Brain blood flow secrets revealed by breathing test
NCT ID NCT04258774
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
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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
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About 48 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2020
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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.
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.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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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.
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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
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Washington University of St. Louis
St Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States
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