Mind-Controlled arm: implanted brain chip aims to restore movement in paralysis
NCT ID NCT03898804
First seen Aug 20, 2026 · Last updated Aug 21, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This early feasibility trial tests a system that implants tiny electrodes in the brain areas controlling movement and sensation, paired with electrodes in the arm and shoulder to stimulate paralyzed muscles. The goal is to let people with tetraplegia (paralysis of the arms and hands) move their limbs by thinking about the movement. Up to 12 participants will be followed for 13 months to see if the device is safe and if it can help them control a cursor on a screen and potentially their own arm.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Implanted brain-computer interface (BCI) and functional electrical stimulation (FES) system
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this system could enable people with paralysis to regain some control over their arm and hand movements, improving independence and quality of life.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early feasibility study with only 12 participants, so results may not apply broadly. Risks include surgical implantation complications, device-related adverse events, and the possibility that the system may not effectively restore movement.
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
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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
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About 12 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2019
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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22 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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: 1. Age between 22 and 65 years of age. 2. Tetraplegia due to a static identified disease process (spinal cord injury or stroke) that prevents functional activity of the upper extremity. 3. Onset of tetraplegia at least 12 months prior to enrollment, with stability of weakness for at least 3 months. 4. Must have sufficiently intact cortical motor structures and stable medical prognoses to be able to perform the BCI control tasks for at least one year. . 5. Ability to speak understandably or, if unable to speak understandably, a reliable means of yes/no communication. 6. Life expectancy greater than 13 months. 7. Chronic care environment within a three-hour drive of the study site or the ability to temporarily relocate to a residence within a three-hour drive of the study site. 8. Willingness to remain available (geographically stable) for at least 13 months after enrollment, including maintenance of the evaluation schedule, frequent visits to the Investigator's office, and visits of Sponsor personnel to the subject's chronic care environment. 9. Willingness to allow videotape recordings to be made of the surgical procedure (for training purposes) and portions of the Feasibility Evaluations. 10. A stable psychosocial support system. 11. Scalp devoid of any lesions or skin breakdown precluding surgery. 12. Ability to provide voluntarily informed consent in accordance with Site institutional policies and willingness to release of Personal Health Information from the date of the injury or disease onset through the completion of the clinical Study. 13. Availability of caregivers capable of providing the necessary daily care of the subject's skin and electrode externalization sites. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Presence of an implanted stimulator such as a pacemaker, spinal cord stimulator, cochlear implant, deep brain stimulator, vagus nerve stimulator, or defibrillator. (Implanted intrathecal pumps for pain or spasticity, cough implants, or diaphragmatic pacers are not excluded.) 2. Any active infection(s) or unexplained fever. 3. Active cancer within the one year prior to enrollment (other than adequately treated basal or squamous cell skin cancer). 4. Uncontrolled insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. 5. Hydrocephalus requiring diversion of cerebrospinal fluid. 6. Autonomic dysreflexia within three months prior to enrollment that required urgent evaluation and pharmacologic intervention prescribed by a physician. 7. Seizure within 3 months prior to enrollment. 8. Any medical condition expected to require routine MRI imaging or subjects with contraindication(s) to MRI. 9. History of osteomyelitis or skin disorder that causes excessive skin sloughing, lesions or breakdown of the scalp. 10. Chronic use of medications such as sedatives that may significantly retard motor coordination and cognitive ability. 11. Chronic use of anticoagulant medications. (Subjects receiving prophylactic anticoagulation solely for the prevention of deep venous thrombosis are not excluded, but must be able to have their prophylactic anticoagulation suspended temporarily for the surgical procedure and immediate post-operative period.) 12. Chronic use of steroids or immunosuppressant therapy. 13. Active treatment for another serious medical, neurological or psychiatric disease or disorder that could seriously affect the subject's ability to undergo surgical implantation of the electrodes or participate in the testing sessions. 14. Pregnant, lactating, or of childbearing age and not using adequate birth control. 15. Active consumption of more than 1 alcoholic beverage per day. 16. Suicide attempt within 12 months prior to enrollment. 17. History of myocardial infarction or unstable cardiac arrhythmia. 18. Enrollment in any other investigational study that may interfere with the time commitments required of this study. 19. Subjects who are immunocompromised. 20. Subjects who require ongoing diathermy or ultrasound treatments. 21. Subjects with severe upper extremity joint contractures or Ashworth spasticity scores of 4 that would limit functional movements. 22. Subjects who have contraindication(s) to CT. 23. Subjects who are ventilator dependent. Subjects who are sometimes ventilator-assisted (for example, while sleeping) are not excluded.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
RECRUITINGCleveland, Ohio, 44106, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Spinal cord stimulation may help restore movement after paralysis
- Implanted electrical system aims to restore movement in paralyzed limbs
- Robotic arm could help people with paralysis regain independence at home