Can tricking the brain ease spinal cord pain?
NCT ID NCT06010251
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether combining bodily illusions (like the rubber hand illusion) with mild brain stimulation (tDCS) can reduce neuropathic pain in people with spinal cord injury. Thirty participants will undergo 10 sessions over 2-4 weeks. The goal is to see if these techniques can change how the brain perceives the body and lessen pain.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and bodily illusions
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a non-drug way to reduce chronic pain after spinal cord injury.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early study with only 30 people. The effects may be small or not last, and the illusions may not work for everyone.
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 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2023
- Expected to finish
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Oct 2026
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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18 to 70 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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
The study will be open to people of any ethnicity, racial background, and gender. Inclusion criteria: SCI with Pain: 1. Men or women 2. fluent in English 3. 18-70 years of age who have: (3a) Complete and incomplete SCI, level of injury (above L1); (3b) Persistent neuropathic pain started after the injury for a minimum of three months prior to entering the study that is at least moderate in severity, defined as ≥ 4 on a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) ranging 0 to 10. Exclusion criteria: Participants will be excluded if they have: 1. Major psychiatric disease/disorder (self-reported); 2. a significant neurological trauma (self-reported) other than SCI; 3. a recent (one-year) history of alcohol or drug abuse assessed by the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10) 4. history of visual and hearing loss not corrected 5. history of epilepsy or seizures 6. any metal implants in the head, or implanted devices such as cochlea implants or cardiac pacemakers. We will not include any special population like: Adults unable to consent Individuals who are not yet adults (infants, children, teenagers) Pregnant women Prisoners
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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 of Miami
RECRUITINGMiami, Florida, 33136, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Serotonin precursor probed for spinal cord injury effects
- Scientists map the daily rhythms of chronic pain
- Breathing brief Low-Oxygen bursts may boost sleep apnea treatment
- Pure oxygen tested as a switch for dormant nerves after spinal cord injury
- Spinal stimulation tested to help kids with spinal cord injuries sit taller
- Zapping the spine: a new hope for kids with paralysis?