Brain scans may forecast recovery in coma patients
NCT ID NCT04692922
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study aims to develop a tool that predicts recovery in people with severe brain injury who are in a coma or minimally conscious state. Researchers will use MRI and EEG scans, along with other clinical factors, to build an algorithm. The goal is to forecast how well patients will recover 6 months after their injury. The study will enroll 50 adults at Massachusetts General Hospital.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to a tool that helps doctors predict how well a patient with severe brain injury might recover, aiding in treatment decisions.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early observational study with only 50 participants, so the algorithm may not be accurate for all patients. It does not test a treatment, so it won't directly improve outcomes.
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.
- Participants
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About 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jul 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2032
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.
Who is studied
Disorders of consciousness following acute brain injury
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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: * Acute brain injury (including ischemic stroke, intracranial hemorrhage, anoxic brain injury, traumatic brain injury, encephalitis) * Inability to follow commands, speak intelligibly, or communicate (i.e., diagnosis of coma, vegetative state, or minimally conscious state minus) due to the underlying brain injury and within 28 days of the brain injury * Age 18 or greater. Exclusion Criteria: * Subjects will be excluded if they do not speak English (given the reliance on verbal questionnaires conducted in English) or if they regain the ability to follow commands, speak intelligibly or communicate (i.e., improves to minimally conscious state plus or greater) before they undergo MRI or EEG.
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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 official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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.
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Robotic walking suit may awaken the brain after severe injury
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- Can a headband read brain activity in coma patients?
- Brain injury breakthrough: new test spots hidden awareness