Development of a Novel Evaluation Scale of Mental Body Representation (MBR) for Adults With Spinal Cord Injury

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · Jun 11, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is focused on creating and testing a new tool to better understand how adults with spinal cord injuries (SCI) perceive their own bodies. This includes how they are aware of their body and how they visualize it in space, which can sometimes change after an injury. The study aims to develop this new evaluation scale and see if it is easy to use, accurate, and reliable for people with SCI, including those who experience nerve-related pain.

Adults aged 18 and older with a spinal cord injury that happened at least a year ago may be eligible if they are medically stable, can read and understand English, and have access to the internet or a device like a phone or computer. There is also a control group of adults without SCI. Participants will take part in remote interviews or meetings via Zoom and will also visit the University of Minnesota for in-person testing with the new evaluation scale. They will be asked to complete questionnaires about their experience using the tool. People with certain medical conditions, such as uncontrolled seizures or severe cognitive impairments, may not be eligible. This study is currently recruiting participants and aims to improve how healthcare providers understand and assess body awareness in people with spinal cord injuries.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Control group
• • Uninjured adults (from the contact list with the Brain Body Mind lab or through fliers or StudyFinder)
• • 18+ years old adults
• • SCI group
• • 18+ years old, participants with an incomplete or complete SCI of ≥ 1 year
• • medically stable
• • able to read and understand English
• • having access to the internet/iPad/computer/phone and willing to come in for an in-person testing at the University of Minnesota.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • SCI group
• • Uncontrolled seizure disorder;
• • cognitive impairment and/or communicative disability (e.g., due to brain injury) preventing them from following directions or from learning;
• • ventilator dependency;
• • major medical complications;
• • pressure ulcers hindering prolonged sitting or lying down.