lasting approximately one hour.

What is the purpose of the study?

The aim of the study is to assess the impact of physical activity on different psychological, social and functional aspects of people with a spinal cord injury living in the community.

Who can take part?

People with a spinal cord injury who are of legal age and living in the community, with more than a year of evolution of the injury, can take part.

Study duration

Participation in the study consists of completing a set of scales and questionnaires. People are asked to participate in a face-to-face interview lasting about 30 minutes.

Clinical studies and trials

What is the purpose of the study?

The project wishes to analyse whether there are difficulties and risk factors that make people abandon intermittent urinary catheterisation treatment after it is indicated.

Who can take part?

Patients of the Institut Guttmann who are of legal age and have been indicated intermittent urinary catheterisation for the first time.

Study duration

Participation will consist of answering several telephone surveys during the year after the start of treatment.

What is the purpose of the study?

The study wishes to investigate the neurological, musculoskeletal and respiratory sequelae of Covid-19, and obtain data that will help improve protocols for the assessment and identification of these sequelae to optimise rehabilitation programmes.

Who can take part?

In this study we assess people with respiratory and/or neurological and/or musculoskeletal sequelae of Covid-19 who are part of the Institut Guttman’s post-Covid19 rehabilitation programme.

Study duration

Different assessments and questionnaires will be used at the beginning of the rehabilitation programme, and after 4 and 8 weeks of therapy in our centre. Relevant clinical and complementary examination data will also be collected during the acute phase of Covid-19.

What is the purpose of the study?

The study deals with aspects related to pregnancy and maternity in women with a previously established spinal cord injury, in order to improve specialised care focused on the real needs of these women and to be able to prevent and treat possible complications associated with pregnancy.

Who can take part?

Women with a spinal cord injury attending a review or consultation at the Institut Guttmann, who have had a full-term pregnancy in the last 10 years with the injury already established.

Study duration

Participants will be asked to complete a questionnaire to collect the control variables and there will be a semi-structured interview of between 40 and 120 minutes in person at the Institut Guttmann.

What is the purpose of the study?

This clinical trial aims to assess the Canoxidin® food supplement as a preventive measure of encrustation in urinary catheters in long-term carrier patients.

Who can take part?

Patients of legal age with one of these catheters fitted who come to the neuro-urology consultation of the Institut Guttmann for regular replacement, and who do not present any swallowing problems.

Study duration

Samples will be taken for one month, and the initial visit and a final visit will have to be made 30 days later, coinciding with the replacement of the catheter.

What is the purpose of the study?

The aim of this clinical trial is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of daily treatment for 90 days with NFX-88, as well as its efficacy, compared to a placebo.

Who can take part?

People with a diagnosis of traumatic spinal cord injury with neuropathic pain admitted to the Institut Guttmann will be recruited.

Study duration

The trial wishes to evaluate the safety and tolerability of the drug, as well as its efficacy in daily treatment for 90 days. There will be a selection phase of the participants, which will last a maximum of seven days, and if the inclusion criteria are met, a treatment will be assigned. During this 90-day period, there will be three visits to the hospital on days 30, 60 and 90.

What is the purpose of the study?

The aim of the project is for the nursing area to carry out educational intervention with patients with intermittent catheterisation to favour adherence to this treatment and avoid abandonment.

Who can take part?

The study is aimed at patients with spinal cord injury admitted to the Institut Guttmann and with intermittent catheterisation.

Study duration

There will be an educational intervention before hospital discharge, and a telephone follow-up once at home after discharge.

What is the purpose of the study?

The study consists of finding out more about the experience of users who try the new Lofric Elle female catheter and administering a satisfaction test.

Who can take part?

Women admitted to the Institut Guttmann or outpatient patients for whom intermittent catheterisation has been prescribed as therapy.

Study duration

Healthcare professionals will deliver the catheter experience survey directly during the clinic, and it has to be completed.