Autonomic Effects of Spinal Cord Stimulation in Spinal Cord Injury
Orthostatic Hypotension
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Orthostatic Hypotension focused on measuring neuromodulation, stimulation, exercise, hand bike, thermoregulation, cold room
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria: You are above the age of 18 years old You have an SCI between C3-T6 You have been injured longer than 1 year You participated in a prior experiment "Targeted Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation to Restore Autonomic Cardiovascular Health in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury" You have an American Spinal Injury Association injury classification scale (AIS) A, B, C Your prescription medications have not changed for at least 30 days Exclusion Criteria: You have a history of seizures You have an acute illness or infection You have diabetes You have untreated thyroid disease You have a neurological condition other than SCI (Alzheimer's disease, dementia, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, etc.) You have a history of heart or vascular disease (coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, peripheral artery disease,) You have a history of moderate or severe head trauma (TBI) or diagnosed with cognitive impairment You have a present or history of a psychological disorder You have contraindications to electricity over your spine You are dependent on a ventilator to breathe or have an open tracheostomy site You have a recent history of substance abuse (within the past 3 months) You have open wounds over the spine at the level targeted for stimulation You are pregnant
Sites / Locations
- James J Peters VAMCRecruiting
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
Sham Comparator
Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation
Sham Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation
The transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation used in this experiment is specific to each participant as determined in a previous study. Possible parameters include biphasic or monophasic, Russian or Nonrussian, a variety of pulse widths, and location of stimulation (T7-8, T9-10,- T11-12, L1-2). The amplitude of the stimulation also depends on the results of the mapping study. This stimulation will be delivered 30 minutes at a time.
The sham stimulation will follow the above parameters but will only be delivered for a minute rather than the full 30 minutes.