A clinical trial has shown that a non-invasive device for spinal cord stimulation can improve arm and hand function in 43 individuals with quadriplegia. With 60 participants in the trial, the therapy was found to be safe and effective, meeting the primary objectives of the study.
The research findings were reported in Nature Medicine on May 20.
Spinal cord injuries can disrupt the communication between the brain and the spinal cord, which regulates neural functions. When this occurs in the cervical spine (neck region), it often impairs hand and arm function. Stimulating the spinal cord segments containing neurons involved in controlling these functions has been shown to restore damaged neural functions. However, these methods typically require invasive surgery to implant electrodes at specific locations on the spinal cord.
In this new study, Gregoire Courtine and colleagues at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich designed a non-invasive device called ARCEX, which delivers electrical currents to the spinal cord through surface electrodes, allowing modulation of neurons within the targeted spinal cord segments.
To assess the device's effects on arm and hand function compared to standard rehabilitation training, researchers conducted a multicenter open-label clinical trial on 65 patients with quadriplegia due to spinal cord injury—recruiting patients with injuries of 12 months or longer.
All participants in the trial underwent two months of standardized clinic-based rehabilitation training, followed by an additional two months of the same rehabilitation training along with the ARCEX therapy. No significant safety issues related to the ARCEX therapy were observed during this process. Among the 60 participants who completed the trial, 43 showed improvements in strength and function domains. Secondary analyses also revealed advancements in pinch strength, hand movements, strength and sensation, as well as improvements in self-reported quality of life.
Courtine and colleagues suggest that their results indicate the safety and efficacy of ARCEX therapy, proposing it as a novel approach to enhance neural recovery of hand and arm function in patients with chronic cervical spine injuries.
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