Bilateral Vestibular Hypofunction

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4 Bilateral Vestibular Hypofunction Trials Near You

Power is an online platform that helps thousands of Bilateral Vestibular Hypofunction patients discover FDA-reviewed trials every day. Every trial we feature meets safety and ethical standards, giving patients an easy way to discover promising new treatments in the research stage.

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No Placebo
Highly Paid
Stay on Current Meds
Pivotal Trials (Near Approval)
Breakthrough Medication
This trial tests a surgically implanted device that sends electrical signals to the balance nerve in older adults with severe balance issues. The device aims to restore natural balance reflexes by mimicking the functions of the damaged inner ear. The vestibular implant is a hybrid system based on a modified cochlear implant designed to restore balance by delivering motion information to the central nervous system using electrical stimulation.
No Placebo Group

Trial Details

Trial Status:Recruiting
Trial Phase:Unphased
Age:65 - 90

15 Participants Needed

Although cochlear implants can restore hearing to individuals who have lost cochlear hair cell function, there is no widely available, adequately effective treatment for individuals suffering chronic imbalance, postural instability and unsteady vision due to bilateral vestibular hypofunction. Prior research focused on ototoxic cases has demonstrated that electrical stimulation of the vestibular nerve via a chronically implanted multichannel vestibular implant can partially restore vestibular reflexes that normally maintain steady posture and vision; improve performance on objective measures of postural stability and gait; and improve patient-reported disability and health-related quality of life. This single-arm open-label study extends that research to evaluate outcomes for up to 8 individuals with non-ototoxic bilateral vestibular hypofunction, yielding a total of fifteen adults (age 22-90 years at time of enrollment) divided as equally as possible between ototoxic and non-ototoxic cases.
No Placebo Group

Trial Details

Trial Status:Recruiting
Trial Phase:Unphased
Age:22 - 90

8 Participants Needed

Although cochlear implants can restore hearing to individuals who have lost cochlear hair cell function, there is no adequately effective treatment for individuals suffering chronic imbalance, postural instability and unsteady vision due to loss of vestibular hair cell function. Preclinical studies have demonstrated that electrical stimulation of the vestibular nerve via a chronically implanted multichannel vestibular prosthesis can partially restore vestibular reflexes that maintain steady posture and vision. This pilot clinical feasibility study of a multichannel vestibular implant system will evaluate this approach in up to ten human subjects with bilateral vestibular deficiency due to gentamicin ototoxicity or other causes of inner ear dysfunction.
No Placebo Group

Trial Details

Trial Status:Active Not Recruiting
Trial Phase:Unphased
Age:22 - 90

30 Participants Needed

Bilateral vestibular hypofunction affects more than 64,000 adults in the US and leads to a substantial decline in quality of life. Bilateral vestibular hypofunction (BVH) is a condition characterized by a bilateral impairment of vestibular sensory function2. BVH often occurs without a known cause but can result from a viral infection, exposure to ototoxic drugs, vestibulo-cochlear nerve tumors, Meningitis, or Meniere's disease2. The results of a nationally representative survey estimate that between 64,000 and 193,000 adults in the US (28 to 85 per 100,000) are affected2. However, due to a lack of standardized vestibular screenings in older adult populations, the true prevalence of BVH is likely underestimated. Aging is also capable of producing a bilateral reduction in vestibular function, yielding a sub-type of BVH labeled as "Presbyvestibulopathy". In fact, more than 50% of adults over the age of 65 show evidence of vestibular impairment3 and recent data suggest that age-related vestibular declines may begin as early as age 403. The symptoms of BVH - oscillopsia (bouncing vision whilst the head is moved), imbalance, gait instability, and dizziness - manifest secondary to an insensitivity of the vestibular system to self-motion cues (i.e., rotation, translation, or tilting of the head). Relative to unilateral vestibular lesions, the symptoms of BVH lead to greater perceived disability and a worsened health-related quality of life4; the economic burden of BVH has been estimated to be $13,019 per patient, nearly 4-times the burden of unilateral vestibular disease4. Adding to the economic and health-related burden is the substantial increase in fall risk; Ward, et al. (2015) showed that patients with BVH display an age-adjusted fall risk that is 9.9x higher than patients without a diagnosis of BVH but who report imbalance/dizziness, and 31x higher than the asymptomatic general population2; Sun, et al. (2015) reported that patients with BVH experience an average of 19 falls per year and Herdman and colleagues showed that over half of patients with BVH aged 65-74 reported a history of falls5. Given the substantial burden of BVH, the identification of new approaches for improving the functional status of these individuals is critically important. To meet this need, we propose to investigate the use of subthreshold vestibular stimulation as a novel strategy for improving vestibular function in patients with bilateral vestibular dysfunction. The nervous system responds to changes in external or internal conditions by altering the behavior of neurons through multiple forms of neural plasticity. A specific form of plasticity, "homeostatic plasticity", stabilizes neural activity by driving the excitability of neurons toward a "set-point" level of activity6. Over the last six years, new data have come to light showing that the vestibular system also possess a robust capacity to modulate sensitivity to self-motion cues in response to prolonged periods of motion. Dietrich and Straka showed direct evidence of a bidirectional modulation of neuronal firing rates in the oculomotor neurons of Xenopus laevis (i.e., via the lateral canal driven aVOR) following subthreshold and suprathreshold yaw rotations7. In a sample of healthy adults, Fitzpatrick and Watson (2015) showed a 248% decrease in perceptual sensitivity and a 50% decrease in the sensitivity of the descending vestibular pathways (elicited by galvanic vestibular stimulation) following a single ten-minute period of large amplitude (suprathreshold) rotations8. Recently, Keywan and colleagues found that the sensitivity to interaural (IA) translation cues was increased 28.8% immediately following a 20-minute block of low-amplitude (subthreshold) translations9; a follow up study using the same subthreshold IA translation stimulus yielded an average improvement in sensitivity (i.e., reduction in self-motion perceptual thresholds) of 39%10. Collectively, these results demonstrate a capacity to use motion perturbations (i.e., low, or high levels of vestibular stimulation) to dynamically adjust the sensitivity of the vestibular system on both the single neuron and behavioral levels. The ability to use subthreshold motion stimuli to drive plasticity in the vestibular system motivates this study. We aim to determine if the delivery of a subthreshold motion stimulus before balance training leads to greater improvements in postural control for individuals with bilateral vestibular hypofunction.

