Effectiveness of NEUROM and tDCS for Motor Recovery in Chronic Paraplegia
Key facts
- Who runs it
- Lebanese University
- Where
- Lebanon1 site in 1 countryChoose a country to see its sites
- Trial code
- Status
- Completed
- People taking part
- 56 people enrolled
- Started
- 1 Dec 2022
- Ended
- 1 Oct 2024
- Type of study
- Interventional, 3 groupsOne group gets a sham (pretend) treatment, for comparison.
- Treatments tested
- Conventional Rehabilitation
- NEUROM + tDCS
- NEUROM
- Record updated
- 12 February 2026
Who can take part
- Age
- 16 years to 45 years
- Sex
- Women and men
- Healthy volunteers
- Cannot take part
The registry criteria, word for word
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Who can take part
- Age: Between 16 and 45 years
- Diagnosis: Chronic spinal cord injury (at least 3 months post-injury)
- Level of Injury: Lower dorsal (below T10) or lumbar
- Classification: American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) grade A, B, or C
- Signed Informed Consent
Who cannot take part
- Concurrent Treatment: Involvement in any specific rehabilitation program other than the conventional protocol since injury
- tDCS Contraindications: Presence of metal in the head or implanted medical devices (e.g., pacemaker, cochlear implant)
- Seizure History: Any history of epilepsy or seizures
- Medications: Current use of medications containing sodium channel blockers (e.g., carbamazepine) or history of substance abuse
- Comorbidities: Neuropsychiatric comorbidities or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Spasticity: Severe spasticity defined as a Modified Ashworth Scale score ≥ 3; Crucial Data Fixes (You must update these fields in the registry UI):
This trial has no sites in United States.
It has sites in one country. Choose a country to see its sites.
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury (TSCI) is a catastrophic, unexpected, and devastating event that can occur along the spinal column (cervical, thoracic, and lumbar). Traditional views describe the spinal cord as a protected bundle of nerves connecting the brain to the body. TSCI often results in life-threatening conditions including varying degrees of motor paralysis, sensory loss, and impairment of bowel, bladder, sexual, and other physiologic functions.
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In this study, the investigators propose a new experimental rehabilitative protocol for TSCI patients called the Neural Motor Recruitment Method (NEUROM). This method is based on histological and functional reorganization models following TSCI, Motor Imagery (MI) concepts, and targeted sensory inputs related to motor recovery. It is hypothesized that this new method can enhance sparing-induced plasticity and increase motor and sensory recovery in SCI patients, especially when combined with Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS).
The 3 groups in the trial
- Conventional GroupSham treatment, for comparison
Conventional usual Rehabilitation is administered to a group of patients without any effect on their recovery
Treatment: Conventional Rehabilitation
- NEUROMTreatment being tested
participants received the new protocol of a method called NEUROM consisting of 3 phases of treatment : Motor Imagery training, active rehabilitation and functional rehabilitation
- NEUROM combined with tDCSTreatment being tested
same as the second arm of NEUROM combined with transcranial direct stimulation
Treatment: NEUROM + tDCS
Data and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- Synergistic Effect of tDCS and Neuromotor Recruitment on Functional Recovery in Chronic Paraplegia: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- Publications
- Record updated
- 12 February 2026