Neuroscience Clinical Research

Sutter Health is a recognized leader in neurological clinical research. Our experts work tirelessly to advance the treatment of neurological disorders and complex conditions of the brain, spine and central nervous system.

Our three Neuroscience Institutes in Sacramento, San Francisco and the East Bay are considered some of the most comprehensive neurological centers in the United States. Working with experts at our Neuroscience Institutes, Sutter Health network doctors throughout Northern California have access to integrated neuroscience research and clinical trials.

Our medical experts provide opportunities for both adult and pediatric patients to be part of groundbreaking neuroscience research. Qualified patients can participate in studies that cover a wide range of neurological and neurosurgical conditions such as brain tumors, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, pain disorders, multiple sclerosis, autism, movement disorders, neuromuscular diseases, epilepsy and stroke. Through our commitment to research, we are able to test experimental treatments that frequently lead to promising new surgical and prescription therapies.

Sutter Health Neuroscience Research Consortium

In 2014, our doctors took another step in advancing the search for new treatments by forming the Sutter Neuroscience Research Consortium. The consortium is comprised of Sutter Health neurologists throughout Northern California who work together to research new treatments, diagnostic tools and disease biology. Thirty doctors serve on the group’s executive committee, which facilitates communication between medical investigators and coordinates access to a vast portfolio of ongoing, leading-edge clinical trials. This integrated system gives patients access to a diverse range of cutting-edge treatment options and programs to support their care plan and entry into clinical trials.

Recent Neuroscience Research Highlights

• Researchers are exploring new ways to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, by reducing neuroinflammation, which is suspected to be an underlying cause of the disease’s progression. Trials at Sutter’s Forbes Norris MDA/ALS Research and Treatment Center are underway to determine optimal use of noninvasive ventilation machines to ease breathing in patients. Researchers are also conducting a multi-center, randomized study of a new diaphragm pacing system that can support patients with diaphragm weakness.
• In 2014, research at Sutter’s California Pacific Medical Center played a key role in the United States Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the epilepsy pacer. The small battery-powered device is implanted in a patient’s skull and programmed to sense abnormal brain wave activity, emitting an electrical pulse to minimize or stop impending seizures. The effectiveness of the device was shown in a randomized controlled trial at multiple centers throughout the nation, with the California Pacific Medical Center leading the trials.
• In 2014, researchers shed new light on how patients with glioblastoma multiforme, the most common and aggressive type of primary malignant brain tumor, become resistant to treatments aimed at stopping tumor growth. Researcher’s findings led to new options for potential therapies to overcome drug resistance.