Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42483221›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in neuroscience2026

Lower limb rehabilitation in chronic incomplete SCI: a randomized controlled trial protocol comparing combined TMS-tSCS neuromodulation vs. tSCS alone.

Ravi Shankar, Gobinathan Chandran

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in neuroscience, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07595497 (A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Combined TMS-tSCS Neuromodulation Versus tSCS Alone Lower Limb Rehabilitation in Chronic Incomplete SCI), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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.

NCT07595497 nanot yet recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2027, after this paper: background citation

A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Combined TMS-tSCS Neuromodulation Versus tSCS Alone Lower Limb Rehabilitation in Chronic Incomplete SCI

TypeinterventionalSponsorNational University Hospital, SingaporeRan2027 to 2028Enrolled24ConditionsSpinal Cord Injuries (SCI)ArmsTranscranial Magnetic Stimulation, Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation
3 · Its place in the literature

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0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Ravi ShankarClinical Research and Innovation Office, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, National Healthcare Group, Singapore, Singapore.
Gobinathan ChandranDepartment of Medicine, Division of Rehabilitation Medicine, National University Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) affects 15.4 million people worldwide, with a substantial proportion of incomplete SCI patients remaining non-ambulatory, highlighting the importance of motor function recovery and mobility in rehabilitation. While transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) has emerged as a promising non-invasive neuromodulation technique for enhancing motor recovery, the therapeutic potential of combining tSCS with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) remains largely unexplored. This combination may leverage the complementary mechanisms of supraspinal and spinal neuromodulation to enhance corticospinal tract plasticity and functional motor outcomes. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of combined TMS-tSCS intervention compared to tSCS alone for improving lower extremity motor function in individuals with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury. Methods: This prospective, randomized, controlled, assessor-blinded clinical trial will enroll 60 participants with chronic (>12 months post-injury) incomplete spinal cord injury (AIS C or D) aged 18-65 years from Alexandra Hospital, Singapore. Participants will be randomized 1:1 to receive either combined TMS-tSCS (intervention group) or tSCS with sham TMS (control group) for 16 weeks (32 sessions). The primary outcome is change in Lower Extremity Motor Score (LEMS) from baseline to 16 weeks. Secondary outcomes include walking speed (10-Meter Walk Test), functional independence (Spinal Cord Independence Measure-III), spasticity (Modified Ashworth Scale), electromyography of the lower limb muscles and neurophysiological measures of corticospinal excitability. Expected outcomes: We hypothesize that combined TMS-tSCS will yield superior improvements in LEMS (≥2 points greater improvement) compared to tSCS alone, with enhanced corticospinal tract plasticity as evidenced by neurophysiological measures. Clinical trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT07595497.

Indexed as

lower extremity motor scoremotor rehabilitationneuromodulationspinal cord injurytranscranial magnetic stimulationtranscutaneous spinal cord stimulation

Identifiers

PMID42483221
PMCPMC13385176

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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.