Rebuilding Inter-limb Transfer in Cervical SCI

Technology
General health
Online since 3 July 2024, updated 78 days ago

About this trial

The purpose of this study in people living with cervical Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is to examine the effects of paired neurostimulation (i.e., PCMS) combined with contralateral motor training on inter-...

Included participants

Gender
All
Age
18 - 75 years
Injury level
C4 - C8
  • Severity (AIS)?
  • AIS-C
    AIS-D
    Time since injury
    ≥ 1 year
    Healthy volunteers
    Yes
    C4-C8
    Additionally, participants must
    NOT have a history of other neurological conditions such as stroke, Parkinson's, and traumatic brain injury (TBI)

    What’s involved

    Type

    Technology

    Details

    Cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) is the most common and severe type of SCI that can lead to paralysis of the trunk and all four limbs, also known as tetraplegia. People with tetraplegia place a high priority on regaining upper limb motor function to be independent in daily life. Despite intensive therapies, upper limb motor gains are slow to emerge, especially in chronic cases. A critical barrier to effective and efficient upper limb rehabilitation in cervical SCI lies in the motor deficits of inter-limb transfer. Inter-limb transfer refers to a natural innate process within the human neuromotor system that motor skills acquired in one limb can transfer to the opposite, untrained limb, and is believed to play a key role in maximizing and accelerating post-injury recovery. Inter-limb transfer however is deficient following cervical SCI due to a breakdown of inter-limb neural connections at the cortical and spinal levels. Prior studies in uninjured people reveal that one can upregulate inter-limb neural mechanisms and hence augment inter-limb transfer effects by giving neurostimulation to augment corticomotoneuronal pathways to the untrained arm just before motor training in the contralateral arm. This study aims to rebuild inter-limb transfer of motor gains in chronic cervical SCI using a novel non-invasive neurostimulation method called paired corticospinal-motor neuronal stimulation (PCMS). We will test the central hypothesis that PCMS given to an untrained hand immediately before the visuomotor ballistic motor training at the other hand will improve inter-limb transfer of ballistic motor and dexterity skills to the untrained hand, based on potentiation of inter-limb neural mechanisms.

    Potential benefits

    Main benefits

    General health

    Additional benefits

    Arm/hand function

    Good to know: Potential benefits are defined as outcomes that are being measured during and/or after the trial.

    Wings for Life supports SCITrialsFinder

    Wings for Life has proudly initiated, led and funded the new version of the SCI Trials Finder website. Wings for Life aims to find a cure for spinal cord injuries. The not-for-profit foundation funds world-class scientific research and clinical trials around the globe.

    Learn more

    • Trial recruitment status
    • Recruiting
    • Trial start date
    • 15 Feb 2024
    • Organisation
    • The Cleveland Clinic
    • Trial recruitment status
    • Recruiting
    • Trial start date
    • 15 Feb 2024
    • Organisation
    • The Cleveland Clinic

    Wings for Life supports SCITrialsFinder

    Wings for Life has proudly initiated, led and funded the new version of the SCI Trials Finder website. Wings for Life aims to find a cure for spinal cord injuries. The not-for-profit foundation funds world-class scientific research and clinical trials around the globe.

    Learn more