StrokeNCT04512690
Spinal Cord Stimulation for Restoration of Arm and Hand Function in People With Subcortical Stroke
A study testing Epidural electrical stimulation (EES) of the cervical spinal cord in people with Stroke and Brain Diseases, run by Lee Fisher, PhD at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this study is to verify whether electrical stimulation of the cervical spinal cord can activate muscles of the arm and hand in people with hemiplegia following stroke. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 21 to 70 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Stroke, Brain Diseases, Central Nervous System Diseases
- What is being tested?
- Epidural electrical stimulation (EES) of the cervical spinal cord
- Type of treatment
- Medical device
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 8 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 24 Mar 2021to 30 Jun 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 21 to 70 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Single, ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke resulting in upper extremity hemiparesis more than 6 months prior to the time of enrollment. (Prior strokes that did not cause upper extremity motor deficits are not exclusionary.)
- Participants must be between the ages of 21 and 70 years old.
- Scores higher than 7 and lower than 50 on the Fugl-Meyer scale
Who cannot join
- Serious disease or disorder (ex. neurological condition other than stroke, cancer, severe cardiac or respiratory disease, renal failure, etc.) or cognitive impairments that could affect the ability to participate in study activities.
- Pregnancy or breast feeding.
- Receiving anticoagulant, anti-spasticity or anti-epileptic medications throughout the duration of the study.
- Presence of any implanted medical devices.
- Severe claustrophobia.
- Presence of joint contractures deemed by study clinician/investigator to be too severe to participate in study activities
- Results from the Brief Symptoms Inventory (BSI-18) and additional discussions with the Principal Investigator and a study physician that deem participant inappropriate for the study.
- Evaluation to sign consent form score <12.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213
About this study
The goal of this study is to verify whether electrical stimulation of the cervical spinal cord can activate muscles of the arm and hand in people with hemiplegia following stroke. Participants will undergo a surgical procedure to implant a system which provides epidural electrical stimulation (EES) of the cervical spinal cord. Researchers will quantify the ability of EES to recruit arm and hand muscles and produce distinct kinematic movements. The implant will be removed after less than 30 days. Results of this study will provide the foundation for future studies evaluating the efficacy of a minimally-invasive neuro-technology that can be used in clinical neurorehabilitation programs to restore upper limb motor function in people with subcortical strokes, thereby increasing independence and quality of life.
Read the detailed description
Specifically, researchers will 1) quantify the motor potentials in arm and hand muscles generated by single pulses of electrical stimulation of the spinal cord using FDA-cleared devices 2) characterize optimal stimulation parameter ranges to maximize induced arm and hand movement, 3) measure neural changes that could be induced by the system, 4) characterize potential clinical effects by assessing patient mobility, spasticity, and neurophysiology with standard clinical tests and simple motor tasks.
- Conditions
- Stroke, Brain Diseases, Central Nervous System Diseases, Nervous System Diseases, Cardiovascular Diseases
- Being tested
- Epidural electrical stimulation (EES) of the cervical spinal cord
- Medical subject headings
- Stroke, Brain Diseases, Central Nervous System Diseases, Nervous System Diseases, Cardiovascular Diseases
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Epidural electrical stimulation (EES) of the cervical spinal cordDevice
All participants enrolled in this group will undergo a surgical procedure to implant a system which provides epidural electrical stimulation (EES) of the cervical spinal cord. Researchers will quantify the ability of EES to recruit arm and hand muscles and produce distinct kinematic movements. The implant will be removed after less than 30 days.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Epidural electrical stimulation of the cervical spinal cord | Experimental | Individuals with prior subcortical stroke and hemiparesis of the upper extremity. Receives: Device: Epidural electrical stimulation (EES) of the cervical spinal cord |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Number of Serious Adverse Events
Study is considered successful if no serious adverse events related to the use of electrical stimulation are reported
Measured: 29 days
Discomfort and Pain
We will assess the relative level of discomfort and/or pain that is associated to the delivery of stimulation to the spinal cord. After each stimulation trains patients will be asked to report their perceived discomfort level using a 10 value subjective scale. Low values will be assigned to low discomfort, and high values to high discomfort.The study is considered successful if 70% of recruited subjects does not report discomfort or pain at stimulation amplitudes that are required to obtain motor responses in the muscles of the arm and hand. This is the total number across all assessments dates
Measured: 7, 14, 21, 29 days
Secondary outcomes (11)
Motor Impairment
The Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) is a stroke-specific, performance-based impairment index. It is designed to assess motor functioning, balance, sensation and joint functioning in patients with post-stroke hemiplegia. It is applied clinically and in research to determine disease severity, describe motor recovery, and to plan and assess treatment. The upper extremity motor function score ranges from 0 (most severe) to 66 points (less severe). Minimal Detectable Change (MDC) is 5.2 points. The MCID (Minimally Clinically Important Difference) is 4.25 to 7.25.
