Observational Study of fNIRS for Disorders of Consciousness

This study is looking at how a non-invasive brain imaging method called functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) can measure brain activity. Researchers want to see if fNIRS can detect brain responses in healthy adults and in people with disorders of consciousness (DoC), such as coma or minimally conscious state, after a severe brain injury. Many standard tests for DoC rely on a person's ability to speak or move, which can be difficult after a brain injury. This study will use fNIRS monitoring while participants are exposed to sounds or asked to do mental tasks. The goal is to see if fNIRS can help doctors better understand a person's level of awareness when they can't respond behaviorally. You may be able to join if you are 18 or older and proficient in English. For those with DoC, a surrogate decision maker must be available, and you must have been admitted to the intensive care unit within 28 days.

Study design
This is an observational study with a planned enrollment of 55 participants. It is not specified if it is randomized or blinded.
What's involved
You would undergo fNIRS monitoring while receiving sensory stimuli and performing mental tasks. This session would last approximately 20-48 minutes.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
The primary endpoint is measured during a single fNIRS recording session, so there is no specified follow-up period after this session.

AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.

NCT07485361

fNIRS for Disorders of Consciousness

Recruiting
Not specifiedAges 18+Observational
University of California, Los Angeles
~55 participants
Updated 2026-06-08 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Monitoring

At a glance

Recruiting sites
1 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Task-evoked cortical hemodynamic response measured with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)
Measured over During a single fNIRS recording session (approximately 20-48 minutes, depending on participant group)
Disorders of Consciousness Due to Severe Brain Injury
Disorders of Consciousness
Coma
Minimally Conscious State
Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome
Brain Injury
TBI Traumatic Brain Injury

NCT07485361

Where you'd take part

This study runs at 1 site. They're the same protocol — you choose where, and that choice sets who your contact draft is addressed to.

  • UCLA School of Nursing; Ronald Reagan Medical Center

    Los Angeles, Californiano site contact published

    Recruiting

Sites open and close at different times, so the status above is per site — it can differ from the study's overall status.

Lauren H Furtick, MSN, RN, PhD Candidate
Email the study team

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

Age 18 years or older
Proficient in English language
Intact cognition
Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score \> 26
Age 18 years or older
Proficient in English language
Surrogate decision maker available
Admission to the intensive care unit within 28 days
Documented Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score
Auditory Function subscale score ≥1 on the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R)

Exclusion

Known baseline hearing impairment without available hearing aids
Neurological or psychiatric history
Known baseline hearing impairment without available hearing aids
Inability to obtain informed consent
Extensive bilateral frontal injury on available imaging (CT/MRI)
Patients who have undergone craniectomy surgery
IV sedation in the past 24 hours
Absent auditory startle response (\<1 from Auditory Function subscale score of CRS-R)
  • Task-evoked cortical hemodynamic response measured with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)During a single fNIRS recording session (approximately 20-48 minutes, depending on participant group)

    Cortical hemodynamic responses measured using fNIRS, quantified as changes in oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) and deoxygenated hemoglobin (HbR) during somatosensory and cognitive task paradigms relative to rest periods.