Research Opportunities
This page connects researchers and participants for current, and ongoing research. For findings from recently completed research, please visit Research Findings .
We have listed a few of the current studies and trials specific to pediatric stroke, but encourage families to use the information under Clinical Trials to search for other opportunities that may be in your area.
As a researcher, if you would like us to include your study on the Currently Recruiting list, please contact us! We would be happy to help with recruitment.
Research Studies and Trials Currently Recruiting
Baby Brain Recovery Study (Study brochure)
Click here to sign up to learn more and find out if your child is eligible! The study team can reach out to you, or you can call 608-381-2699.
We invite you and your child to take part in a research study about how the brain changes in babies after an early brain injury. We are inviting you and your child if your child is younger than 24 months of age and has a diagnosis of early brain injury like a stroke or brain bleed.
Your baby may be eligible if they:
• 0-24 months old with a history of early to injury to the brain
• Have at least one parent or legal guardian who speaks English
We invite you to help us make new discoveries!
We are trying to learn about how infant brains develop.
Background:
We are doing a clinical trial study with babies who have had early brain injury. We want to learn more about how babies’ brains develop after birth. Specifically, we are studying how the brain changes over the first two years of life in babies who have had an early brain injury. We work to understand the relationship between recovery and development in early brain injury.
Babies with a diagnosis of an early brain injury have a risk of developing difficulty moving due to changes in the brain. To provide treatment when it may be most helpful, we first need to understand how the brain changes in babies after they had an early brain injury.
We are using brain pictures (magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI) and magnetic pulses (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) to study the way a baby’s brain is connected. Both the pictures and the pulses have been studied in infants and older children who also had a brain injury around the time of birth. We will also analyze how the baby is moving and other areas of development. Looking at how the brain develops at this young age will help us understand brain function in babies with early brain injury and improve treatments and outcomes.
Study Activities:
We expect that you and your child will be in this research study about until they turn 2. You will be asked to accompany your child to the Waisman Center for 4 study visits.
We will do different types of tests to learn about your baby’s brain development and movement.
Compensation:
Families will receive up to $400 for participation over the first two years of their child’s life
Support for travel is available for participants.
Our Team:
This study is led by Dr. Bernadette Gillick. We invite you to explore our website to learn more about who we are and what we do!
Please call or email us to start the screening process:
608-381-2699 or brainrecovery@pediatrics.wisc.edu.
University of Wisconsin – Madison
Health Sciences IRB #2021-0412
Research Studies on Recovery after Perinatal and Childhood Stroke
Researchers at the Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery (CBPR) at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, DC, are studying the effects of both perinatal and childhood stroke on cognitive and language abilities. The study is done in Washington, DC, but compensation for travel will be provided. 
Years of research has produced groundbreaking findings as detailed in EurekaAlert news article/September 2020 and PNAS article/October 2020 – and CBPR aims to continue to uncover more in its studies. Your family can help! The group is currently seeking childhood stroke survivors aged 11 and older to undergo functional MRIs to determine how the brain reorganizes after stroke. These images are taken without any invasive procedures or radiation. Participation involves two or three visits to the Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, DC. Participants will be compensated for their time, and hotel in and transportation to and from Washington, DC is provided. Please note: they are looking for children, teens, and young adults who had an ischemic stroke as a baby, child, or teen. If you are unsure what type of stroke your child has had, please reach out to them and they can do a preliminary screening.
If you are interested in learning more, please email cbpr@georgetown.edu or call 202-687-3727. To find out more about the Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery, please visit their website. A full description of this study can be found here (includes a QR code) or on the CBPR 2024 Flyer.
TOlerability of transcranial direct current stimulation in Pediatric Stroke Survivors 2 (TOPSS 2)
The TOPSS 2 Study is a research project by the UTHealth Pediatric Stroke Program in Houston, Texas that’s looking at new ways to help kids get better after a stroke. This study is for kids and teenagers (current age 5 – 19) who had a stroke when they were 1 month old or older and now have a hard time moving one side of their body. This is not for children that had a perinatal stroke (stroke at or around the time of birth).
In this study, kids will try a new type of treatment for stroke. They’ll get regular occupational therapy, which helps them learn to do daily tasks, along with a special treatment called non-invasive neuromodulation, which uses safe and gentle electricity to try to help the brain recover.
If your child joins the study, they’ll have 10 arm rehabilitation therapy sessions (over a 2-week period) and a follow up evaluation 6 months afterwards. The research study is examining the tolerability and feasibility of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in children with arm weakness after stroke. The study will be conducted at UTHealth in Houston, TX. There is a stipend given per each of the sessions, but travel to and lodging in Houston is not covered.
The study is open now and they are recruiting. Click here for the TOPSS 2 flyer. For more information you can email pedistroke@uth.tmc.edu or call the study nurse Melika at 713-500-7164.
We’re thrilled to share that the International Alliance for Pediatric Stroke (IAPS) awarded a $20,000 grant to UTHealth Houston Pediatric Stroke Program in support of this TOPSS 2 study (Tolerability of transcranial direct current stimulation in Pediatric Stroke Survivors) in March 2025. This important research aims to expand understanding and improve outcomes for young stroke survivors, and we’re honored to help advance this mission.
Children with Hemiparesis Arm and Movement Project-Telehealth 2, CHAMP-T2 (Columbus, OH or Roanoke, VA )
CHAMP-T2 is a pilot efficacy study measuring changes in upper extremity function after a telehealth delivered Pediatric Constraint Induced Movement Therapy (pCIMT) program. This is a pilot research study funded through Nationwide Children’s Hospital Department of Neurology, in partnership with The Ohio State University (Columbus, OH) and the Fralin Biomedical Research Center at Virginia Technical University (Roanoke, VA). Everyone who participates will complete in-person assessments (at Ohio State or Virginia Tech) before and after treatment. All enrolled participants will complete 3 hours of pCIMT treatment per day, 5 days per week for 4 weeks. During treatment sessions, a parent or caregiver is guided through treatment activities by a trained therapist during live video conferencing. All technology will be provided.
To participate, the following criteria must be met: 1) child between the ages of 4– 10 years, 2) with a diagnosis of hemiplegia, 3) parent willing to participate in treatment with their child. 4) Willing to travel to Columbus, OH or Roanoke, VA for pre and post testing. Contact: Petra Sternberg, (614)-572-5446, Petra.Sternberg@osumc.edu. Please see the CHAMP-T2 flyer for more information.
UConn research study to improve arm function through play in children with hemiplegia (Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts)
Researchers at the University of Connecticut are conducting a research study to compare the effects of 2 types of play-based interventions (SPEED and CRAFT) to improve affected arm function in children with hemiplegia between 3 and 8 years. The study will be conducted within the child’s home or in their community within a 1.5-hour driving radius from the University of Connecticut, Storrs campus.
This study, funded through NIH, will be conducted over a duration of 12 weeks. Children will be assessed on their motor skills at pretest, posttest, and at 1-month follow-up following intervention completion. The intervention will last for 6 weeks where researchers will provide training sessions to the child 2 times/week. Caregivers will also be trained to provide 2 additional sessions with their child each week.
If you are interested in learning more about the study or participating in the study, please contact study principal investigator, Sudha Srinivasan at sudha.srinivasan@uconn.edu or at 860-4866192.
Please see the UConn flyer for more information or visit the ClinicalTrials.gov page, NCT06579027.
Vein of Galen Malformation Research
Research for understanding the genetic factors that cause Vein of Galen malformation (VOGM) is now underway. This important research is being conducted by the Vein of Galen malformation Genetics Research Consortium (VOGM-GRC), which includes pediatric neurosurgeons, neurointerventionalists, neurologists, neurointensivists, geneticists, and molecular biologists. They are looking for patients of any age who have been diagnosed with VOGM and their family. Participant eligibility requires a donation of DNA from a cheek swab kit that will be mailed directly to your home. A short questionnaire detailing medical history will also be requested. For more information please visit the VOCM-GRC website; email Caroline Caudill, the Research Coordinator at vogm-genetics@uabmc.edu; see their VOGM Research brochure; or check their Twitter account, @VOGM_GRC.
Cerebral Palsy Foundation’s Research and Clinical Trials
The Cerebral Palsy Foundation offers a new monthly email to help connect you with research trials currently recruiting individuals with cerebral palsy in the United States. They have curated this list to help you find studies that might be a good fit for you or your child, they are listed study type, in order by age range. To learn more about each study, just click on the title to go to the study page. If you are interested in subscribing to their CPResource.org weekly newsletter and to learn more about Featured Clinical Trials, please Sign-Up Here.
Clinical Trials
ClinicalTrials.gov is a database of privately and publicly funded clinical studies conducted around the world. You can search by condition or disease (i.e. “pediatric stroke”, “hemiplegia”, “perinatal stroke”), location, recruiting, completed, or terminated. The listings are updated regularly, so you are encouraged to check the site frequently.
We’ve made it easier for you by providing direct links to some of the terms associated with pediatric stroke.
ClinicalTrials.gov for Pediatric Stroke, recruiting/not yet recruiting
ClinicalTrials.gov for Perinatal Stroke, recruiting/not yet recruiting
ClinicalTrials.gov for Hemiplegia, (birth to 17 years) recruiting/not yet recruiting
ClinicalTrials.gov for Cerebral Palsy, (birth to 17 years) recruiting/not yet recruiting
International Pediatric Stroke Study
The International Pediatric Stroke Study (IPSS) performs collaborative research aimed at understanding, preventing and improving outcomes in pediatric stroke, and to promote professional education, support families with pediatric stroke members, and support public education.
The IPSS currently includes over 150 participating research staff, investigators and collaborators from 55 active centers that have enrolled over 5600 children with stroke. Establishing this network has led to successful competitions for millions of dollars in research grants to fund the execution of the multicentre research studies and clinical trials required to advance knowledge and improve outcomes.
Please see the International Pediatric Stroke Study Colleagues and Collaborators list, to locate centers who participate in the IPSS worldwide. If you would like to contact IPSS directly, please send an email to ipss.research@sickkids.ca
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute was established to fund research that can help patients and those who care for them make better-informed decisions about the healthcare choices they face every day, guided by those who will use that information. As the largest public research funder that focuses primarily on Clinical Effectiveness Research (CER), they issue funding announcements several times each year that call for proposals for CER projects. They include patients and other healthcare stakeholders throughout the research process, so the resulting evidence will address their most important questions and concerns.
PCORI sends weekly emails to notify you of newly funded research and engagement awards, opportunities to apply for funding, results of our funded research, stakeholder workshops, and original featured stories about their work.