Measured: Change from Baseline to 29 Day
Dexterity / Function: Action Research Arm Test
The investigators will use the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) assessment to quantify functional hand and arm dexterity. Performances will be compared with SCS-on against SCS-off. The investigators will consider as a minimally acceptable improvement an increase in the affected arm total score of >4 points. Comparison will be done per patient between Stim-on, Stim-off. Maximum score on the test is 57 points, minimum score is zero points, with a higher value indicating better dexterity/function.
Measured: Change from Baseline to 29 Days
Single Joint Force
Isometric torque: measure the isometric torque produced by the subject at the shoulder, elbow and wrist joints. Comparison of SCS-on with SCS-off performance. Success Criteria: ≥20% increased torque production over SCS-off baseline as measured during single-joint isometric torque.
Measured: 7, 14, 21, 29 days
Joint Velocity
The investigators will use the KINARM robot to quantify joint velocity. The investigators will measure 2D kinematics of the arm during several different horizontal reaching tasks. The investigators will also quantify joint velocity in 3D while subjects perform reach and grasp tasks unsupported. Subjects will be tasked to reach to targets or objects and manipulate objects while 3D videos of their arm and hand movements are recorded. Arm and hand kinematics will then be analyzed offline in parallel to EMG analysis of arm and hand muscles. Comparison will be done per patient between Stim-on and Stim-off at different time-points. Given the scientific nature of this task no minimal acceptable improvement is defined and data will be used to understand effects of SCS on arm kinematics.
Measured: 7, 14, 21, 29 days
Movement Smoothness
The investigators will use the KINARM robot to quantify movement smoothness. The investigators will measure 2D kinematics of the arm during several different horizontal reaching tasks. The investigators will also quantify movement smoothness in 3D while subjects perform reach and grasp tasks unsupported. Subjects will be tasked to reach to targets or objects and manipulate objects while 3D videos of their arm and hand movements are recorded. Arm and hand kinematics will then be analyzed offline in parallel to EMG analysis of arm and hand muscles. Comparison will be done per patient between Stim-on and Stim-off at different time-points. Given the scientific nature of this task no minimal acceptable improvement is defined and data will be used to understand effects of SCS on arm kinematics.
Measured: 7, 14, 21, 29 days
Time to Target
The investigators will use the KINARM robot to quantify time to target. The investigators will measure 2D kinematics of the arm during several different horizontal reaching tasks. The investigators will also quantify time to target in 3D while subjects perform reach and grasp tasks unsupported. Subjects will be tasked to reach to targets or objects and manipulate objects while 3D videos of their arm and hand movements are recorded. Arm and hand kinematics will then be analyzed offline in parallel to EMG analysis of arm and hand muscles. Comparison will be done per patient between Stim-on and Stim-off at different time-points. Given the scientific nature of this task no minimal acceptable improvement is defined and data will be used to understand effects of SCS on arm kinematics.
