Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37685810›Full record

ArticleJournal of clinical medicine2023

Cortical Mechanisms Underlying Immersive Interactive Virtual Walking Treatment for Amelioration of Neuropathic Pain after Spinal Cord Injury: Findings from a Preliminary Investigation of Thalamic Inhibitory Function.

Sylvia M Gustin, Mark Bolding, William Willoughby, Monima Anam, Corey Shum, Deanna Rumble, Victor W Mark, Lucie Mitchell, Rachel E Cowan, Elizabeth Richardson and 2 more

2 registry-linked trialsAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of clinical medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT06463418 naactive not recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2024, after this paper: background citation

Exoskeleton Training for Spinal Cord Injury Neuropathic Pain (ExSCIP): Protocol for a Phase 2 Feasibility Randomised Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity College DublinRan2024 to 2026Enrolled40ConditionsTraumatic Spinal Cord InjuryArmsEkoskeleton (Intervention), Relaxation (Comparator)
NCT07165353 narecruitingnot on this mapstarted 2026, after this paper: background citation

Virtual Walking With Habitual Feedback to Reduce Chronic Neuropathic Pain in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury

TypeinterventionalSponsorSwiss Paraplegic Research, NottwilRan2026 to 2027Enrolled40ConditionsSpinal Cord Injuries (SCI), Neuropathic Pain Due to Spinal Cord InjuryArmsVirtual Walking, Sham Virtual Walking
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Effects of virtual walking on neuropathic pain following spinal cord injury: a systematic review.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2026
    Pooled it
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Sylvia M GustinNeuroRecovery Research Hub, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia.
Mark BoldingDepartment of Radiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7684-4125
William WilloughbyDepartment of Radiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA.
Monima AnamDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7509-7578
Corey ShumImmersive Experience Laboratories LLC, Birmingham, AL 35203, USA.
Deanna RumbleDepartment of Psychology and Counseling, University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR 72035, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2832-7788
Victor W MarkDepartment of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA.
Lucie MitchellDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA.
Rachel E CowanDepartment of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA.
Elizabeth RichardsonDepartment of Behavioral & Social Sciences, University of Montevallo, Montevallo, AL 35115, USA.
Scott RichardsDepartment of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA.
Zina TrostDepartment of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.

Funding

Congressionally Designated Medical Research Program ([CDMRP SCIRP] Spinal Cord Injury Research Development Grant N/ACraig H Neilsen Foundation N/AInternational Association for the Study of Pain N/ARebecca L. Cooper Medical Research Foundation N/A
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundNeuropathic pain following spinal cord injury (SCI) affects approximately 60% of individuals with SCI. Effective pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments remain elusive. We recently demonstrated that our immersive virtual reality walking intervention (VRWalk) may be effective for SCI NP. Additionally, we found that SCI NP may result from a decrease in thalamic γ-aminobutyric-acid (GABA), which disturbs central sensorimotor processing.

objectiveWhile we identified GABAergic changes associated with SCI NP, a critical outstanding question is whether a decrease in SCI NP generated by our VRWalk intervention causes GABA content to rise.

methodA subset of participants (

resultsThe findings revealed a significant increase in thalamic GABA content from pre- to post-VRWalk treatment.

conclusionWhile the current findings are preliminary and should be interpreted with caution, pre- to post-VRWalk reductions in SCI NP may be mediated by pre- to post-treatment increases in thalamic GABA by targeting and normalizing maladaptive sensorimotor cortex reorganization. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of pain recovery can serve to validate the efficacy of home-based VR walking treatment as a means of managing pain following SCI. Neuromodulatory interventions aimed at increasing thalamic inhibitory function may provide more effective pain relief than currently available treatments.

Indexed as

MR spectroscopyspinal cord injury neuropathic painthalamusvirtual realityγ-aminobutyric acid

Identifiers

PMID37685810
PMCPMC10488675

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.