Clinical trials

The goal of this feasibility clinical trial is to learn whether a two-week program involving gentle stimulation of the vagus nerve at the ear (taVNS) is practical and acceptable for healthy young adults. The study will also evaluate whether collecting information about heart rate patterns and well-being is feasible during the program. If this study is feasible and acceptable, the research team will conduct a larger study to see if taVNS alone or in combination with listening to audio instructions is helpful for individuals in terms of mental and physical health.

The purpose of this single-site pilot study is to evaluate the feasibility, usability, and technical performance of a wearable sleep-monitoring system that records electroencephalography (EEG) and delivers brief, low-volume sounds during selected stages of sleep. Approximately 30 healthy adults aged 18 to 30 years will use the system at home for up to 12 weeks, with a target of at least 15 usable nights of sleep recording. Participants will also complete smartphone-based assessments of sleep, mood, stress, device experience, and memory. The study will evaluate home-use completion, EEG signal quality, automated sleep-stage detection, delivery of auditory stimulation, participant adherence, and safety and tolerability. This pilot study is intended to refine the device and study procedures and is not designed to determine whether the system treats depression or another medical condition.

The present study aims to investigate the efficacy of an mHealth smoking cessation and HIV disease management intervention among a nationally representative sample of African America/Black (hereafter refer to as Black) persons with HIV/AIDS (PWH) who smoke cigarettes. Participants will be randomized into one of three conditions: (1) the intervention, ESCAPE (Enhancing Smoking Cessation for African American People Everywhere) + Nicotine Replacement Medications (NRT), (2) the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) quitSTART app, the standard mobile smoking cessation treatment + NRT, and (3) an assessment-only control group + NRT.

The proposed project aims to refine and test a novel biobehavioral smoking cessation intervention that integrates the strategic application of olfactory stimulation to reduce cigarette craving with an established smartphone-based smoking cessation application. The specific aims of this study are: (1) refine the design and methodology of our olfactory stimulation delivery system (OSDS) and (2) compare, in a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT), the effects of a smartphone based app for smoking cessation (Smart-T) with and without the OSDS on smoking cessation outcomes.

The objective of this study is to develop Neuro-Intermuscular Coordination Enhancement (NICE) rehabilitation, a novel neuromuscular control signal-guided strategy that visually guides stroke patients to individually activate motor modules through human-machine interaction. Ultimately, the development will lead to better clinical motor recovery, better quality of life, and lowered healthcare costs associated with the impairment.

The goal of the proposed project is to evaluate a mechanical intervention (sports bras designed specifically for full busted women) to alleviate neck, shoulder, arm, and back pain in full-busted women and investigate the contribution of non-mechanical pathways associated with this type of pain in women. Specifically, the investigators will investigate how sex-hormones, inflammation, and remapping of specific regions of the brain contribute to the manifestation of neck, shoulder, arm, and back pain in full-busted women across the lifespan.

The purpose of this study is to test various ways to help toddlers develop healthy eating and activity behaviors. Parents and toddlers, who participate in this research will be randomly assigned to either 1) continue their lifestyle behaviors for 10-weeks and then receive a health club membership for 1-month, 2) attend a health promotion playgroup together for 10 weeks, or 3) to attend an educational class for parents while toddlers are in childcare for 10-weeks. Physical measures of toddlers (height, weight, dietary intake, activity) will be collected. Parent-report surveys with questions about parenting, toddler diet, toddler temperament, food security status, demographic qualities, and satisfaction with group assignment will be collected. Last, the interactions between parents and toddlers will be observed and assessed during short play tasks via Zoom. All measures will be collected immediately upon signing up for the study (week 0), 10-weeks later (post), and 24-weeks after signing up for the study.

The purposes of this study include: 1. \- To identify whether features of aberrant intermuscular coordination patterns can be used to predict motor impairment after stroke. 2. \- To test whether muscle synergies are malleable to a non-invasive EMG-guided exercise that induces changes in intermuscular coordination of upper extremity muscles after stroke.

The present investigation aims to assess the efficacy of an innovative and novel smoking cessation intervention that integrates approach bias retraining (ABR) and standard smoking cessation treatment (ST). Participants will be randomized to either: (1) standard smoking cessation treatment and approach bias retraining (ST+ABR); (2) ST+Sham; or (3) ST-only.

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine if there is a difference in eyelid temperature after low-level light therapy (LLLT) in individuals with different amounts of skin pigmentation and dry eye/meibomian gland disease. Participants will have 3 fifteen minute in office LLLT therapy sessions over a period of approximately 7 to 14 days.

Of the 12 million children in the USA growing up bilingual, about 1 million experience Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), a disorder in language learning and use. Currently there is no guidance for speech language pathologists (SLPs) as to the language of intervention for emergent Spanish-English bilingual children with DLD. This project will examine the relationship between language proficiency and the language of intervention, considering monolingual intervention (Spanish or English) and interleaved Spanish-English intervention with the goal of improving language outcomes and thereby strengthening long-term academic achievement

Of the 12 million children in the USA growing up bilingual, about 1 million experience Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), a disorder in language learning and use. Currently there is no guidance for speech language pathologists (SLPs) as to the language of intervention for bilingual children with DLD with differing degrees of proficiency with English or Spanish. This project will examine the relationship between relative language proficiency and the language of intervention, considering monolingual intervention in English and Spanish and bilingual intervention presented by alternating English and Spanish treatment sessions with the goal of improving language outcomes and thereby strengthening long-term academic achievement.

This research study will investigate the use of smart lower limb robotic exoskeleton (developed by the CSIC, Spain) in rehabilitation after stroke. It will compare robotic-assisted rehabilitation with supervised motor practice. Additionally, it will also examine the use of noninvasive scalp electroencephalography (EEG) to learn specific brain wave patterns associated with learning to walk on the powered lower limb exoskeleton. The findings will be used to understand human-robot interaction and to design smart orthotic devices that can be controlled by thought activity and assist those that have lost all or part of their walking abilities.

The specific aims of the project are to develop and test a mobile application for smoking cessation for Hispanic individuals who smoke called Impacto.

The purpose of this study is to develop and examine a culturally adapted, mobile health application for the Android and iOS platform. The application uses a personalized feedback intervention (PFI) designed to enhance knowledge regarding adverse anxiety-alcohol interrelations, increase motivation and intention to reduce hazardous drinking, and reduce positive attitudes and intention regarding anxiety-related alcohol use among Black hazardous drinkers with clinical anxiety.