Measured: 7, 14, 21, 29 days
Sensory Motor Integration: Success-rate
The investigators will use the KINARM robot to quantify functional sensory acuity and sensory-motor integration. The investigators will measure 2D kinematics of the arm during different exercises where subjects will reach to defined targets with and without visual feedback. These tasks are designed to assess proprioception acuity and sensory-motor integration. Success-rate will be quantified offline. Comparison will be done per patient between Stim-on and Stim-off at different timepoints. Given the scientific nature of this task no minimal acceptable improvement is defined and data will be used to understand effects of SCS on sensorimotor integration processes.
Measured: 29 days
Sensory Integration: Displacement Error. Number of Participants That Improved Position Error in Passive Position Matching Task
The investigators will use the KINARM robot to quantify functional sensory acuity and sensory-motor integration. The investigators will measure 2D kinematics of the arm during different exercises where subjects will reach to defined targets with and without visual feedback. These tasks are designed to assess proprioception acuity and sensory-motor integration. Displacement error from true target location will be quantified offline. Comparison will be done per patient between Stim-on and Stim-off at different timepoints. Given the scientific nature of this task no minimal acceptable improvement is defined and data will be used to understand effects of SCS on sensorimotor integration processes.
Measured: 29 days
Spasticity
The investigators will quantify spasticity scores using the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) for the shoulder, elbow and wrist joint. The investigators will consider as a minimally acceptable improvement a decrease of MAS >1, if available for the specific joint. Comparison will be done per patient between Stim-on and Stim-off and pre-study baselines. Maximum score on the MAS is 4, minimum score is 0, with a lower number indicating less spasticity. Measure is the MAS score at day 29 minus the score at baseline.
Measured: 29 days
Sensorimotor Network Structure Integrity
The investigators will perform High-definition Diffusion Weighted Imaging to quantify Fractional Anisotropy as a measurement of axon integrity in the brain and spinal cord pre and post study. We assessed the residual anatomical integrity of CST by using fractional anisotropy (FA) of diffusion-weighted MR images. Fractional anisotropy (FA) is a unitless scalar (range: 0-1) derived from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) that reflects the degree of directional water diffusion within white matter. It is calculated as a normalized ratio of diffusion along principal versus non-principal directions. Higher FA values indicate greater microstructural organization and integrity of the corticospinal tract (CST), whereas lower values suggest reduced integrity
Measured: 29 days
Cortico-spinal Tract Integrity
The investigators will measure muscle evoked potential consequent to Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of the cortico-spinal tract to assess integrity of the cortico-spinal tract. They will also explore SCS responses when conditioned by a TMS pulse and vice-versa.
Measured: 29 days
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted13 Aug 2020
- Study start24 Mar 2021
- Primary completion30 Jun 2025
- Study completion30 Jun 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Publications (8)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for StrokeStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Model description
- Prospective, non-randomized, open-label, descriptive, experimental
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 8 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Lee Fisher, PhD
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor-investigator, Lee Fisher, PhD, University of Pittsburgh
- Investigators
- Lee Fisher, PhD, Principal investigator, University of Pittsburgh
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04512690
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- STUDY19090210
- Other IDs
- UG3NS123135
- Status last verified
- Aug 2025
- First submitted
- 24 Jul 2020
- Last updated
- 28 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- Yes
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Data may be shared with other researchers for the purpose of data analysis and collaboration.
Publications
Capogrosso M, Milekovic T, Borton D, Wagner F, Moraud EM, Mignardot JB, Buse N, Gandar J, Barraud Q, Xing D, Rey E, Duis S, Jianzhong Y, Ko WK, Li Q, Detemple P, Denison T, Micera S, Bezard E, Bloch J, Courtine G. A brain-spine interface alleviating gait deficits after spinal cord injury in primates. Nature. 2016 Nov 10;539(7628):284-288. doi: 10.1038/nature20118.
