Brain zaps could help paralyzed patients walk again
NCT ID NCT03053791
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This early-stage trial tests whether deep brain stimulation (DBS) of a brain region called the mesencephalic locomotor region can improve walking in people with incomplete spinal cord injury. Five participants will receive a DBS implant and be followed for safety and walking ability. The study is based on promising results in rats, but it is too early to know if it will help humans.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- deep brain stimulation
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a new way to help people with spinal cord injuries walk better.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, tiny trial with only 5 people. It is focused on safety, not proof of effectiveness. The approach may not work in humans as it did in rats.
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 5 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2018
- Expected to finish
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Dec 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 to 75 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.
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: 1. Informed Consent 2. Participation in two assessment sessions before enrollment (Screening and baseline) 3. Willingness and ability to comply with the protocol and to attend required study training and visits 4. Male or female subjects 5. Age 18-75 6. Motor incomplete SCI 7. Level of lesion: T10 and above, based on AIS level, preservation of sacral function 8. Focal spinal cord disorder caused by either trauma or non-traumatic and non-progressive condition (like hemorrhage, benign tumor) 9. Minimum 3 months of recovery after SCI 10. Completed in-patient rehabilitation program 11. WISCI II, level \>2 (0-20 items): assistance of one or more persons. Ability to walk at least 10 meters 12. Stable medical and physical condition. 13. Adequate care-giver support and access to appropriate medical care in patient's home community Exclusion Criteria: 1. Enrollment of the investigator, his/her family members, employees and other dependent persons 2. Limitation of standing and walking function based on accompanying (CNS) disorders 3. Cardiovascular disorders restricting physical training or peripheral nerve disorders 4. Implanted technical devices (pacemaker, defibrillator) 5. History of significant autonomic dysreflexia 6. Cognitive disorders/brain damage 7. Drug refractory epilepsy 8. Severe joint contractures disabling or restricting lower limb movements 9. Haematological disorders with increased risk of bleeding during surgical interventions 10. Participation in another study with investigational drug within the 30 days preceding and during the present study 11. Congenital or acquired lower limb abnormalities (affection of joints and bone) 12. Women who are pregnant or breast feeding or planning a pregnancy during the course of the study 13. Lack of safe contraception 14. Inability of the participant to follow the procedures of the study, e.g. due to language problems, psychological problems, dementia etc. 15. Known or suspected non-compliance, drug or alcohol abuse 16. Current or prior malignancy
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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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Balgrist University Hospital
RECRUITINGZurich, 8008, Switzerland
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Spinal implant aims to restore bladder control after paralysis
- Scientists map the daily rhythms of chronic pain
- Can AI learn to tune spinal cord stimulators?
- Which bowel care tool wins the race? trial pits suppository, enema, and irrigation device
- Robotic exoskeletons go home: can daily wear change life after spinal cord injury?