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Neuromodulation for Hand Function After Spinal Cord Injury

The University at Buffalo is studying how brain stimulation can improve hand movement in adults with spinal cord injuries. This study will use repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a non-invasive brain stimulation, and compare it to a sham rTMS (inactive treatment) and motor training focused on hand function. Researchers want to see if rTMS can strengthen the connection between the brain and muscles, which could lead to better hand function. They will measure changes in motor evoked potentials (MEP), which show how well signals travel from the brain to muscles. You may be able to join if you are 18-75 years old, right-handed, and have a spinal cord injury, or if you are a healthy adult in the same age range. The study is currently recruiting 60 participants.

Study design
This is an interventional study with 60 planned participants, comparing active rTMS, sham rTMS, and motor training. The study's phase is not specified.
What's involved
For rTMS and Sham rTMS, measurements will be taken before and after each session on one day. For rTMS with motor training, measurements will be taken weekly for up to 20 weeks.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Participants receiving rTMS with motor training will be followed for up to 20 weeks.

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

NCT06815601

Neuromodulation After Spinal Cord Injury to Improve Limb Function

Recruiting
NAAges 18–75InterventionalTreatment
State University of New York at Buffalo
~60 participants
Updated 2025-04-15 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:rTMSSham rTMSMotor training

At a glance

Recruiting sites
1 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Motor evoked potentials (MEP)
Measured over For "rTMS" and "Sham rTMS", the time frame will be one day, before and after each session. For "rTMS with motor training", the time frame will be weekly up to 20 weeks.

Conditions

Spinal Cord Injury
Spinal Cord Injury Cervical

Explore related trials

Spinal Cord Injury

Where it's being run

1 sites across 1 states
New York1

Study leadership

  • Hang Jin Jo, PhD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · State University of New York at Buffalo

Who to contact

Hang Jin Jo, PhD
[email protected]
716-829-2905
Email the study team

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Do you actually qualify for this trial?

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

Healthy adults between the ages of 18-75 years old who are right-handed
Adults between the ages of 18-75 years old who have had a spinal cord injury (SCI)

Exclusion

Uncontrolled medical problems including pulmonary, cardiovascular or orthopedic disease
Any debilitating disease prior to the SCI that caused exercise intolerance
Ongoing major depression or altered cognitive status
Metal plate in skull
History of seizures
Receiving drugs acting primarily on the central nervous system, which lower the seizure threshold such as antipsychotic drugs
Pregnant females

What this trial measures

  • Motor evoked potentials (MEP)For "rTMS" and "Sham rTMS", the time frame will be one day, before and after each session. For "rTMS with motor training", the time frame will be weekly up to 20 weeks.

    Transcranial magnetic stimuli (TMS) will be delivered through a figure-of-eight coil over primary motor cortex to the optimal scalp position for activation of hand muscles. The optimal scalp position will be determined by moving the coil in small steps along the hand representations of the primary motor cortex to find the region where the largest MEP can be evoked with the minimum intensity in the targeted muscle. Twenty MEPs will be collected and the peak-to-peak amplitude of MEP will be averaged across trials.