Neuromodulation After Spinal Cord Injury to Improve Limb Function
State University of New York at Buffalo
Summary
The University at Buffalo (UB) Department of Rehabilitation Sciences is looking for adult volunteers with and without spinal cord injuries for a study on hand movement. The goal of the study is to learn about how the brain, nerves, and muscles of the body are connected and perform everyday tasks. This may help us to develop ways to improve the hand functions of people with spinal cord injuries.
Description
The main goal of rehabilitation strategies in humans with spinal cord injury (SCI) is to strengthen transmission in spared neural networks to restore functional movements. Recent evidence showed that neuromodulation approaches may increase the transmission in corticospinal pathway in humans with SCI and improve functional outcomes. Therefore, the investigators aim to investigate how the noninvasive brain stimulation protocols affects neuroplasticity of corticospinal pathway. Specifically, the investigators will use the repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to explore its effect.…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–75 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: * Healthy adults between the ages of 18-75 years old who are right-handed * Adults between the ages of 18-75 years old who have had a spinal cord injury (SCI) Exclusion Criteria: For both healthy individuals and those with SCI: * Uncontrolled medical problems including pulmonary, cardiovascular or orthopedic disease * Any debilitating disease prior to the SCI that caused exercise intolerance * Ongoing major depression or altered cognitive status * Metal plate in skull * History of seizures * Receiving drugs acting primarily on the central nervous system, which lower the…
Interventions
- OtherrTMS
Intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) will be utilized since they have been reported to have a cortical neuromodulatory effect. The iTBS protocol will be applied over primary motor cortex to investigate its effect on corticospinal excitability and functional outcome. Theta burst stimulation (TBS) consists of bursts of pulses containing 3 pulses at 50 Hz (3 pulses per second) repeated at 200 ms intervals (5 Hz). During iTBS, a 2 second train of TBS is repeated every 10 seconds (600 pulses in 190 seconds).
- OtherSham rTMS
Sham iTBS protocols will be applied with the same parameters as in iTBS protocol. However, sham coil will be used.
- BehavioralMotor training
The motor training will be focused on participant's hand motor function such as grasping function.
Location
- The Kimball Tower at The State University of New York at BuffaloBuffalo, New York