RecruitingEarly Phase 1NCT06989905

MEP Up-conditioning to Target Corticospinal Plasticity

Operant Conditioning of the Wrist Extensor Motor Evoked Potential to Target Corticospinal Plasticity and Upper Limb Motor Recovery After Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

Sponsor

Medical University of South Carolina

Enrollment

11 participants

Start Date

May 27, 2025

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Conditions

Spinal Cord Injury Tetraplegia/Tetraparesis

Summary

Individuals with chronic cervical spinal cord injury will complete a 10-week training protocol where participants receive non-invasive brain stimulation and feedback on the size of the corresponding muscle response (wrist extensor). Investigators will assess the impact of the brain stimulation training on 1) the brain-to-spinal cord-to-muscle connection and 2) motor functions of the arm and hand. Also, brain and spine magnetic resonance imaging will be collected before and after the training. The imaging measurements will tell investigators about how spinal damage, brain function, and brain structure relate to motor presentation and the response to the training.

Eligibility

Min Age: 18 Years

Plain Language Summary

Simplified for easier understanding

This clinical trial is studying a behavioral approach called Up-conditioning of the wrist extensor motor evoked potential for people with spinal cord injury and tetraplegia/tetraparesis. The study is currently recruiting participants at 1 location.

This summary was AI-generated to explain the trial in plain language. It is not medical advice. Always discuss eligibility with your doctor before enrolling in a clinical trial.

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Interventions

BEHAVIORALUp-conditioning of the wrist extensor motor evoked potential

At the beginning of each session, EMG recording and nerve stimulating electrodes are placed over the arm. In all sessions, MEPs will be measured while the sitting subject provides a pre-set level of background muscle EMG with joint angles fixed. In 225 control trials of each baseline sessions and the first 20 trials of conditioning sessions the subject will receive no feedback as to MEP size (i.e., control MEPs). In 225 conditioning trials of each conditioning session, the subject will be encouraged to increase the target muscle MEP, and will receive immediate feedback as to whether MEP size was above a criterion (i.e., whether the trial was a success).