Spinal zaps could reawaken paralyzed arms
NCT ID NCT06701422
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study explores how electrical stimulation of the spinal cord can help people with cervical spinal cord injury regain arm and hand function. Researchers will place electrodes on the spinal cord during surgery and test different stimulation patterns. The goal is to find the best way to activate specific muscles. 36 adults scheduled for cervical spine surgery will take part.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- epidural electrical stimulation
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help design better spinal cord stimulation therapies to restore arm and hand movement in people with paralysis.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, small physiology study, not a treatment trial. It only tests short-term stimulation during surgery, so it may not lead to lasting functional improvement.
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 36 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2024
- Expected to finish
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Jun 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 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: •Clinical indication for cervical spine surgery. Exclusion criteria: •Stimulation devices in the neck or chest (e.g., vagal nerve stimulation, cardiac patients with pacemakers)
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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
2 sites. 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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Columbia University Irving Medical Center
RECRUITINGNew York, New York, 10032, United States
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The Daniel and Jane Och Spine Hospital at NewYork-Presbyterian/Allen
RECRUITINGNew York, New York, 10034, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can a tailored surgical approach improve outcomes for spinal stenosis?
- Robotic exoskeleton takes on conventional therapy in spinal cord injury recovery trial