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Cervical Spinal Cord Associative Plasticity

Columbia University · NCT07539025

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Key facts

Compensation
Not posted. Ask the study team before screening.
Who can join
Ages 18–80 · All sexes
Healthy volunteers
Accepted
Study type
Interventional · Not applicable
Target enrollment
20
US sites recruiting
1
Study start
May 9, 2026
Record last updated
May 22, 2026

Status re-checked against ClinicalTrials.gov within the last 12 hours.

What the study is about

Associative plasticity has been used to promote functional recovery from conditions affecting movement. Prior work from the Carmel laboratory has shown that paired associative stimulation protocols timed to converge in the cervical spinal cord induce significantly larger upper limb motor responses than if timed to converge in the motor cortex.

The goal of this prospective experimental study in typically developing adults is to test the effects of pairing sub-threshold hand motor cortical and median nerve stimulation targeted to induce plasticity in the cervical spinal cord, rather than in the motor cortex. Based on preliminary data, the investigators are performing a confirmatory study to test the physiological and behavioral effects of the paired brain and peripheral nerve protocol, called the SCAP-Nerve protocol.

This study will first be conducted in typically developing adults to confirm the cervical spinal cord as the ideal target and verify the present stimulation parameters are sufficient to promote induction of associative plasticity of sensorimotor connections for manual dexterity. The outcomes from this study could then be translated to efficacy studies in people with spinal cord injury and cerebral palsy to promote clinically meaningful improvements in dexterity.

Being studied: SCAP; MagPro X100; Digitimer DS8R; Paired non-associative stimulation

Conditions: Cervical Spinal Cord Plasticity

Eligibility criteria

Copied from the official record. The study team makes the final decision at screening.

Show full criteria

Inclusion Criteria

  • Willingness to participate in up to 4 sessions
  • Maintenance of caffeine and exercise levels at time of sessions
  • Ability to provide informed consent
  • No known central or peripheral neurological disease or injury
  • No known musculoskeletal injury of the tested arm or hand

Exclusion Criteria

  • Personal or family history of seizures
  • Use of medications that lower seizure threshold
  • History of implanted equipment including stimulators/pacemakers

Recruiting US locations

  • Columbia University Irving Medical Center

    New York, NY 10040

    Site contact: Jason Carmel, MD, PhD · 212-305-2700 · jbc28@cumc.columbia.edu

Study contacts (from the official record)

  • Shaker Dukkipati, MD, PhD · 2123046501 · sd3850@cumc.columbia.edu
  • Jason Carmel, MD, PhD · jbc28@cumc.columbia.edu
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Cervical Spinal Cord Associative Plasticity (NCT07539025) | Bored Studies