Short bursts of low oxygen may boost breathing after spinal injury

NCT ID NCT06011876

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: University of Florida Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Sep 15, 2026 · Updated 3 times

Summary

This study tests whether short episodes of breathing low-oxygen air can improve breathing strength in people with chronic spinal cord injury. Participants will try three different breathing sessions (low oxygen, low oxygen with extra carbon dioxide, and normal air) to see which works best. Researchers will also look for genetic differences that might explain why some people respond better than others.

What this could mean

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

Active substance: Acute Intermittent Hypoxia (AIH) and Acute Intermittent Hypercapnic-Hypoxia (AIHH)
What this could lead to: If successful, this could point toward a personalized breathing therapy for people with spinal cord injury based on their genetics.
What could go wrong: This is an early, small study (62 people) focused on short-term changes, not long-term outcomes. 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

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 62 people

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

Started

Dec 2023

Expected to finish

Sep 2027

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

18 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. Adults 18-70 years of age 2. Chronic incomplete SCI ≥ 1 year at or below C1-T12 * Incomplete SCI based on residual sensory and motor function below the level of the injury or injury classification of B, C, D at initial screening according to the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Classification and the International Standards for the Neurological Classification of SCI. -OR- Chronic complete SCI ≥1 year at or below C4-T12 * Complete SCI based on the absence of residual sensory or motor function below the level of injury or injury classification of A at initial screening according to the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Classification and the International Standards for the Neurological Classification of SCI. 3. Medically stable with physician clearance 4. SCI due to non-progressive etiology 5. 20% impairment in maximal inspiratory, maximal expiratory pressure generation, or both relative to normative values Exclusion Criteria: 1. Current diagnosis of an additional neurologic condition such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson disease, stroke, or brain injury 2. Severe illness or infection, including non-healing decubitus ulcers, untreated bladder or urinary tract infections, cardiovascular disease, lung disease, active heterotopic ossification, or uncontrolled hypertension 3. Severe neuropathic pain 4. Known pregnancy 5. Severe recurrent autonomic dysreflexia Exclusion for involvement in TMS - History of seizure disorder, uncontrolled migraines, presence of cardiac pacemaker, metal implants in skull, medications that lower seizure threshold.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Respiratory Aspiration spinal cord injury

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Spinal cord injuries

How to take part

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

The places running it

1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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.

Short bursts of low oxygen may boost breathing after spinal injury

What the study statuses mean