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Cerebral Oxygen Metabolism in Children

NCT04157179 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 350

Last updated 2025-09-11

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The purpose of this research study is to better understand how blood flow and metabolism change can influence brain development in the early decades of life.

We will examine brain blood flow and metabolism using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The brain's blood vessels expand and constrict to regulate blood flow based on the brain's needs. The amount of expanding and contracting the blood vessels can do varies by age. The brain's blood flow changes in small ways during everyday activities, such as normal brain growth, exercise, or deep concentration. Significant illness or psychological stress may increase the brain's metabolic demand or cause other bigger changes in blood flow. If blood vessels are not able to expand to give more blood flow when metabolic demand is high, the brain may not get all of the oxygen it needs. In extreme circumstances, if the brain is unable to get enough oxygen for a long time, a stroke may occur. Sometimes small strokes occur without other noticeable changes and are only detectable on an MRI. These are sometimes called "silent strokes." In less extreme circumstances, not having as much oxygen as it wants may cause the brain to grow and develop more slowly than it should.

One way to test the ability of blood vessels to expand is by measuring blood flow while breathing in carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide causes blood vessels in the brain to dilate without increasing brain metabolism.

During this study participants may be asked to undergo a blood draw, MRI, and potential neuropsychological assessments. It is also possible that the study team will use a special mask to control the amount of carbon dioxide the participants breathe in so they don't breathe in too much.

Conditions

Interventions

OTHER

Carbon Dioxide

Participants inhale carbon dioxide while in magnetic resonance imaging scan to measure cerebrovascular reactivity

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Washington University School of Medicine

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
3 Years
Max Age
50 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2019-10-17
Primary Completion
2027-12-31
Completion
2027-12-31

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT04157179 on ClinicalTrials.gov