Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42468533›Full record

ArticleCell reports. Medicine2026

Spinal cord stimulation modulates post-synaptic inhibition to improve arm neuromotor control after chronic stroke.

Luigi Borda, Nikhil Verma, Erynn Sorensen, Erick Carranza, Roberto de Freitas, Scott Ensel, Amy Boos, Peter C Gerszten, Daryl P Fields, George F Wittenberg and 4 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readClinical Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Cell reports. Medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04512690 (Spinal Cord Stimulation for Restoration of Arm and Hand Function in People With Subcortical Stroke), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–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.

NCT04512690 nacompletednot on this map

Spinal Cord Stimulation for Restoration of Arm and Hand Function in People With Subcortical Stroke

TypeinterventionalSponsorLee Fisher, PhDRan2021 to 2025Enrolled7ConditionsStroke, Brain Diseases, Central Nervous System Diseases, Nervous System DiseasesArmsEpidural electrical stimulation (EES) of the cervical spinal cord
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Luigi BordaNeuroMechatronics Lab, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Nikhil VermaNeuroMechatronics Lab, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Erynn SorensenRehabilitation and Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Erick CarranzaRehabilitation and Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Roberto de FreitasRehabilitation and Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Scott EnselRehabilitation and Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Amy BoosRehabilitation and Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Peter C GersztenDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Daryl P FieldsRehabilitation and Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
George F WittenbergRehabilitation and Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; TECH-GRECC & HERL, Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Lee E FisherRehabilitation and Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Elvira PirondiniRehabilitation and Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Marco CapogrossoRehabilitation and Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Douglas J WeberNeuroMechatronics Lab, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; The Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Electronic address: dougweber@cmu.edu.

Funding

Spinal Cord Stimulation to Improve Motor Function in People with Post-Stroke HemiplegiaUG3NS123135 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI CAPOGROSSO, MARCO, WEBER, DOUGLAS J · 2022 to 2024
$4.7M
NINDS NIH HHS UG3 NS123135
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Epidural spinal cord stimulation has been shown to be a promising neurotechnology to improve upper limb function in people affected by stroke. It is well established that spinal cord stimulation (SCS) targeting the dorsal root entry zone increases excitatory drive to α-motoneurons via the monosynaptic reflex pathway. However, the effects of SCS on inhibitory neural pathways remain unexplored. We hypothesized that SCS improves the neuromotor control of arm movement by strengthening both excitatory and inhibitory circuit function. We show in three individuals with post-stroke motor symptoms that SCS enhances postsynaptic Ia reciprocal inhibition. These changes correlate with enhanced muscle coordination and arm kinematics, resulting in smoother and faster trajectories. Our study provides further insights into the neural targets of spinal cord stimulation and the use of this technology to treat post-stroke motor deficits. This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04512690).

Indexed as

ArmSpinal CordSpinal Cord StimulationStrokeAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedMotor NeuronsNeural InhibitionStroke Rehabilitationepidural spinal cord stimulationmotor coordinationmotor improvementsneuromodulationreciprocal inhibitionSCSsensorimotor controlspinal circuitsspinal cord stimulationstrokestroke rehabilitation, hemiparesisupper limb motor recovery

Identifiers

PMID42468533
PMCPMC13522750

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

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.