Brain zaps and feedback may reboot hand control after paralysis
NCT ID NCT06989905
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This early study tests whether a 10-week brain stimulation and feedback training program can strengthen the connection between the brain and wrist muscles in people with chronic cervical spinal cord injury. Eleven adults with weak wrist extension will receive non-invasive brain stimulation while trying to increase a muscle response, with the goal of improving arm and hand function. Researchers will also use MRI scans to understand how the brain and spinal cord change with training.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- brain stimulation and feedback training (operant conditioning of motor evoked potential)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a non-invasive way to improve arm and hand function after spinal cord injury.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, small trial (11 people) testing a new training approach. It may not produce meaningful improvements, and results may not apply to everyone with spinal cord injury.
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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Early phase 1
The earliest testing in people: a first look at safety, in a very small group.
- Participants
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About 11 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2025
- Expected to finish
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Mar 2027
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 years and older
- 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: * Adult (≥18 yrs old) * A history of injury to spinal cord at or above C6 * \>6 months post SCI * Weak wrist extension at least unilaterally * Expectation that current medication will be maintained without change for at least 3 months. Stable use of anti-spasticity medication (e.g., baclofen, diazepam, tizanidine) is accepted. Exclusion Criteria: * Motoneuron injury * Medically unstable condition * Cognitive impairment * A history of epileptic seizures * Metal implants in the cranium * Implanted biomedical device in or above the chest (e.g., a cardiac pacemaker, cochlear implant) * Extensive use of functional electrical stimulation to the arm on a daily basis * Pregnancy (due to changes in posture and potential medical instability) * Contraindications to MRI * No measurable MEP elicited in the ECR * Unable to produce any voluntary ECR EMG activity
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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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Medical University of South Carolina
RECRUITINGCharleston, South Carolina, 29425, United States
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