PubMed 27830790Coscia M, Wessel MJ, Chaudary U, Millan JDR, Micera S, Guggisberg A, Vuadens P, Donoghue J, Birbaumer N, Hummel FC. Neurotechnology-aided interventions for upper limb motor rehabilitation in severe chronic stroke. Brain. 2019 Aug 1;142(8):2182-2197. doi: 10.1093/brain/awz181.
PubMed 31257411Angeli CA, Edgerton VR, Gerasimenko YP, Harkema SJ. Altering spinal cord excitability enables voluntary movements after chronic complete paralysis in humans. Brain. 2014 May;137(Pt 5):1394-409. doi: 10.1093/brain/awu038. Epub 2014 Apr 8.
PubMed 24713270Capogrosso M, Wenger N, Raspopovic S, Musienko P, Beauparlant J, Bassi Luciani L, Courtine G, Micera S. A computational model for epidural electrical stimulation of spinal sensorimotor circuits. J Neurosci. 2013 Dec 4;33(49):19326-40. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1688-13.2013.
PubMed 24305828Lu DC, Edgerton VR, Modaber M, AuYong N, Morikawa E, Zdunowski S, Sarino ME, Sarrafzadeh M, Nuwer MR, Roy RR, Gerasimenko Y. Engaging Cervical Spinal Cord Networks to Reenable Volitional Control of Hand Function in Tetraplegic Patients. Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2016 Nov;30(10):951-962. doi: 10.1177/1545968316644344. Epub 2016 May 18.
PubMed 27198185Barra B, Roux C, Kaeser M, Schiavone G, Lacour SP, Bloch J, Courtine G, Rouiller EM, Schmidlin E, Capogrosso M. Selective Recruitment of Arm Motoneurons in Nonhuman Primates Using Epidural Electrical Stimulation of the Cervical Spinal Cord. Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2018 Jul;2018:1424-1427. doi: 10.1109/EMBC.2018.8512554.
PubMed 30440659Borda L, Verma N, Sorensen E, Carranza E, de Freitas R, Ensel S, Boos A, Gerszten PC, Fields DP, Wittenberg GF, Fisher LE, Pirondini E, Capogrosso M, Weber DJ. Spinal cord stimulation modulates post-synaptic inhibition to improve arm neuromotor control after chronic stroke. Cell Rep Med. 2026 Aug 18;7(8):102925. doi: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2026.102925. Epub 2026 Jul 17.
PubMed 42468533de Freitas RM, Bhatia S, Sorensen E, Verma N, Carranza E, Ensel S, Borda L, Boos A, Goldsmith J, Fisher LE, Fields DP, Powell MP, Gordon S, Balzer J, Friedlander RM, Wittenberg GF, Gerszten PC, Krakauer JW, Pirondini E, Weber DJ, Capogrosso M. Spinal cord stimulation for upper limb motor function in people with chronic post-stroke hemiparesis: a feasibility trial. Nat Med. 2026 Jul;32(7):2579-2590. doi: 10.1038/s41591-026-04435-1. Epub 2026 Jun 4.
PubMed 42243548
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 28 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Spinal Cord Stimulation for Restoration of Arm and Hand Function in People With Subcortical Stroke
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04512690
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- STUDY19090210
- Conditions
- Stroke, Brain Diseases, Central Nervous System Diseases, Nervous System Diseases, Cardiovascular Diseases
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 8 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Lee Fisher, PhDUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
- Study start
- 24 Mar 2021 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Jun 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 30 Jun 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 13 Aug 2020 (actual)
- Results
- Posted 28 Sep 2026
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this study is to verify whether electrical stimulation of the cervical spinal cord can activate muscles of the arm and hand in people with hemiplegia following stroke. Participants will undergo a surgical procedure to implant a system which provides epidural electrical stimulation (EES) of the cervical spinal cord. Researchers will quantify the ability of EES to recruit arm and hand muscles and produce distinct kinematic movements. The implant will be removed after less than 30 days. Results of this study will provide the foundation for future studies evaluating the efficacy of a minimally-invasive neuro-technology that can be used in clinical neurorehabilitation programs to restore upper limb motor function in people with subcortical strokes, thereby increasing independence and quality of life.
