The main goal of the project is to develop multiple noninvasive neuromodulatory strategies to
facilitate full weight bearing stepping overground in people with paralysis. We will
determine the effectiveness of combining noninvasive spinal cord stimulation and the
administration of buspirone (a monoaminergic agonist) in facilitating locomotor activity in a
gravity-neutral apparatus, during body weight supported stepping on a treadmill, when
stepping overground in an assistive robotic exoskeleton, or during full weight bearing
stepping overground in a rolling walker. Our objective is to identify the experimental
variables that define the efficacy of these novel neuromodulatory techniques over a 5 year
period in 15 participants with severe spinal cord injury who are at least one year
post-injury.
Phase:
Early Phase 1
Details
Lead Sponsor:
University of Louisville
Collaborator:
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)