CNS Changes Following SCI
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: MRI, MRI.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Spinal Cord Injuries. Basic parameters: 18 years — 75 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Switzerland
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
Functional, Structural, and Metabolic Central Nervous System Changes Following Damage of the Central Nervous System
Overview
The objective of this study is to better understand the structural and functional changes that the central nervous system (CNS) undergoes following spinal cord injury and how these changes relate to clinical measures. Both macroscopic and microscopic changes of the brain and the spinal cord will be examined in SCI patients and compared to healthy controls. In terms of structural plasticity, we aim to identify MR biomarkers that allow predicting the course of the patient's neurological status and accurately describe the course of the disease and the recovery. Importantly, we aim to investigate which factors scale the patients' symptoms. In terms of functional plasticity, we will combine fMRI with behavioural testing to understand which clinical and behavioural determinants drive functional hand representations in the primary somatosensory and motor cortices to be maintained and which determinants drive reorganisation of functional representations following sensory input loss. We will further investigate the contribution of brainstem reorganisation to plasticity observed at the cortical level and, by doing so, aim to better understand the mechanistic underpinnings of functional reorganisation.
Interventions
- Diagnostic test MRI
We will examine acute (\<4 weeks post SCI) to chronic (\>6 months post SCI) patients using functional, structural, and metabolic MRI in both the brain and the spinal cord. - Diagnostic test MRI
We will examine healthy control participants using functional, structural, and metabolic MRI in both the brain and the spinal cord.
Primary outcome measures
- Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameter [Time frame: Up to 50 weeks]
Secondary outcome measures (2)
- Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) parameter [Time frame: Up to 50 weeks]
- Change of functional MRI (fMRI) parameter between 2 to 4 time points [Time frame: Up to 50 weeks]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria - Patients:
- Age 18-75
- Traumatic or non-traumatic spinal cord injury (para- and tetraplegia)
- Acute (<4 weeks post SCI) to chronic SCI (> 6 months post SCI)
- Signed informed consent
Exclusion Criteria - Patients:
- Contraindications to magnetic resonance imaging
- Neurological impairment of body function impairments not induced by spinal cord injury
- BMI > 40
- Pregnancy
- Claustrophobia
Inclusion Criteria - Healthy subjects:
- Age 18-75
- Signed Informed consent
Exclusion Criteria - Healthy subjects:
- Contraindications to magnetic resonance imaging
- Pregnancy
- Neurological illness
- Impairment of body function induced by a spinal cord injury
- Claustrophobia
- BMI > 40
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Observational model
- Case-control
Study locations
Switzerland · 1 center
- Universitätsklinik Balgrist — Zurich
Publications
- Kikkert S, Pfyffer D, Verling M, Freund P, Wenderoth N. Finger somatotopy is preserved after tetraplegia but deteriorates over time. Elife. 2021 Oct 19;10:e67713. doi: 10.7554/eLife.67713. PMID 34665133
Identifiers
NCT: NCT03772548 · 2018-00937 - SCI