Spatiotemporal tSCS in Spinal Cord Injury

Part of paid clinical trials in St Louis, Missouri.

Sponsor
Washington University School of Medicine
Study ID
NCT07397559
Status
Recruiting
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Conditions

  • Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI)

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
16 Years - 65 Years
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • No Stimulation — OTHER
    Participants complete motor tasks and outcome assessments with no spinal cord stimulation applied.
  • Conventional tSCS — DEVICE
    Non-invasive transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) is delivered at 30 Hz using a single cathode electrode targeting the lumbar spinal cord to reinforce leg motor output during study tasks
  • Spatiotemporal tSCS — DEVICE
    Stimulation parameters, including electrode location, stimulation frequency, and stimulation amplitude, are systematically varied to reinforce leg motor output during study tasks

Study Details

Spinal cord injury leads to long-lasting impairment, and currently, there is no cure for paralysis. Although transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation has shown promising results in recovering lost movements, its poor selectivity in muscle recruitment compared to invasive approaches limits the type of rehabilitation exercises that can be practiced. This project studies how spatial, frequency, and amplitude control of stimulation can be used to selectively target different neural pathways and muscle groups.

Key Dates

Start date
Jan 19, 2026
Status verified
Feb 2026
Primary completion
Aug 31, 2030
Completion
Aug 31, 2030

Study Design

Enrollment
48 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE

Arms

  • Other: No stimulation
    Participants complete the study motor tasks and assessments without transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (tSCS).
  • Active Comparator: Conventional tSCS
    Participants complete the same experimental tasks and assessments while receiving conventional, non-invasive transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) using a single cathode and 30 Hz.
  • Experimental: Spatiotemporal tSCS
    Participants complete the same tasks and assessments while receiving spatiotemporal tSCS in which stimulation parameters are systematically varied across sessions, including electrode location/configuration (spatial control), frequency, and amplitude (temporal/intensity control), to optimize targeted muscle recruitment and voluntary motor output.

Primary Outcome Measure

Changes in Torque [ Time Frame: 30 minutes ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
Washington University, St. LouisSt LouisMissouri63130
Ismael Seáñez, PhD
[email protected]
314-935-7665

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