Reticulospinal Control of Movements

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF ZURICH · Jul 16, 2021

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how a specific part of the brain, called the reticulospinal system, helps control movements in both healthy people and those with spinal cord injuries. The researchers want to understand how this system works, especially when people react to sudden sounds, which can help us learn more about how movements are made and improved. They aim to investigate various types of movements, from simple to more complex tasks, and see how this knowledge can help patients recover better after spinal cord injuries.

To participate in the trial, individuals aged 18 to 74 with specific types of spinal cord injuries may be eligible if they have certain nerve functions intact. Participants will be asked to perform movement tasks while researchers monitor their muscle activity and movement timing over a six-month period. This study could lead to new insights that may improve rehabilitation strategies for patients with spinal cord injuries, ultimately helping them regain better movement abilities.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Written informed consent as documented by signature
• For SCI patients:
• • ASIA Impairment scale (AIS) A-D
• • Focal damage at cervical (C4-C7; i.e. damage rostral of the spi-nal segments innervating the examined hand and leg muscles) or thoracic (T4-T12; i.e. damage caudal of the spinal segments innervating the m. abductor digiti minimi, but rostral of the spi-nal segments innervating the m. tibialis anterior)
• • Patients with cervical SCI must reveal bilaterally intact ulnar nerves as demonstrated by normal compound motor action potential (cMAP), nerve conduction velocity (NCV) and F-wave latencies in clinical neurography.
• • Patients with thoracic SCI must reveal bilaterally intact tibial and peroneal nerves as demonstrated by normal cMAP, NCV and F-wave latencies
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Women who are pregnant or breast feeding
• • Current neurological problems other than SCI and related impairments
• • Current orthopaedic problems affecting upper and lower extremity movements
• • History of alcohol abuse or the intake of psychotropic drugs
• • History of major cardiac condition (e.g., infarction, insufficiency (NYHA II-IV))
• • History of major pulmonary condition (e.g., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (GOLD II-IV))
• • Current major depression or psychosis
• • Fever of unknown origin