Spinal Cord Associative Plasticity Study for Spinal Cord Injury

This study is looking at ways to improve arm and hand function in people with cervical spinal cord injury (SCI), tetraplegia/tetraparesis, or cervical myelopathy. Researchers are testing different methods of combining brain and spinal cord stimulation. This includes non-invasive (outside the body) and intraoperative (during surgery) techniques called "Spinal Cord Associative Plasticity" (SCAP). The goal is to see if these methods can strengthen the signals from the brain to the muscles and improve our understanding of how the spinal cord works. You may be eligible if you are 18-80 years old and can meet certain study requirements. Success will be measured by changes in hand muscle response to brain stimulation immediately after these procedures.

Study design: This interventional study plans to enroll 92 participants. It is not specified if it is randomized or blinded.
What's involved: You would need to attend 7 visits and abstain from alcohol, smoking, and caffeine on experiment days, and recreational drugs for the study duration.
Compensation: Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up: The primary endpoints are measured immediately after the stimulation procedures, so long-term follow-up is not specified.

AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.

Spinal Cord Associative Plasticity Study

Recruiting

EARLY_PHASE1Ages 18–80InterventionalBasic science

Columbia University

~92 participants

Updated 2026-06-18 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What's tested:Non-invasive pairing of cortical and spinal stimulationIntraoperative pairing of cortical and spinal stimulationNon-invasive repeated pairing of cortical and spinal stimulation (SCAP)Intraoperative repeated pairing of cortical and spinal stimulation (SCAP)Intraoperative repeated pairing of cortical and spinal stimulation (SCAP) at or below myelopathic region

At a glance

Recruiting sites

3 of 3 listed sites are recruiting right now

RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open

What they're measuring

Size of hand muscle response to brain stimulation during combined brain and spinal stimulation

Measured over Immediate

+1 more outcome measured

Conditions

Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

Tetraplegia/Tetraparesis

Cervical Myelopathy

Where it's being run

3 sites across 1 states

New York3

Study leadership

Jason B Carmel, M.D., Ph.D. · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · Columbia University

Who to contact

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

[email protected]

917-301-1882

Email the study team

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Do you actually qualify for this trial?

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

Age between 18-80 years.

Must have stable prescription medication for 30 days prior to screening

Must be able to: abstain from alcohol, smoking and caffeine consumption on the day of each experiment; abstain from recreational drugs for the entirety of the study; commit to study requirements (i.e., 7 visits); provide informed consent.

No known central or peripheral neurological disease or injury.

Score of 1-4 (out of 5) on manual muscle testing of finger extension, finger flexion, or finger abduction in left or right hand.

Clinical indication for cervical spine surgery.

Exclusion

Personal or extensive family history of seizures;

Ventilator dependence or patent tracheostomy site;

Use of medications that significantly lower seizure threshold, such as amphetamines, neuroleptics, dalfampridine, and bupropion;

History of stroke, brain tumor, brain abscess, or multiple sclerosis;

History of moderate or severe head trauma (loss of consciousness for greater than one hour or evidence of brain contusion or hemorrhage or depressed skull fracture on prior imaging);

History of implanted brain/spine/nerve stimulators, aneurysm clips, ferromagnetic metallic implants in the head (except for inside mouth); cochlear implants; cardiac pacemaker/defibrillator; intracardiac lines; currently increased intracranial pressure; or other contraindications to brain or spine stimulation;

Significant coronary artery or cardiac conduction disease; recent history of myocardial infarction and heart failure with an ejection fraction of less than 30% or with a New York Heart Association Functional Classification of Class III or IV;

Recent history (within past 6 months) of recurrent autonomic dysreflexia, defined as a syndrome of sudden rise in systolic pressure greater than 20 mm Hg or diastolic pressure greater than 10 mm Hg, without rise in heart rate, accompanied by symptoms such as headache, facial flushing, sweating, nasal congestion, and blurry vision (this will be closely monitored during all screening and testing procedures);

History of significant hearing problems;

History of bipolar disorder;

History of suicide attempt;

Active psychosis;

Recent history (\>1 year) of chemical substance dependency or significant psychosocial disturbance;

Heavy alcohol consumption (greater than equivalent of 5oz of liquor) within previous 48 hours;

Open skin lesions over the face, neck, shoulders, or arms;

Pregnancy; and

Unsuitable for study participation as determined by study physician.

Epilepsy;

A history of skull surgery with metal implants;

Cochlear implants;

Patients with aneurysm stents in neck or brain blood vessels;

Evidence of skull shrapnel; (For experiments involving spinal cord stimulation)

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

What this trial measures

Size of hand muscle response to brain stimulation during combined brain and spinal stimulationImmediate
Size of hand muscle response will be measured in response to brain and spinal cord stimulation timed to converge in the spinal cord. This value will be normalized to the muscle response for brain only stimulation. This applies to Arms 1-2.
Size of hand muscle response to brain stimulation after SCAPImmediately after SCAP
Size of hand muscle response will be measured in response to brain and spinal cord stimulation timed to converge in the spinal cord. This value will be normalized to the equivalent measure taken before the SCAP protocol. This applies to Arms 3-5.

Trialytics