Trials

The University of Texas at Austin has registered a study on ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05907343, testing whether non-invasive stimulation can strengthen cognitive control in older adults, enrolling both people with cognitive impairment and people without it. It asks whether theta burst stimulation, a form of transcranial magnetic stimulation, can restore a range of cognitive functions, and whether delivering it in closed loop, timed to ongoing brain activity rather than on a fixed schedule, changes the result.

The VA Office of Research and Development is conducting a clinical trial to characterize proprioceptive sensations in the missing limb of upper limb amputees using nerve stimulation and to develop advanced controllers for moving a prosthesis. The trial uses Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES), applying small electric currents to the nerves, and tests different stimulation placements. The trial is registered as NCT04947462 and is currently recruiting.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has developed a method that uses post-operative CT scans and image processing to determine the physical relationship between cochlear implant electrodes and the neural interface, allowing sub-optimally positioned electrodes to be switched off for a customized map. Cochlear implants are surgically implanted devices that restore hearing by electrically stimulating the auditory nerve, and their programming has traditionally ignored where the electrodes actually sit. The trial tested whether this individualized image-guided programming improves hearing and speech outcomes in pediatric recipients, with hearing measures collected at baseline, 12 months and 24 months; it has been completed, but results have not been posted.

Johns Hopkins University is conducting an early feasibility study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Bidirectional Cortical Neuroprosthetic System (BiCNS). The system comprises NeuroPort Microelectrode Array Systems, NeuroPort Electrodes (Sputtered Iridium Oxide Film), Patient Pedestals, the NeuroPort BioPotential Signal Processing System, and the CereStim C96 Programmable Stimulator. The trial enrolls patients with tetraplegia and quadriplegia and is currently recruiting.