Study Evaluating Spinal Cord Associative Plasticity to Improve Arm and Hand Function in Adults with Cervical Spinal Cord Injury and Myelopathy

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are investigating spinal cord associative plasticity SCAP, a combined cortical and spinal electrical stimulation technique, to improve arm and hand function in adults with cervical spinal cord injury or cervical myelopathy. This early phase study aims to understand how electrical stimulation can strengthen signaling from the spinal cord to muscles, improve knowledge of spinal cord movement control, and assess whether spinal surgery to relieve pressure can enhance spinal cord function. Participants will undergo different types of stimulation depending on their group. Uninjured volunteers and people with chronic spinal cord injury or cervical myelopathy scheduled for surgery may receive non-invasive or intraoperative pairing of cortical and spinal stimulation. Repeated pairing sessions SCAP will be performed to study lasting effects. The interventions involve measuring thresholds and responses using transcranial magnetic stimulation TMS, transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation TSCS, and intraoperative spinal cord electrodes, with control comparisons included. During the study, participants will have muscle responses, pinch force, and reflex measures evaluated immediately and up to one hour after stimulation sessions. Assessments include motor evoked potentials and conduction times. Participants will commit to seven visits, abstain from certain substances on testing days, and undergo monitoring for safety and function. The study duration extends through testing and surgery periods, aiming to advance translation of SCAP to human therapy.

Spinal Cord Associative Plasticity Study