1
|
Vermorken BL, Volpe B, van Boxel SCJ, Stultiens JJA, van Hoof M, Marcellis R, Loos E, van Soest A, McCrum C, Meijer K, Guinand N, Pérez Fornos A, van Rompaey V, Devocht E, van de Berg R. The VertiGO! Trial protocol: A prospective, single-center, patient-blinded study to evaluate efficacy and safety of prolonged daily stimulation with a multichannel vestibulocochlear implant prototype in bilateral vestibulopathy patients. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301032. [PMID: 38547135 PMCID: PMC10977751 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A combined vestibular (VI) and cochlear implant (CI) device, also known as the vestibulocochlear implant (VCI), was previously developed to restore both vestibular and auditory function. A new refined prototype is currently being investigated. This prototype allows for concurrent multichannel vestibular and cochlear stimulation. Although recent studies showed that VCI stimulation enables compensatory eye, body and neck movements, the constraints in these acute study designs prevent them from creating more general statements over time. Moreover, the clinical relevance of potential VI and CI interactions is not yet studied. The VertiGO! Trial aims to investigate the safety and efficacy of prolonged daily motion modulated stimulation with a multichannel VCI prototype. METHODS A single-center clinical trial will be carried out to evaluate prolonged VCI stimulation, assess general safety and explore interactions between the CI and VI. A single-blind randomized controlled crossover design will be implemented to evaluate the efficacy of three types of stimulation. Furthermore, this study will provide a proof-of-concept for a VI rehabilitation program. A total of minimum eight, with a maximum of 13, participants suffering from bilateral vestibulopathy and severe sensorineural hearing loss in the ear to implant will be included and followed over a five-year period. Efficacy will be evaluated by collecting functional (i.e. image stabilization) and more fundamental (i.e. vestibulo-ocular reflexes, self-motion perception) outcomes. Hearing performance with a VCI and patient-reported outcomes will be included as well. DISCUSSION The proposed schedule of fitting, stimulation and outcome testing allows for a comprehensive evaluation of the feasibility and long-term safety of a multichannel VCI prototype. This design will give insights into vestibular and hearing performance during VCI stimulation. Results will also provide insights into the expected daily benefit of prolonged VCI stimulation, paving the way for cost-effectiveness analyses and a more comprehensive clinical implementation of vestibulocochlear stimulation in the future. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04918745. Registered 28 April 2021.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bernd L. Vermorken
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Balance Disorders, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHENS), Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Benjamin Volpe
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Balance Disorders, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHENS), Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Stan C. J. van Boxel
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Balance Disorders, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHENS), Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Joost J. A. Stultiens
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Balance Disorders, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHENS), Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Marc van Hoof
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Balance Disorders, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHENS), Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Rik Marcellis
- Department of Nutrition and Movement Sciences, NUTRIM School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Elke Loos
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Balance Disorders, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHENS), Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Neurosciences, Research Group Experimental Oto-Rhino-Laryngology (ExpORL), KU Leuven, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Alexander van Soest
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Balance Disorders, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHENS), Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Chris McCrum
- Department of Nutrition and Movement Sciences, NUTRIM School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Kenneth Meijer
- Department of Nutrition and Movement Sciences, NUTRIM School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Nils Guinand
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Balance Disorders, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHENS), Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Division of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Angélica Pérez Fornos
- Division of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Vincent van Rompaey
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Balance Disorders, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHENS), Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Elke Devocht
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Balance Disorders, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHENS), Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Raymond van de Berg
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Balance Disorders, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHENS), Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Priovoulos N, van Boxel SCJ, Jacobs HIL, Poser BA, Uludag K, Verhey FRJ, Ivanov D. Unraveling the contributions to the neuromelanin-MRI contrast. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:2757-2774. [PMID: 33090274 PMCID: PMC7674382 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02153-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The Locus Coeruleus (LC) and the Substantia Nigra (SN) are small brainstem nuclei that change with aging and may be involved in the development of various neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases. Magnetization Transfer (MT) MRI has been shown to facilitate LC and the SN visualization, and the observed contrast is assumed to be related to neuromelanin accumulation. Imaging these nuclei may have predictive value for the progression of various diseases, but interpretation of previous studies is hindered by the fact that the precise biological source of the contrast remains unclear, though several hypotheses have been put forward. To inform clinical studies on the possible biological interpretation of the LC- and SN contrast, we examined an agar-based phantom containing samples of natural Sepia melanin and synthetic Cys-Dopa-Melanin and compared this to the in vivo human LC and SN. T1 and T2* maps, MT spectra and relaxation times of the phantom, the LC and the SN were measured, and a two-pool MT model was fitted. Additionally, Bloch simulations and a transient MT experiment were conducted to confirm the findings. Overall, our results indicate that Neuromelanin-MRI contrast in the LC likely results from a lower macromolecular fraction, thus facilitating interpretation of results in clinical populations. We further demonstrate that in older individuals T1 lengthening occurs in the LC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nikos Priovoulos
- School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Center Limburg, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Science, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.
| | - Stan C J van Boxel
- School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Center Limburg, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Science, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Heidi I L Jacobs
- School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Center Limburg, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Science, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.,Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.,Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Benedikt A Poser
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Kamil Uludag
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Seobu-ro 2066, Jangan-gu, Suwon, Republic of Korea.,Techna Institute and Koerner Scientist in MR Imaging, University Health Network, 121-100 College Street, Toronto, M5G 1L5, Canada
| | - Frans R J Verhey
- School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Center Limburg, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Science, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Dimo Ivanov
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.
| |
Collapse
|