Non-Invasive Interventions for Respiratory Recovery in Chronic Spinal Cord Injury

About this trial

This trial is enrolling 20 participants with chronic spinal cord injury to test the combined effect of transcutaneous spinal stimulation (tSS) and acute intermittent hypercapnic-hypoxia (HiCO₂-AIH) on breathing function. tSS is a non-invasive technique that uses surface electrodes to deliver electrical stimulation aimed at modifying spinal cord function. HiCO₂-AIH is an intervention to test the effect on respiratory function as a result of repeatedly breathing air with low oxygen content and elevated carbon dioxide (CO₂) for brief periods, alternating with breathing room air with normal oxygen content. If included, participants will complete 4 treatment rounds in random order, each consisting of 4 consecutive days of therapy separated by 3-week breaks. These treatments are: 1) HiCO2-AIH + tSCS; 2) HiCO2-AIH + sham tSCS; 3) sham HiCO2-AIH + tSCS; and 4) sham HiCO2-AIH + sham tSCS. Final testing of breathing function will be performed after around 15 weeks.