MEP Up-conditioning to Target Corticospinal Plasticity

About this trial

This trial is enrolling 11 participants with chronic cervical spinal cord injury to test the effect of a non-invasive brain stimulation technique (operant up-conditioning) on wrist extensor motor evoked potential (MEP). Operant up-conditioning uses positive feedback to gradually increase a specific biological response — in this case, the wrist extensor MEP, the electrical signal from the brain to the muscle. Researchers hypothesize that the intervention will increase nerve plasticity in the corticospinal pathway of the spinal cord, and thus improve upper limb motor function. If included, participants will complete a 10-week protocol involving approximately 30 training sessions conducted 3 times per week. Final testing of MEP responsiveness and wrist function will be performed after 3 months.