Detailed description
Specifically, researchers will 1) quantify the motor potentials in arm and hand muscles generated by single pulses of electrical stimulation of the spinal cord using FDA-cleared devices 2) characterize optimal stimulation parameter ranges to maximize induced arm and hand movement, 3) measure neural changes that could be induced by the system, 4) characterize potential clinical effects by assessing patient mobility, spasticity, and neurophysiology with standard clinical tests and simple motor tasks.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
- Model description
- Prospective, non-randomized, open-label, descriptive, experimental
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Epidural electrical stimulation of the cervical spinal cord | Experimental | Device: Epidural electrical stimulation (EES) of the cervical spinal cordIndividuals with prior subcortical stroke and hemiparesis of the upper extremity. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 21 to 70 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Single, ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke resulting in upper extremity hemiparesis more than 6 months prior to the time of enrollment. (Prior strokes that did not cause upper extremity motor deficits are not exclusionary.)
- Participants must be between the ages of 21 and 70 years old.
- Scores higher than 7 and lower than 50 on the Fugl-Meyer scale
Key exclusion criteria (8 listed)
- Serious disease or disorder (ex. neurological condition other than stroke, cancer, severe cardiac or respiratory disease, renal failure, etc.) or cognitive impairments that could affect the ability to participate in study activities.
- Pregnancy or breast feeding.
- Receiving anticoagulant, anti-spasticity or anti-epileptic medications throughout the duration of the study.
- Presence of any implanted medical devices.
- Severe claustrophobia.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Epidural electrical stimulation (EES) of the cervical spinal cordAll participants enrolled in this group will undergo a surgical procedure to implant a system which provides epidural electrical stimulation (EES) of the cervical spinal cord. Researchers will quantify the ability of EES to recruit arm and hand muscles and produce distinct kinematic movements. The implant will be removed after less than 30 days. | Device | Epidural electrical stimulation of the cervical spinal cord |
Primary outcome
Number of Serious Adverse Events
Time frame: 29 days
Study is considered successful if no serious adverse events related to the use of electrical stimulation are reported
Discomfort and Pain
Time frame: 7, 14, 21, 29 days
We will assess the relative level of discomfort and/or pain that is associated to the delivery of stimulation to the spinal cord. After each stimulation trains patients will be asked to report their perceived discomfort level using a 10 value subjective scale. Low values will be assigned to low discomfort, and high values to high discomfort.The study is considered successful if 70% of recruited subjects does not report discomfort or pain at stimulation amplitudes that are required to obtain motor responses in the muscles of the arm and hand. This is the total number across all assessments dates
11 secondary outcomes
Motor Impairment
Time frame: Change from Baseline to 29 Day
Dexterity / Function: Action Research Arm Test
Time frame: Change from Baseline to 29 Days
Single Joint Force
Time frame: 7, 14, 21, 29 days
Joint Velocity
Time frame: 7, 14, 21, 29 days
Movement Smoothness
Time frame: 7, 14, 21, 29 days
Time to Target
Time frame: 7, 14, 21, 29 days
Sensory Motor Integration: Success-rate
Time frame: 29 days
Sensory Integration: Displacement Error. Number of Participants That Improved Position Error in Passive Position Matching Task
Time frame: 29 days
Spasticity
Time frame: 29 days
Sensorimotor Network Structure Integrity
Time frame: 29 days
Cortico-spinal Tract Integrity
Time frame: 29 days
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 28 Sep 2026.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
- Background: PubMed 27830790Capogrosso M, Milekovic T, Borton D, Wagner F, Moraud EM, Mignardot JB, Buse N, Gandar J, Barraud Q, Xing D, Rey E, Duis S, Jianzhong Y, Ko WK, Li Q, Detemple P, Denison T, Micera S, Bezard E, Bloch J, Courtine G. A brain-spine interface alleviating gait deficits after spinal cord injury in primates. Nature. 2016 Nov 10;539(7628):284-288. doi: 10.1038/nature20118.
