Spinal Cord Injuries Clinical Trials

Over the past ten years, the Cardiovascular Research Laboratory at Spaulding has refined a unique form of exercise for those with spinal cord injuries (SCI). Functional Electrical Stimulation Row Training (FESRT) couples volitional arm and electrically controlled leg exercise, resulting in the benefits of large muscle mass exercise. However, despite the potential for enhancing aerobic capacity by training the denervated leg skeletal muscle via hybrid FES exercise, the inability to increase ventilation beyond limits set by high level SCI restricts aerobic capacity. This research study will investigate two potential methods of improving ventilation in those with high-level SCI through a double-blind randomized trial. One method is non-invasive ventilation (NIV), which is an external breathing support machine. The second method is the use of Buspar, a drug, which has been used to treat respiratory dysfunction after SCI in rats and some human case reports. In this study, participants will engage in a 6-month FES row training program while receiving either NIV or shamNIV and Buspar or placebo, and under study tests to evaluate cardiopulmonary health and fitness. Read Less

The use of the conditioning open-label placebo (COLP) paradigm will be studied as a dose extension method to lower opioid dosage in patients with spinal cord injury, polytrauma, and burn injury. The goal is to provide the same level of pain relief with a reduced opioid intake to diminish side effects as well as the risk of addiction associated with opioid treatment. Read Less

Our goal is to enhance repeated exposure to acute intermittent hypoxia (rAIH)/training-induced aftereffects on upper and lower limb function recovery in humans with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). Read Less

This study will examine the use brief prolonged exposure (Brief PE) therapy compared to standard clinical care to reduce posttraumatic distress among people who have had a spinal cord injury and are receiving rehabilitation in an inpatient setting. Read Less