ArticlePloS one2026
Effects of non-invasive spinal cord stimulation on autonomic function in individuals with subacute spinal cord injury: A pilot clinical trial protocol.
Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06540859 (Spinal Cord Stimulation for Autonomic Recovery in Inpatient Rehabilitation After Acute SCI), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
Spinal Cord Stimulation for Autonomic Recovery in Inpatient Rehabilitation After Acute SCI
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
15 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionSpinal cord injury (SCI) at or above the thoracic sixth spinal cord level disrupts descending sympathetic and parasympathetic control, leading to severe autonomic dysfunctions including cardiovascular and pelvic organ function. These complications adversely affect the quality of life and are associated with increased morbidity and mortality after SCI. Transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) may offer therapeutic benefits for these functions. The safety of tSCS in subacute SCI, however, remains unknown. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the feasibility of tSCS for autonomic recovery in individuals with subacute SCI within six months since injury. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We designed a two-phase clinical protocol consisting of a pilot randomized controlled trial conducted during inpatient rehabilitation (Project A), followed by a post-discharge outpatient phase with a single-arm quasi-experimental design (Project B). In Project A, 26 adults with cervical or upper thoracic (≥T6) American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) A-C SCI are planned to be enrolled and randomly assigned to receive tSCS or sham stimulation for five sessions (up to 90 minutes each) in parallel with standard care. Following discharge from inpatient rehabilitation, eligible participants will be offered continuation in Project B. New eligible participants who have not participated in Project A will also be recruited into Project B. They will receive 18 tSCS sessions over six weeks in the laboratory setting. Primary outcomes focus on feasibility, including recruitment, retention, and stimulation-related adverse events. Clinical outcomes will be collected at baseline, after each intervention, and at six months and one-year post-injury. Feasibility results will be summarized descriptively, and exploratory analyses of autonomic outcomes, including cardiovascular and pelvic organ function, will provide preliminary estimates of autonomic responses. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study has been approved by the University of Washington Institutional Review Board. Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. Results will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals and shared with the scientific/clinical communities and individuals with lived experience of SCI.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT06540859.
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.