NCT05960448

Brief Summary

The goal of this interventional crossover study is to determine the effects of transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (TSCS) on the ability to perform moderate exercise and regulate core body temperature in the chronic spinal cord injury community. The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • What are the effects of active TSCS targeted for BP control on exercise endurance time and HR recovery during submaximal arm cycle ergometry (ACE) as compared to sham TSCS in participants with chronic, cervical SCI?
  • What are the effects of active TSCS on Tcore responses to cool ambient exposure and on subjective reporting of thermal comfort and thermal sensitivity as compared to sham TSCS. Participants will receive sham and active stimulation while using an arm bicycle or while in a cold room. Participants are free to participate in either the exercise phase, the cold room phase, or both phases of this study. Please note that there no expected long term benefits of this study.

Trial Health

77
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
20

participants targeted

Target at below P25 for not_applicable

Timeline
3mo left

Started Jul 2023

Typical duration for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress92%
Jul 2023Jul 2026

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

July 17, 2023

Completed
8 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

July 25, 2023

Completed
5 days until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

July 30, 2023

Completed
3 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

July 30, 2026

Expected
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

July 30, 2026

Last Updated

October 1, 2024

Status Verified

September 1, 2024

Enrollment Period

3 years

First QC Date

July 17, 2023

Last Update Submit

September 27, 2024

Conditions

Keywords

neuromodulationstimulationexercisehand bikethermoregulationcold room

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

  • Exercise Endurance Time

    Total time (minutes) the participant is able to exercise during the submaximal arm cycle ergometry test.

    During procedures (30 minutes)

  • Recovery Heart Rate

    Total time (minutes) for heart rate to return to baseline levels after submaximal exertion.

    During procedures (60 minutes)

  • Tcore

    This outcome measure is measured in degrees Celsius.

    During procedures (90 minutes)

  • Thermal Comfort

    Feeling of comfort from: +3 (very comfortable) to -3 (very uncomfortable).

    During procedures (90 minutes)

Secondary Outcomes (2)

  • Workload

    End of exercise (30 minutes)

  • Rate of Perceived Exhaustion

    End of exercise (30 minutes)

Study Arms (2)

Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation

EXPERIMENTAL

The transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation used in this experiment is specific to each participant as determined in a previous study. Possible parameters include biphasic or monophasic, Russian or Nonrussian, a variety of pulse widths, and location of stimulation (T7-8, T9-10,- T11-12, L1-2). The amplitude of the stimulation also depends on the results of the mapping study. This stimulation will be delivered 30 minutes at a time.

Other: Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation (TSCS)

Sham Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation

SHAM COMPARATOR

The sham stimulation will follow the above parameters but will only be delivered for a minute rather than the full 30 minutes.

Other: Sham Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation

Interventions

This is electrical stimulation delivered to the spinal cord through the skin and tissue using a cathode electrode to deliver the stimulation and anode electrodes to ground the circuit.

Also known as: transcutaneous spinal stimulation (TSS)
Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation

This is designed to appear like transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation without actually delivering the stimulation.

Also known as: Sham Transcutaneous Spinal Stimulation, Placebo Transcutaneous Spinal Stimulation, Placebo Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation
Sham Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • You are above the age of 18 years old
  • You have an SCI between C3-T6
  • You have been injured longer than 1 year
  • You participated in a prior experiment "Targeted Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation to Restore Autonomic Cardiovascular Health in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury"
  • You have an American Spinal Injury Association injury classification scale (AIS) A, B, C
  • Your prescription medications have not changed for at least 30 days

You may not qualify if:

  • You have a history of seizures
  • You have an acute illness or infection
  • You have diabetes
  • You have untreated thyroid disease
  • You have a neurological condition other than SCI (Alzheimer's disease, dementia, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, etc.)
  • You have a history of heart or vascular disease (coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, peripheral artery disease,)
  • You have a history of moderate or severe head trauma (TBI) or diagnosed with cognitive impairment
  • You have a present or history of a psychological disorder
  • You have contraindications to electricity over your spine
  • You are dependent on a ventilator to breathe or have an open tracheostomy site
  • You have a recent history of substance abuse (within the past 3 months)
  • You have open wounds over the spine at the level targeted for stimulation
  • You are pregnant

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

James J Peters VAMC

The Bronx, New York, 10468, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Hypotension, OrthostaticMotor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Orthostatic IntolerancePrimary DysautonomiasAutonomic Nervous System DiseasesNervous System DiseasesHypotensionVascular DiseasesCardiovascular DiseasesBehavior

Study Officials

  • Jill M Wecht, EdD

    James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Matthew T Maher, MS

CONTACT

Fiona E Fox, BS

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
SINGLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT
Masking Details
The participant will not know whether or not they are receiving spinal stimulation at any given session
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
CROSSOVER
Sponsor Type
FED
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

July 17, 2023

First Posted

July 25, 2023

Study Start

July 30, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

July 30, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

July 30, 2026

Last Updated

October 1, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-09

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations