Research Participation - Center for Spinal Cord Injury

Participating in research allows us to investigate potential interventions and new testing measures, thus enabling us to continue to provide the best medical and therapeutic care to our patients.

Interested in participating in research? Here are some studies looking for volunteers:

International Spinal Cord Injury (INSCI) Survey Pilot Project
Principal Investigator: Cristina Sadowsky, MD
More Details: 1,000 adults with spinal cord injuries will participate nationally; up to 500 will be recruited at Kennedy Krieger Institute. All participants will be asked to complete the self-reported INSCI survey. The INSCI questionnaire is 125 questions and will take up to 60 minutes to complete. The questionnaire itself can be completed on paper by you, or be administered over the phone with a study team member.  You will be asked to complete the INSCI survey again in 5 years, which will end your participation in this study. 
Protocol #: IRB00146032

Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation in Children with Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: Safety, Feasibility, and Efficacy
Principal Investigator: Rebecca Martin, OTD, OTR/L
More Details: 20 Children between the ages or 6-16 with non-progressive incomplete spinal cord injury who are at least six months’ post injury may join this study. In Aims 1 and 3 your child will be randomized to one of two groups, either the active stimulation group or the sham stimulation group. Group assignments will be placed in sealed envelopes and drawn, at random, on enrollment. Your child has a 1 in 2 chance of receiving active TSCS. They have the same chance of being in the group who receives sham, or fake, TSCS. Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation (TSCS), TSCS will be applied using an oval electrode placed midline on the skin on your child’s back and two rectangular electrodes placed on the skin over your child’s lower abdomen. In very small children, smaller electrodes will be considered. Your child will receive a small electrical current through those electrodes for 30 minutes.  The current can be uncomfortable, but it will be adjusted for your child’s tolerance. Your child will participate in 24 total sessions, 2 sessions will involve assessments only, and 22 sessions will include 2 hours of intensive gait therapy with/without TSCS. Sessions will occur at least 3 times per week, but may be scheduled as many as 5 times per week.
Protocol #: IRB00300695

ARC System to Manage Symptomatic Blood Pressure Instability Secondary to Chronic Spinal Cord Injury (EMPOWER BP)
Principal Investigator: Cristina Sadowsky, MD
More Details: View study flyer
Protocol #: IRB00505167

Interfacing with Neuro Technology to Expand Neural Throughput (INTENT)
Principal Investigator: Nathan Crone, MD
More Details: View study flyer
Protocol#: IRB00516445

Nerve Transfer Surgery to Restore Upper Limb Function and Quality of Life in High Tetraplegia
Principal Investigator: Sami Tuffaha, MD
More Details: Thirty (30) participants with high cervical ASIA A-B SCI and complete lack of upper limb function will be enrolled over multiple sites. All participants will undergo Electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies (NCS) to verify intact innervation (normal CMAPs) to the paralyzed target muscles below the level of injury. Functional electrical stimulation (FES) will be used to verify loss of lower motor neuron function in recipient muscle groups in the zone of injury and help differentiate those muscle with intact connections to preserve anterior horn cells. Only those participants with clinically normal, MRC grade 4/5 donor (axonal donor) function will be enrolled. Following selection of intact recipient nerves, nerve transfer surgery will be performed. Following nerve transfers, occupational therapy will start and continue for 24 months.
Protocol#: IRB00406001

NextStep Feasibility Study for Ambulation in Individuals with spinal Cord Injury
Principal Investigator: Rebecca Martin, OTD, OTR/L
More Details: This research is being done to evaluate the use of the AMBLE robot to improve ankle mobility during walking for people with spinal cord injury. The goal of the study is to determine the ability of the AMBLE robot to improve gait function through specific training to work on foot drop in the spinal cord injury population. 10 participants who are 21 years of age or older with spinal cord injury that is chronic (not worsening) who currently walk may join.
Protocol#: IRB00505915

Feasibility and Initial Effectiveness of Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation (TSS) with Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) Cycling
Principal Investigator: Rebecca Martin, OTD, OTR/L
More Details: Adults 22 years of age or older with chronic (spinal cord injury is not worsening) spinal cord injury who currently participate in a home-based FES cycling program may join. Participants will be placed in one of two groups depending on the injury level and severity. Both groups will participate in 4 in-clinic sessions (2-3x/week) that will last 45-60 minutes, where one channel of the RT300 FES bike will be programmed to provide Transcutaneous Spinal Stimulation (TSS). Participants placed in group 2 will complete walking assessments prior to cycling. After the in-clinic cycling portion as outlined above, participants will continue cycling with the program created during the first 2 weeks as part of the home program. Participants will cycle 3 sessions a week for 8 weeks, with weekly telehealth visits to resolve any problems and ensure compliance. After participants have completed the 8-week bout at home,  will return to the clinic for one final session to repeat all walking outcome measures.
Protocol#: IRB00512846

If you need additional information about a specific clinical research trial, or if you think that you may be eligible, please call the ICSCI Clinical Research Coordinator at 443-923-9235 or ClinicalTrials@SpinalCordRecovery.org. Please be prepared to leave a detailed message, including the protocol number of the clinical research you are interested in and your contact information so that we may respond with a confidential message for you.