A Comprehensive Assessment of Altered Embodiment in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury (SCI_Embodiment)

Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI)

Treatments: Behavioral: Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI); Behavioral: Behavioral assessment

Study type: Observational

Funder types: NETWORK

Identifiers

NCT06688916

2024-13

Details and patient eligibility

About

Spinal cord injury (SCI) occurs when trauma or other factors damage the spinal cord, disrupting the flow of sensory information from the body to the brain. This interruption can interfere with embodiment-the body awareness and physical sensations processed by the brain-sometimes leading to a phenomenon called disembodiment.

For people with SCI, disembodiment may appear as unusual body sensations, like feeling that a limb is in a different position than it actually is. Such changes in body awareness can impact daily life, mental health, and rehabilitation outcomes.

Despite its importance, the study of embodiment in SCI remains limited. This project aims to explore how SCI alters embodiment, focusing on its specific characteristics, the effects on daily life, and the underlying brain activity as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Both people with and without SCI will participate.

Procedure: Participants will complete a single examination lasting 2 to 2.5 hours, including approximately 55 minutes in the MRI scanner (with preparation and follow-up).

Enrollment: 80 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria for all participants:

• Age between 18 and 60
• Normal or corrected-to-normal visual acuity
• German or Italian native speaker

Additional Inclusion Criteria only for individuals with SCI:

• Diagnosis of traumatic spinal cord injury
• Lesion level below T1 (first thoracic vertebra)
• Time since injury >= 12 months
• Residual sensation on the upper leg (sensory capability of 1 or higher on at least one leg in the dermatomes L2 and L3 for both light touch and pin prick).

Exclusion Criteria for all participants:

• Pregnancy or breastfeeding
• Diagnosis of other psychiatric or neurological disorders (e.g. epilepsy, tumor in the central nervous system)
• Confirmed diagnosis of alcohol and/or drug abuse with active consumption within the last 6 months
• Confirmed diagnosis of traumatic brain injury, intended as visible changes in the brain diagnosed by a radiologist
• Stroke
• Inability to perform study procedures (e.g. inability to consent)

Additional Exclusion Criteria for both HC and SCI undergoing the fMRI procedure:

• Active medical devices (e.g. cardiac pacemaker)
• Inability to perform study procedures (e.g. claustrophobia)

Trial design

80 participants in 4 patient groups

Individuals with SCI - Behavioral assessment

Description:

15 individuals with SCI will perform a comprehensive behavioral assessment of embodiment (see "Interventions"). A clinical assessment of sensory-motor symptoms will also be carried out.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Behavioral assessment

Individuals with SCI - Behavioral assessment and fMRI

Description:

25 individuals with SCI will perform a comprehensive behavioral assessment of embodiment and neural correlates of embodiment will be explored by means of an fMRI procedure (see "Interventions"). A clinical assessment of sensory-motor symptoms will also be carried out.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Behavioral assessment

Behavioral: Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

Healthy controls - Behavioral assessment

Description:

15 healthy controls will perform a comprehensive behavioral assessment of embodiment (see "Interventions").

Treatment:

Behavioral: Behavioral assessment

Healthy controls - Behavioral assessment and fMRI

Description:

25 individuals with SCI will perform a comprehensive behavioral assessment of embodiment and neural correlates of embodiment will be explored by means of an fMRI procedure (see "Interventions").

Treatment:

Behavioral: Behavioral assessment

Behavioral: Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)