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Non-invasive Electrical Spinal Cord Stimulation To Restore Upper Extremity Function in Multiple Sclerosis

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University of Washington

Status and phase

Enrolling
Phase 1

Conditions

Multiple Sclerosis

Treatments

Other: Occupational Therapy
Combination Product: Transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation + therapy

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT06552611
STUDY00020787

Details and patient eligibility

About

Current disease-modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) aim to prevent the development of new lesions; unfortunately, no current FDA-approved therapies promote central nervous system (CNS) repair mechanisms. Thus, strategies to promote functional recovery from lesion-related deficits in adults with MS remain an unmet need.

This is a pilot study designed to test the feasibility, safety and preliminary efficacy of non-invasive (transcutaneous, applied by surface electrodes over the skin) electrical spinal cord stimulation combined with occupational therapy for restoring upper extremity sensorimotor function in adults with multiple sclerosis.

Participants with multiple sclerosis and impaired upper extremity function will complete two separate 6-week intervention sessions: 6 weeks of occupational therapy combined with transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation and 6 weeks of occupational therapy alone. The order of these interventions will be randomized, and each intervention will be separated by a 6-week washout period.

The investigators hypothesize that:

  1. transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation combined with therapy will be feasible and acceptable by participants
  2. transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation combined with therapy will lead to improvements in upper extremity function compared to occupational therapy alone
  3. transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation combined with therapy will lead to improvements in symptoms related to quality of life (pain, spasticity, and bladder symptoms) compared to occupational therapy alone

Enrollment

4 estimated patients

Sex

All

Ages

21 to 70 years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

  1. Diagnosis of MS
  2. Age between 21 and 70
  3. Presence of upper extremity functional impairment (correlating with raw score ≤34 on NeuroQOL Upper Extremity Function short-form questionnaire),
  4. Ability to attend intervention and assessment sessions 3 times per week.
  5. For women of childbearing potential, willingness to provide confirmation of a negative over-the-counter home pregnancy test within 2 weeks of study entry and prior to each intervention arm.

Exclusion criteria

  1. Relapse within the past 6 months (given that natural recovery from relapse could skew results)
  2. Active implanted stimulator or baclofen pump
  3. Upper extremity botox injection within the past 6 months
  4. Unstable dalfampridine usage during study duration (which may interfere with functional outcomes)
  5. Coexisting neurological condition that could interfere with interpretation of testing results (hx of stroke, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy/seizure, ALS, spinal cord injury, central nervous system vasculitis, intracranial tumor, intracranial aneurysm, cervical myelopathy/radiculopathy or peripheral neuropathy (diabetic polyneuropathy, entrapment neuropathy), etc.)
  6. History of major active psychiatric illness that could interfere with treatment, such as severe depression, alcohol/drug abuse, or dementia
  7. Serious comorbidities (e.g., cardiac arrhythmia, uncontrolled hypertension, respiratory disease, cancer, renal failure, chronic infectious disease, rheumatic disease, frequent UTIs, etc.) that would prevent participation in study activities
  8. Presence of severe joint contractures in the affected hand and arm that may interfere with study activities or outcome measures
  9. Severe spasticity, as defined by an Ashworth score of 4 in both sides of the upper limb
  10. Pregnant and/or breastfeeding
  11. Lack of ability to fully comprehend, cooperate, and/or safely perform study procedures in the investigator's opinion/judgment
  12. Inability to give consent

Trial design

Primary purpose

Treatment

Allocation

Randomized

Interventional model

Crossover Assignment

Masking

Single Blind

4 participants in 2 patient groups

Hand Therapy alone
Active Comparator group
Description:
Participants randomized to hand therapy alone will participate in therapy sessions three times per week, 60 minutes per session for six weeks.
Treatment:
Other: Occupational Therapy
Hand Therapy + Stimulation
Experimental group
Description:
Participants will receive non-invasive transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation paired with hand therapy sessions three times per week, 60 minutes per session, for six weeks.
Treatment:
Combination Product: Transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation + therapy
Other: Occupational Therapy

Trial contacts and locations

1

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Central trial contact

Sarah Simmons, MD, PhD

Data sourced from clinicaltrials.gov

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