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Spine and brain zaps aim to restore arm movement after paralysis

NCT ID NCT06867809

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Jason Carmel Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
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
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study is testing whether a combination of spinal cord stimulation and brain stimulation can safely improve arm and hand function in people with cervical spinal cord injury. Twenty adults with incomplete injuries will receive temporary spinal implants and brain stimulation over 29 days. The main goal is to check safety and tolerability, not yet to prove effectiveness.

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

About 20 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Jan 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Mar 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

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: * Patients aged ≥18 years with incomplete traumatic SCI (American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) B-D, levels between C4 to T1) incurred \> 1 year before the start of the study * At least 2/5 motor power in at least one upper extremity muscle group * International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury Upper Extremity Motor Score (ISNCSCI-UEMS) ≤ 40/50 * Able to follow multistep commands * Ability and willingness to provide informed consent * English speaking Exclusion Criteria: * Cervical or thoracic stenosis that would preclude safe lead placement * Any ongoing ventilator use (continuous or intermittent) * Urinary tract infection or pneumonia requiring treatment (within past 3 months) * Skin ulcers or other lesions * History of posterior cervical fusion * Autonomic dysreflexia requiring treatment (within past 3 months) * Implanted brain stimulators * Intracranial aneurysm clips * Ferromagnetic metallic implants in the head (except for within mouth) * Any active implanted device including intrathecal medication pumps or existing spinal cord stimulators (does not include non-active spinal instrumentation such as rods, screws, or interbody devices) * Cochlear implants * Cardiac pacemaker/defibrillator * Any history of seizures * Family history of idiopathic epilepsy in a first degree relative * Bipolar disorder * Any history of suicide attempt * Active psychosis * Intracranial lesion or increased intracranial pressure * History of stroke or intracranial neurologic conditions with structural damage * Medications that lower seizure threshold * Substance use that lowers seizure threshold (heavy alcohol use) * Moderate to severe heart disease * Pregnancy or plans to become pregnant within the study period * Any other medical or psychological condition that precludes involvement in the study as determined by a study physician

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

spinal cord injury

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Spinal cord injury Spinal cord injury cervical

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. 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

  • NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital / Columbia University Irving Medical Center (NYPH/CUIMC)

    RECRUITING

    New York, New York, 10034, United States

  • NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital / Columbia University Irving Medical Center (NYPH/CUIMC)

    RECRUITING

    New York, New York, 10032, United States

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