Research Study Volunteers Needed

We are looking for volunteers to participate in the following research studies. We compensate for your time spent helping us understand these diseases affecting the human brain.

Neuroimaging Study #1:

We are currently looking for participants to undergo MRI, EEG and neuropsychological studies to help us understand how seizures can develop after brain trauma. The goal of this project is to study how posttraumatic epilepsy (PTE) develops after brain injury. A unique feature of PTE is that seizure begins in a delayed fashion after traumatic brain injury (TBI). There have not been any identified biomarkers that can reliably predict the development of PTE after TBI. This is partly due to the fact that the mechanism of how PTE develops is not well understood, which makes the prevention and treatment of PTE challenging. In this study, we proposed to compare these metrics obtained from MRI studies between participants, who suffered from TBI, those affected by PTE and those who have no neurological diseases. We hope this study will improve our understanding of TBI and PTE and help prevent the development of PTE among victims of TBI. If you have suffered traumatic brain injuries in the past 6 months or have experienced seizures after brain trauma, please contact Dr. Hai Sun at hai.sun@rutgers.edu to find out whether you can be enrolled in this study. Your time spent in data acquisition will be compensated. This study is funded by the United States Department of Defense.

Neuroimaging Study #2:

We are currently looking for participants to under MRI and fNIRS and neuropsychological studies to help us understand traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Both TBI and PTSD are common in the general population. Individuals affected by either of these two conditions can have both neurological and psychological symptoms. Some individuals can suffer from a traumatic event that will lead to both TBI and PTSD. Individuals with both TBI and PTSD are usually not diagnosed in a timely fashion so the treatment for these conditions is often delayed. We think neuroimaging techniques such as MRI and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) can help diagnose these conditions more timely and with better accuracy. In this study, we plan to acquire MRI and fNIRS images from patients with TBI, those with PTSD, those with both TBI and PTSD, and healthy control. We hope this study will improve our ability to diagnose these conditions with better accuracy and in a timely fashion so that patients can receive appropriate treatments in a timely fashion. If you have suffered traumatic brain injuries and/or have been diagnosed with PTSD, please contact Dr. Hai Sun at hai.sun@rutgers.edu to find out whether you can be enrolled in this study. Your time spent in data acquisition will be compensated.