Brain blood flow secrets revealed by breathing test

NCT ID NCT04258774

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only This study
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study uses MRI scans to see how the brain's blood vessels react when people breathe in extra carbon dioxide. Researchers want to compare healthy adults and those with brain blood vessel diseases. The goal is to learn more about brain blood flow and oxygen use, which could help understand conditions that affect brain health.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Carbon dioxide (inhaled)
What this could lead to
If successful, this could help doctors better understand how brain blood vessels work in health and disease, potentially guiding future treatments.
What could go wrong
This is an early observational study with only 48 participants. It is not testing a treatment, so direct patient benefits are not expected.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 48 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Jan 2020

Expected to finish

Dec 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Healthy adult subjects (\>18 years old) OR adult patients (\>18 years old) diagnosed with vascular pathology of the brain willing to participate and sign a consent form. 2. Able to participate in MRI scan without sedation 3. Not on stimulant medications 4. No psychiatric history, as defined by seeing a psychiatrist for medical evaluation and treatment, or taking anti-depressant medications 5. No seizure history 6. May have occasional headaches if not taking a daily preventative medication for headaches 7. Not on vasodilatory medication, such as sildenafil or verapamil Exclusion Criteria: 1. Subjects refusing to undergo testing 2. Subjects with obstructive or resistive lung disease whose PaCO2 at rest is greater than 50mmHg or whose venous serum bicarbonate is greater than 26 mEq/L 3. Subjects with pre-existing respiratory or metabolic acidosis 4. Subjects who require portable oxygen at rest or with exercise 5. Subjects with chronic heart failure or severe pulmonary disease who are unable to climb one flight of stairs due to shortness of breath 6. Subjects with severe heart failure or restrictive lung disease with resting respiratory rate over 15 breaths/min 2. Patients that cannot participate in a course of rehabilitation therapy. 7. Subjects that cannot undergo an MRI scan due to one of the following indications: * Pregnancy * Obtundation, or Coma * Confusion, Delirium, or Dementia * Unable to understand or carry out commands regarding keeping still and breathing pattern * Increased intracranial pressure due to space occupying lesion or obstruction of outflow of CSF * Claustrophobia * History of kidney problems * Pace makers * Skin tattoos * Neurostimulators (TENS-unit) * Implanted drug infusion device (i.e., insulin pump) * Exposure of metal fragments to your eye * Artificial heart valves * Aneurysm clips * Cochlear implants * Metallic implants and prosthesis * Vascular stent or stent graft * History as a metal worker * Shrapnel or bullet wounds * Dorsal column stimulators

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

brain hypoxia - ischemia Hypercapnia Hyperoxia Hypocapnia Hypoxia, Brain

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Washington University of St. Louis

    St Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States

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