Coronary and Cerebral Microvascular Dysfunction in Neurological Diseases

Launched by UNIVERSITY MEDICINE GREIFSWALD · Jun 3, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking into how small blood vessels in the heart and brain may be affected in people experiencing certain neurological events, like a first-time stroke, a first-time seizure, or transient global amnesia (a temporary loss of memory). The researchers want to see if patients with these acute neurological conditions have poorer blood flow in their brain and heart compared to healthy individuals. They will also examine the overall health of the brain and heart through tests and questionnaires about lifestyle and emotional well-being. This study aims to gather initial findings that could lead to larger trials focused on improving health outcomes for these patients.

To participate, individuals must be at least 45 years old and have been admitted to the hospital for one of the specified neurological events. They should be able to provide informed consent, meaning they understand what the study involves. However, those with a history of strokes, seizures, or certain serious medical conditions, as well as those who cannot undergo MRI scans, would not qualify. Participants can expect to undergo tests that assess blood flow and other health factors within 72 hours of their symptoms starting. This study is not yet recruiting participants, but it represents an important step toward understanding and potentially improving health in people with these neurological issues.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Men and women, minimum age: 45 years
• • Gave informed consent
• • Specifically for patient group: Admission to hospital due to an acute neurological event due to acute first-time stroke (ischemic or hemorrhage; mild to moderate in severity based on The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale \[NIHSS\], score \<15) and able to provide informed consent (e.g., no or only mild aphasia; no impairment of consciousness), first-time generalized epileptic seizure (with focal or generalized onset), or transient global amnesia
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • History of stroke or any type of seizure
• • Neurodegenerative neurological disorders including dementia, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
• • Acute myocardial infarction requiring revascularization
• • Severe and untreated medical conditions, including advanced-stage malignant tumors and cardiac diseases resulting in cardiogenic shock or acute heart failure
• • Severe infections (C-Reactive Protein \[CRP\] \> 50 mg/dL)
• • History of severe alcoholism or use of drugs
• • Severe psychiatric disorders such as moderate to severe depression (if not in remission) or psychosis
• • Contraindication to magnetic resonance imaging or renal dysfunction with eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) \< 30 ml/min/1.73 m2, which would not allow the administration of the contrast agent gadolinium