ArticleIEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering : a publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society2018
Transcutaneous Electrical Spinal Stimulation Promotes Long-Term Recovery of Upper Extremity Function in Chronic Tetraplegia.
Article in IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering : a publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 9 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 119 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Clinical Assessment of Upper Extremity Performance in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury Using the LIFT System to Deliver Non-invasive Electrical Spinal Stimulation (ARC Therapy)
Combinatorial Treatment of Acute Intermittent Hypoxia and Transcutaneous Electrical Spinal Cord Stimulation to Improve Hand Function in People With Cervical Spinal Cord Injury
Closed-loop Spinal Stimulation for Restoration of Upper Extremity Function After Spinal Cord Injury
Safety and Performance Assessment of the LIFT System When Used to Support Home-based Upper Extremity Training in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury.
The Reynolds Innovative Spinal Electrical Stimulation (RISES) Program: Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation
Establishing the Feasibility, Safety, and Efficacy of Spinal Cord Transcutaneous Stimulation with Activity-based Training for Upper Extremity Function Recovery in Individuals with Acute to Subacute Tetraplegia
Transcutaneous Electrical Spinal Stimulation (tSCS) for Improving Upper Limb Function in People With MS
Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation for Rehabilitation of Upper Limbs in Early Spinal Cord Injury: Randomised Feasibility Study
Combined Gait Training and Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation to Enhance Lower Limbs Motor Recovery After Subacute SCI
Who cites it
119 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 202 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness of transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation for lower limb rehabilitation in spinal cord injury: a systematic review.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2025Pooled it
- Modulations in neural pathways excitability post transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation among individuals with spinal cord injury: a systematic review.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2024Pooled it
- Transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation and motor responses in individuals with spinal cord injury: A methodological review.PloS one · 2021Pooled it
- Complications of epidural spinal stimulation: lessons from the past and alternatives for the future.Spinal cord · 2020Pooled it
- Neurophysiological Effect of Transcutaneous Electrical Spinal Cord Stimulation in Chronic Complete Spinal Cord Injury.Artificial organs · 2025Trial
- Transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation combined with robotic-assisted body weight-supported treadmill training enhances motor score and gait recovery in incomplete spinal cord injury: a double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2025Trial
- Non-invasive spinal cord electrical stimulation for arm and hand function in chronic tetraplegia: a safety and efficacy trial.Nature medicine · 2024Trial
- Trial
- Minimal handgrip force is needed for transcutaneous electrical stimulation to improve hand functions of patients with severe spinal cord injury.Scientific reports · 2022Trial
- Cervicothoracic trans-spinal magnetic stimulation: effect of coil position and orientation on spinal motor evoked potentials.Experimental brain research · 2026Article
- Transcutaneous spinal stimulation with upper extremity robotic training in chronic stroke and spinal cord injury: individual neurophysiological and clinical responses.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Spinal cord neuromodulation for autonomic recovery following spinal cord injury: a scoping review.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Article
- Neural mechanisms underlying leg muscle responses during cervical transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation.Journal of neural engineering · 2026Article
- Virtual prototyping of non-invasive spinal cord electrical stimulation targeting upper limb motor function.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Cervical Spinal Cord Stimulation for Functional Rehabilitation After Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review of Preclinical and Clinical Studies.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Long-term outcomes and age-dependent recovery trajectories following short-term spinal cord stimulation in patients with disorders of consciousness.Frontiers in neurology · 2026Article
- The Neurophysiological Effects of Cervical Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation With and Without a High Frequency Carrier in Able-Bodied Adults.Artificial organs · 2025Article
- Effectiveness of Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation for Lower Limb Rehabilitation in Spinal Cord Injury: Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Non-Invasive Cervical Spinal Stimulation and Respiratory Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial with a Partial Crossover Design.Brain sciences · 2025Article
59 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Upper extremity function is the highest priority of tetraplegics for improving quality of life. We aim to determine the therapeutic potential of transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation for restoration of upper extremity function. We tested the hypothesis that cervical stimulation can facilitate neuroplasticity that results in long-lasting improvement in motor control. A 62-year-old male with C3, incomplete, chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) participated in the study. The intervention comprised three alternating periods: 1) transcutaneous spinal stimulation combined with physical therapy (PT); 2) identical PT only; and 3) a brief combination of stimulation and PT once again. Following four weeks of combined stimulation and physical therapy training, all of the following outcome measurements improved: the Graded Redefined Assessment of Strength, Sensation, and Prehension test score increased 52 points and upper extremity motor score improved 10 points. Pinch strength increased 2- to 7-fold in left and right hands, respectively. Sensation recovered on trunk dermatomes, and overall neurologic level of injury improved from C3 to C4. Most notably, functional gains persisted for over 3 month follow-up without further treatment. These data suggest that noninvasive electrical stimulation of spinal networks can promote neuroplasticity and long-term recovery following SCI.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.