Trial Details

Trial Status:Not Yet Recruiting
Trial Phase:Unphased
Age:19 - 89

30 Participants Needed

Why Other Patients Applied

"I changed my diet in 2020 and I’ve lost 95 pounds from my highest weight (283). I am 5’3”, female, and now 188. I still have a 33 BMI. I've been doing research on alternative approaches to continue my progress, which brought me here to consider clinical trials."

WR
Obesity PatientAge: 58

"I've tried several different SSRIs over the past 23 years with no luck. Some of these new treatments seem interesting... haven't tried anything like them before. I really hope that one could work."

ZS
Depression PatientAge: 51

"I've been struggling with ADHD and anxiety since I was 9 years old. I'm currently 30. I really don't like how numb the medications make me feel. And especially now, that I've lost my grandma and my aunt 8 days apart, my anxiety has been even worse. So I'm trying to find something new."

FF
ADHD PatientAge: 31

"I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer three months ago, metastatic to my liver, and I have been receiving and responding well to chemotherapy. My blood work revealed that my tumor markers have gone from 2600 in the beginning to 173 as of now, even with the delay in treatment, they are not going up. CT Scans reveal they have been shrinking as well. However, chemo is seriously deteriorating my body. I have 4 more treatments to go in this 12 treatment cycle. I am just interested in learning about my other options, if any are available to me."

ID
Pancreatic Cancer PatientAge: 40

"I have dealt with voice and vocal fold issues related to paralysis for over 12 years. This problem has negatively impacted virtually every facet of my life. I am an otherwise healthy 48 year old married father of 3 living. My youngest daughter is 12 and has never heard my real voice. I am now having breathing issues related to the paralysis as well as trouble swallowing some liquids. In my research I have seen some recent trials focused on helping people like me."

AG
Paralysis PatientAge: 50

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Bilateral Vestibular Hypofunction clinical trials pay?

Each trial will compensate patients a different amount, but $50-100 for each visit is a fairly common range for Phase 2–4 trials (Phase 1 trials often pay substantially more). Further, most trials will cover the costs of a travel to-and-from the clinic.

How do Bilateral Vestibular Hypofunction clinical trials work?

After a researcher reviews your profile, they may choose to invite you in to a screening appointment, where they'll determine if you meet 100% of the eligibility requirements. If you do, you'll be sorted into one of the treatment groups, and receive your study drug. For some trials, there is a chance you'll receive a placebo. Across Bilateral Vestibular Hypofunction trials 30% of clinical trials have a placebo. Typically, you'll be required to check-in with the clinic every month or so. The average trial length for Bilateral Vestibular Hypofunction is 12 months.

How do I participate in a study as a "healthy volunteer"?

Not all studies recruit healthy volunteers: usually, Phase 1 studies do. Participating as a healthy volunteer means you will go to a research facility several times over a few days or weeks to receive a dose of either the test treatment or a "placebo," which is a harmless substance that helps researchers compare results. You will have routine tests during these visits, and you'll be compensated for your time and travel, with the number of appointments and details varying by study.

What does the "phase" of a clinical trial mean?

The phase of a trial reveals what stage the drug is in to get approval for a specific condition. Phase 1 trials are the trials to collect safety data in humans. Phase 2 trials are those where the drug has some data showing safety in humans, but where further human data is needed on drug effectiveness. Phase 3 trials are in the final step before approval. The drug already has data showing both safety and effectiveness. As a general rule, Phase 3 trials are more promising than Phase 2, and Phase 2 trials are more promising than phase 1.

Do I need to be insured to participate in a Bilateral Vestibular Hypofunction medical study?

Clinical trials are almost always free to participants, and so do not require insurance. The only exception here are trials focused on cancer, because only a small part of the typical treatment plan is actually experimental. For these cancer trials, participants typically need insurance to cover all the non-experimental components.

What are the newest Bilateral Vestibular Hypofunction clinical trials?

Most recently, we added Vestibular Stimulation for Vestibular Hypofunction, Vestibular Implant for Age-Related Hearing Loss and Vestibular Implant for Bilateral Vestibulopathy to the Power online platform.

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