Spinal zaps may help stiff legs move freely in rare nerve disease
NCT ID NCT07417943
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests a noninvasive spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) to improve walking and reduce muscle stiffness in 15 adults with hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), a rare nerve condition. Participants receive stimulation through skin electrodes on the lower back twice a week for 8 weeks, then are followed for 8 more weeks. Researchers measure walking speed, endurance, and stiffness to see if the treatment helps.
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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 15 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2026
- Expected to finish
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Feb 2028
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.
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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.
Inclusion Criteria: * Clinical diagnosis of hereditary spastic paraplegia (genetic confirmation if available). * Stable medications for spasticity and other neurologic symptoms for =4 weeks prior to enrollment. * Able to participate in study visits and assessments with or without assistive devices. * If ambulatory: able to walk at least 10 meters with or without an assistive device. * If wheelchair user: able to perform seated mobility tasks and transfers required for assessments. * Capacity to provide informed consent and follow study procedures, with an ability to communicate and understand instructions in English Exclusion Criteria: * Implanted electronic devices (e.g., pacemaker, deep brain stimulator, intrathecal pumps). * Severe cardiopulmonary disease that would make participation unsafe. * Open skin lesions or severe dermatologic conditions at electrode sites. * Pregnancy or plans to become pregnant during the intervention period. * Diagnosed with Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS) or another neurological condition that affects walking, such as stroke, multiple sclerosis (MS), or a recent surgery on legs. * Unable to participate in basic movement or mobility assessments, even with their usual mobility device (such as a wheelchair, walker, or cane). People who use wheelchairs or other mobility aids can participate if they can complete the study's mobility assessments in their usual way. * Cognitive or psychiatric conditions that make it difficult to give informed consent or follow study instructions. * Diagnosed with Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), either acute or ongoing, before or at the time of study enrollment. * Diagnosed with epilepsy. * Participation in another interventional clinical trial that could affect mobility or spasticity during the study. * A recent change (within the last 4 weeks) in medications or treatments that affect spasticity or movement (for example: baclofen, tizanidine, botulinum toxin injections). * Expect to start or change treatments for spasticity or mobility during the study period. * Any condition judged by the investigator to pose excess risk or confound outcomes.
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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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University of Kentucky
RECRUITINGLexington, Kentucky, 40506, United States
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