A Comprehensive Assessment of Altered Embodiment in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury
SCI_Embodiment
1 other identifier
observational
80
1 country
1
Brief Summary
Spinal cord injury (SCI) occurs when trauma or other factors damage the spinal cord, disrupting the flow of sensory information from the body to the brain. This interruption can interfere with embodiment-the body awareness and physical sensations processed by the brain-sometimes leading to a phenomenon called disembodiment. For people with SCI, disembodiment may appear as unusual body sensations, like feeling that a limb is in a different position than it actually is. Such changes in body awareness can impact daily life, mental health, and rehabilitation outcomes. Despite its importance, the study of embodiment in SCI remains limited. This project aims to explore how SCI alters embodiment, focusing on its specific characteristics, the effects on daily life, and the underlying brain activity as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Both people with and without SCI will participate. Procedure: Participants will complete a single examination lasting 2 to 2.5 hours, including approximately 55 minutes in the MRI scanner (with preparation and follow-up).
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P50-P75 for all trials
Started Jun 2025
Shorter than P25 for all trials
1 active site
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
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Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
First Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
November 12, 2024
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
November 14, 2024
CompletedStudy Start
First participant enrolled
June 4, 2025
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
May 1, 2026
CompletedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
May 1, 2026
CompletedOctober 8, 2025
October 1, 2025
11 months
November 12, 2024
October 2, 2025
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (1)
Score on the Body Feelings and Illusions questionnaire (BoFI)
A questionnaires that assess different dimensions of embodiment and disembodiment.
Baseline
Secondary Outcomes (15)
Brain activity
Baseline
Strenght of the embodiment illusion
Baseline
Qualitative assessment of embodiment
Baseline
Score on the WHO Disability Assessment Scale (WHODAS-II)
Baseline
Pain severity
Baseline
- +10 more secondary outcomes
Study Arms (4)
Individuals with SCI - Behavioral assessment
15 individuals with SCI will perform a comprehensive behavioral assessment of embodiment (see "Interventions"). A clinical assessment of sensory-motor symptoms will also be carried out.
Individuals with SCI - Behavioral assessment and fMRI
25 individuals with SCI will perform a comprehensive behavioral assessment of embodiment and neural correlates of embodiment will be explored by means of an fMRI procedure (see "Interventions"). A clinical assessment of sensory-motor symptoms will also be carried out.
Healthy controls - Behavioral assessment
15 healthy controls will perform a comprehensive behavioral assessment of embodiment (see "Interventions").
Healthy controls - Behavioral assessment and fMRI
25 individuals with SCI will perform a comprehensive behavioral assessment of embodiment and neural correlates of embodiment will be explored by means of an fMRI procedure (see "Interventions").
Interventions
A comprehensive behavioral assessment of embodiment and its effect on daily living, taking into account pain, interoception, emotions and anxiety, sleep quality, life satsfaction and cognition.
Neural mechanisms of embodiments will be explored with MRI sequences including structural MRI, resting-state and task-based fMRI of the head. The task will be a modified version of the rubber hand illusion, previously used to asess embodiment. Participants will be required to lay in the MRI with their legs bended upright and a screen placed at the level of their hips, which will show a pair of legs. The participant's leg will be stroked with a paintbrush while the image on the screen will be showing the virtual legs being stroked. Participants will be required to report how strongly they perceive the virtual legs as their own, as a measure of embodiment.
Eligibility Criteria
Individuals with spinal cord injury and healthy controls.
You may qualify if:
- Age between 18 and 60
- Normal or corrected-to-normal visual acuity
- German or Italian native speaker
- Diagnosis of traumatic spinal cord injury
- Lesion level below T1 (first thoracic vertebra)
- Time since injury \>= 12 months
- Residual sensation on the upper leg (sensory capability of 1 or higher on at least one leg in the dermatomes L2 and L3 for both light touch and pin prick).
You may not qualify if:
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
- Diagnosis of other psychiatric or neurological disorders (e.g. epilepsy, tumor in the central nervous system)
- Confirmed diagnosis of alcohol and/or drug abuse with active consumption within the last 6 months
- Confirmed diagnosis of traumatic brain injury, intended as visible changes in the brain diagnosed by a radiologist
- Stroke
- Inability to perform study procedures (e.g. inability to consent)
- Active medical devices (e.g. cardiac pacemaker)
- Inability to perform study procedures (e.g. claustrophobia)
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
Study Sites (1)
Swiss Paraplegic Research
Nottwil, Canton of Lucerne, 6207, Switzerland
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Interventions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- observational
- Observational Model
- CASE CONTROL
- Time Perspective
- PROSPECTIVE
- Sponsor Type
- NETWORK
- Responsible Party
- SPONSOR
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
November 12, 2024
First Posted
November 14, 2024
Study Start
June 4, 2025
Primary Completion
May 1, 2026
Study Completion
May 1, 2026
Last Updated
October 8, 2025
Record last verified: 2025-10
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will not share
The investigators plan to save anonymized data into public repositories. However, due to the size of the imaging data, a final decision has not yet been made.