Patients greater than/equal to 18 years of age who are diagnosed with unilateral rotator cuff tendinopathy (with MRI confirmation) will be recruited. The purpose of the study is to measure the safety and efficacy of the drug secukinumab, 300mg s.c. (subcutaneous) compared to placebo. The use of secukinumab for the treatment of tendinopathy is investigational in this study, but FDA approved for other indications. The study will be a randomized, double-blind study. This means the participant, nor the researchers will know if the drug or placebo is administered. The treatment period will last 16 weeks, during which the patient will receive 7 doses of the study drug (2 injections per dose) over 12 weeks. Participants will continue follow-up until week 24. A total of 11 visits are required for the study, each will take approximately 3 hours to complete. These visits will be at the following timepoints: Screening visit, Baseline visit, and visits at weeks 1,2,3,4,8,12,16, 20, and the end of the study visit. The location of the injection will be the affected shoulder.
Risks include but are not limited to upper respiratory tract infections, with symptoms such as sore throat and stuffy nose. Common risks include Cold sores, Athletes foot, runny nose, diarrhea, itchy rash (urticaria). Rare and serious risks include Severe allergic reaction with shock (anaphylactic reactions). A blood draw may cause fainting, pain, and/or bruising, dizziness, and in rare cases, infection.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation method often used to assess connectivity between the brain and specific muscles. This research study is aimed at finding the changes in the manner brain communicates with leg muscles post-stroke and its effects on movement coordination during walking.
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has shown the potential to improve symptoms in patients with motor deficits, however its effects have not been consistent in randomized studies to date, limiting widespread adoption of this technology. A critical gap in our knowledge is a detailed understanding of how tDCS affects motor areas in the brain. We propose using tDCS while recording directly from motor cortex using subdural electrocorticography (sECoG) in patients undergoing deep brain stimulation surgery. We expect this novel approach to broaden our understanding of tDCS application and possibly lead to therapeutic advances in this population.