- Background: PubMed 31257411Coscia M, Wessel MJ, Chaudary U, Millan JDR, Micera S, Guggisberg A, Vuadens P, Donoghue J, Birbaumer N, Hummel FC. Neurotechnology-aided interventions for upper limb motor rehabilitation in severe chronic stroke. Brain. 2019 Aug 1;142(8):2182-2197. doi: 10.1093/brain/awz181.
- Background: PubMed 24713270Angeli CA, Edgerton VR, Gerasimenko YP, Harkema SJ. Altering spinal cord excitability enables voluntary movements after chronic complete paralysis in humans. Brain. 2014 May;137(Pt 5):1394-409. doi: 10.1093/brain/awu038. Epub 2014 Apr 8.
- Background: PubMed 24305828Capogrosso M, Wenger N, Raspopovic S, Musienko P, Beauparlant J, Bassi Luciani L, Courtine G, Micera S. A computational model for epidural electrical stimulation of spinal sensorimotor circuits. J Neurosci. 2013 Dec 4;33(49):19326-40. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1688-13.2013.
- Background: PubMed 27198185Lu DC, Edgerton VR, Modaber M, AuYong N, Morikawa E, Zdunowski S, Sarino ME, Sarrafzadeh M, Nuwer MR, Roy RR, Gerasimenko Y. Engaging Cervical Spinal Cord Networks to Reenable Volitional Control of Hand Function in Tetraplegic Patients. Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2016 Nov;30(10):951-962. doi: 10.1177/1545968316644344. Epub 2016 May 18.
- Background: PubMed 30440659Barra B, Roux C, Kaeser M, Schiavone G, Lacour SP, Bloch J, Courtine G, Rouiller EM, Schmidlin E, Capogrosso M. Selective Recruitment of Arm Motoneurons in Nonhuman Primates Using Epidural Electrical Stimulation of the Cervical Spinal Cord. Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2018 Jul;2018:1424-1427. doi: 10.1109/EMBC.2018.8512554.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 42468533Borda L, Verma N, Sorensen E, Carranza E, de Freitas R, Ensel S, Boos A, Gerszten PC, Fields DP, Wittenberg GF, Fisher LE, Pirondini E, Capogrosso M, Weber DJ. Spinal cord stimulation modulates post-synaptic inhibition to improve arm neuromotor control after chronic stroke. Cell Rep Med. 2026 Aug 18;7(8):102925. doi: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2026.102925. Epub 2026 Jul 17.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 42243548de Freitas RM, Bhatia S, Sorensen E, Verma N, Carranza E, Ensel S, Borda L, Boos A, Goldsmith J, Fisher LE, Fields DP, Powell MP, Gordon S, Balzer J, Friedlander RM, Wittenberg GF, Gerszten PC, Krakauer JW, Pirondini E, Weber DJ, Capogrosso M. Spinal cord stimulation for upper limb motor function in people with chronic post-stroke hemiparesis: a feasibility trial. Nat Med. 2026 Jul;32(7):2579-2590. doi: 10.1038/s41591-026-04435-1. Epub 2026 Jun 4.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Data may be shared with other researchers for the purpose of data analysis and collaboration.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Lee Fisher, PhD principal investigator
University of Pittsburgh
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Epidural electrical stimulation (EES) of the cervical spinal cord in people with Stroke and Brain Diseases, run by Lee Fisher, PhD at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 8 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 28 Sep 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 28 Sep 2026). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Number of Serious Adverse Events (time frame: 29 days). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT04512690, which also lists 8 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 28 Sep 2026.