Intermuscular Coherence: A Biomarker for Early Diagnosis and Follow-up of ALS
University of Chicago
Summary
The specific aims of this study are to: 1. Determine if a painless and quick measurement of muscle activity using surface electrodes can help with the diagnosis of ALS. Specifically, we ask if a measure of intermuscular coherence (IMC-βγ), when added to current diagnostic criteria (Awaji criteria), can differentiate ALS from mimic diseases more accurately and earlier than currently possible. 2. Characterize IMC-βγ in neurotypical subjects by age, sex, race, and ethnicity. 3. Follow a cohort of ALS patients longitudinally to determine if IMC-βγ changes with ALS disease progression and whether such changes correlate with functional and clinical scores, or survival.
Description
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by neuronal death in the motor system, both in the brain and spinal cord. It results in progressive weakness throughout the body, and typically leads to respiratory failure 3-5 years after symptom onset. Therapy initiation and drug development are hindered, in part, by the lack of objective disease markers. This is a multi-center trial to validate a potential biomarker for ALS, known as intermuscular coherence (IMC-βγ). IMC measures the correlation in the activity of two muscles during a simple motor task. In a pr…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 20–90 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: * AIM 1: Patients with arm or leg weakness, spastic gait, muscle wasting and/or fasciculations (muscle twitching), dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), dysarthria (difficulty speaking), shortness of breath, hyperreflexia or pathological reflexes, or findings of muscle denervation in previous needle electromyography (EMG) studies. * AIM 2: Subjects between 20 and 90 years of age. * AIM 3: Subjects will be selected from among Aim 1 patients who carry an Awaji (without IMC) category of Possible, Probable, or Definite ALS. Exclusion Criteria: * AIM 1: 1. Classified as proba…
Locations (4)
- University of California Center for Clinical ResearchIrvine, California
- University of Miami Miller School of MedicineMiami, Florida
- Massachusetts General HospitalBoston, Massachusetts
- Washington University Medical CenterSt Louis, Missouri