SynthesisPloS one2021
Transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation and motor responses in individuals with spinal cord injury: A methodological review.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 42 papers, 2 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
42 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 54 citations in OpenAlex.
- Non-invasive cerebral and spinal cord stimulation for motor and gait recovery in incomplete spinal cord injury: systematic review and meta-analysis.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
- Trial
- 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
- Article
- Objective Biomarker Development for Parameter Optimization in Neuromodulation Using High-Density EMG Temporal and Spatial Features.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Article
- Transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation plus locomotor training versus sham-stimulation plus locomotor training in chronic spinal cord injury (eWALK): a multicentre, triple-blind, randomised, sham-controlled trial.EClinicalMedicine · 2026Article
- Improving muscle recruitment via multi-electrode transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation using automated selectivity-driven algorithms.APL bioengineering · 2026Article
- Virtual prototyping of non-invasive spinal cord electrical stimulation targeting upper limb motor function.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Article
- Patient-reported effects of transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation on spasticity in patients with spinal cord injury.The journal of spinal cord medicine · 2026Article
- 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
- Interactions between descending and spinal circuits on motor output.Experimental neurology · 2025Article
- Optimizing Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation: An Exploratory Study on the Role of Electrode Montages and Stimulation Intensity on Reflex Pathway Modulation.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- 5-year follow-up of a fully implanted brain-computer interface in a spinal cord injury patient.Journal of neural engineering · 2025Article
- Article
- Electrical stimulation in upper limb assistance: opportunities and challenges.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2025Review
- Towards Precise Synthetic Neural Codes: High-dimensional Stimulation with Flexible Electrodes.Npj flexible electronics · 2025Article
- Task-dependent frequency of intermuscular coherence in the presence of transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation: a feasibility study.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2025Article
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
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTranscutaneous spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) is a non-invasive modality in which electrodes can stimulate spinal circuitries and facilitate a motor response. This review aimed to evaluate the methodology of studies using tSCS to generate motor activity in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) and to appraise the quality of included trials.
methodsA systematic search for studies published until May 2021 was made of the following databases: EMBASE, Medline (Ovid) and Web of Science. Two reviewers independently screened the studies, extracted the data, and evaluated the quality of included trials. The electrical characteristics of stimulation were summarised to allow for comparison across studies. In addition, the surface electromyography (EMG) recording methods were evaluated.
resultsA total of 3753 articles were initially screened, of which 25 met the criteria for inclusion. Studies were divided into those using tSCS for neurophysiological investigations of reflex responses (n = 9) and therapeutic investigations of motor recovery (n = 16). The overall quality of evidence was deemed to be poor-to-fair (10.5 ± 4.9) based on the Downs and Black Quality Checklist criteria. The electrical characteristics were collated to establish the dosage range across stimulation trials. The methods employed by included studies relating to stimulation parameters and outcome measurement varied extensively, although some trends are beginning to appear in relation to electrode configuration and EMG outcomes.
conclusionThis review outlines the parameters currently employed for tSCS of the cervicothoracic and thoracolumbar regions to produce motor responses. However, to establish standardised procedures for neurophysiological assessments and therapeutic investigations of tSCS, further high-quality investigations are required, ideally utilizing consistent electrophysiological recording methods, and reporting common characteristics of the electrical stimulation administered.
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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.