NCT06701422

Brief Summary

The proposed study seeks to understand how the cervical spinal cord should be stimulated after injury through short-term physiology experiments that will inform a preclinical efficacy trial. The purpose of this study is to determine which cervical levels epidural electrical stimulation (EES) should target to recruit arm and hand muscles effectively and selectively in spinal cord injury (SCI).

Trial Health

77
On Track

Trial Health Score

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

Enrollment
36

participants targeted

Target at P25-P50 for not_applicable

Timeline
2mo left

Started Dec 2024

Geographic Reach
1 country

2 active sites

Status
recruiting

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

Study Progress91%
Dec 2024Jun 2026

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

November 13, 2024

Completed
9 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

November 22, 2024

Completed
14 days until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

December 6, 2024

Completed
1.6 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

June 30, 2026

Expected
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

June 30, 2026

Last Updated

November 24, 2025

Status Verified

November 1, 2025

Enrollment Period

1.6 years

First QC Date

November 13, 2024

Last Update Submit

November 20, 2025

Conditions

Keywords

spinal cord injuryupper-limb muscle activationcervical spinal cordmyelopathy

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

  • Efficacy of epidural SCS

    Efficacy of stimulation is calculated as 1/threshold for provoking an motor evoked potentials. The threshold will be calculated from the recruitment curves.

    0-100 milliseconds after each stimulation event during the experiment

  • Selectivity of epidural SCS

    Selectivity is calculated from the recruitment curves of the target muscle compared to non-targeted muscles.

    0-100 milliseconds after each stimulation event during the experiment

Study Arms (1)

Arm 1 - Intraoperative Participants

EXPERIMENTAL

Motor evoked responses responses (MEPs) to epidural electrical stimulation (EES) will be tested at cervical segments with and without myelopathy in participants with cervical myelopathy.

Procedure: Intraoperative stimulation of the cervical spinal cord

Interventions

The surgeon will place spinal cord electrodes on the epidural surface, with stimulation sites identified using preoperative MRI. Recruitment curves will be generated by systematically increasing the stimulation intensity across various parameter combinations, including frequency, pulse count, pulse shape, and electrode-specific properties such as size, separation, and arrangement.

Arm 1 - Intraoperative Participants

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

  • Clinical indication for cervical spine surgery.

You may not qualify if:

  • Stimulation devices in the neck or chest (e.g., vagal nerve stimulation, cardiac patients with pacemakers)

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (2)

Columbia University Irving Medical Center

New York, New York, 10032, United States

RECRUITING

The Daniel and Jane Och Spine Hospital at NewYork-Presbyterian/Allen

New York, New York, 10034, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

QuadriplegiaSpinal Cord InjuriesSpinal Cord Diseases

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

ParalysisNeurologic ManifestationsNervous System DiseasesSigns and SymptomsPathological Conditions, Signs and SymptomsCentral Nervous System DiseasesTrauma, Nervous SystemWounds and Injuries

Central Study Contacts

Jason B Carmel, M.D., Ph.D.

CONTACT

James R McIntosh, Ph.D.

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
NA
Masking
NONE
Purpose
BASIC SCIENCE
Intervention Model
SINGLE GROUP
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

November 13, 2024

First Posted

November 22, 2024

Study Start

December 6, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 30, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 30, 2026

Last Updated

November 24, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-11

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations