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Muscle zaps may sharpen aging brains after spinal cord injury

NCT ID NCT05822297

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Adelante, Centre of Expertise in Rehabilitation and Audiology Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 16, 2026 · Last updated Jul 17, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study explores whether electrically stimulating the leg muscles of people with spinal cord injury can improve cognitive function. Participants will receive 12 weeks of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) to their quadriceps, three times a week. Researchers will measure changes in cognitive test performance and blood levels of a brain-health protein called BDNF. The goal is to understand if muscle-released factors (myokines) can help counter accelerated cognitive aging in this population.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) applied to the quadriceps muscles
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a non-drug way to slow cognitive decline in people with spinal cord injury.
What could go wrong
This is a very small, early study with only 15 participants and no control group, so results may not be generalizable. The cognitive benefits seen in able-bodied people may not apply here.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

19 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jan 2024

Finished

Oct 2025

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Persons with spinal cord injury * Completeness of injury: American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS) A, B or C * Level of injury: L2 or higher * At least 18 years old * Chronic stage (\> 1 year) since injury * No previous surgery to the quadriceps muscles * Intact hand function * Able to use apps on smartphone (i.e. participants should have their own smartphone and should not have disabilities that impair them to operate it independently) * Able to follow the instructions of placing the surface electrodes of the NMES device correctly or to have someone else put the electrodes for them * Dutch as a native language Exclusion Criteria: * Malignant processes, or history of undergoing chemotherapy, or history of radiotherapy to the head * No visible or palpable contraction of the quadriceps muscle upon electrical stimulation * Intolerance to electrical stimulation of the quadriceps muscle * Recent or current participation in an electrical stimulation-induced exercise or therapy program in which regular electrical stimulation was given (up to 6 months prior to study inclusion) * Known neurodegenerative disorder, such as Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease * Known psychiatric disorder, such as major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder * Current pressure ulcer * History of severe autonomic dysreflexia * Metal implants in the electrical stimulation area * Intrathecal baclofen (ITB) device * Pregnancy

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Cognitive Dysfunction spinal cord injury

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Cognitive decline Spinal cord injuries

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Adelante Zorggroep

    Maastricht, Limburg, 6430 AB, Netherlands

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