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Spinal cord stimulation: a surprising key to unlocking metabolism?

NCT ID NCT04326192

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Oregon Health and Science University 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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Aug 25, 2026 · Last updated Aug 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether spinal cord stimulation (SCS), a treatment for chronic back and leg pain, can also activate brown adipose tissue (BAT) — a type of fat that burns calories. Researchers will place an extra research electrode during a standard SCS implant in about 10 adults with pain and a BMI between 25 and 45. Using PET/CT scans, they will compare BAT activity during stimulation to baseline to see if SCS increases metabolism, which could potentially aid weight loss and improve type 2 diabetes.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) with an additional research electrode placed in the epidural space
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a new way to help with weight loss and improve type 2 diabetes by boosting metabolism.
What could go wrong
This is a very small, early study in people already getting spinal cord stimulation for pain. It may not lead to a treatment, and the added electrode carries procedural risks.

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 10 people

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

Started

Feb 2021

Expected to finish

Dec 2029

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

21 to 70 years

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: 1. Age: 21-70 years 2. Persistent neuropathic leg and back pain 3. Subjects who are already planning to undergo SCS for pain 4. Subjects who have not received a prior SCS trial for pain 5. Subjects with a BMI of 25-45, using formula; weight (lb) / \[height (in)\]2 x 703 Exclusion Criteria: 1. Not considering SCS for pain 2. Forensic patient 3. Taking beta blockers 4. Weight change \> 5% within last 3 months 5. Habitual tobacco use 6. Habitual excessive alcohol use 7. Pregnancy 8. Decisionally impaired adults 9. Children 10. Neonates 11. Subjects with a BMI of \<25 or \>45

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Back Pain diabetes mellitus morbid obesity Obesity type 2 diabetes mellitus

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Obesity, morbid Pain, back Type 2 diabetes

How to take part

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

  1. The places running it

    1 site. 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

  • Oregon Health & Science University

    RECRUITING

    Portland, Oregon, 97239, United States

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