Program Director/Principal Investigator (Last, First, Middle): FIELD-FOTE, Edelle Carmen
PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
While the incidence of spinal cord injury (SCI) may not be as high as other neurological disorders such as
stroke, many with SCI are young adults who can expect to live with disability for 35 – 50 years. For this reason,
even small reductions of impairment and improvements in function can have a significant impact on health,
quality of life, and social participation after SCI. Spasticity can be a significant problem for persons with SCI,
for example, the muscle spasms associated with spasticity can be so strong that, despite having sufficient motor
function to use a lightweight manual wheelchair, some individuals must be secured in a cumbersome power
chair to avoid being thrown from the chair by their spasms. Management of spasticity is challenging; it is
typically treated with antispasmodics that act as central nervous system depressants, with negative side-effects
such as drowsiness, lethargy, and muscle weakness. In addition to spasticity, many individuals with SCI have
neuropathic pain. The problems of spasticity and pain are in addition to the muscle paresis that is the hallmark
of SCI. TSS offers an accessible approach to achieving activation of multiple spinal levels simultaneously,
modulating the spinal neural circuits that underlie spasticity, pain, and motor function. The proposed studies
Calibrating Transcutaneous Spinal Stimulation (TSS) for Spasticity, Pain, and Motor Function in SCI have
the potential to make a meaningful impact on these problems. It is possible that TSS can offer a valuable, and
clinically accessible form of neuromodulation with the benefits of providing a: 1) non-pharmacological
approach for managing spasticity, 2) non-pharmacological intervention for management of pain, and 3)
strategy to improve volitional motor function in persons with SCI. However before TSS can be considered a
viable form of clinically accessible neuromodulation, much needs to be learned about dose-response
relationships regarding intensity, frequency, and pattern of stimulation, and how these influence spasticity,
nociceptive responses, and volitional motor output. These studies will be the foundation for larger studies
comparing TSS to commonly prescribed pharmaceuticals, after completion of the following Aims:
Specific Aim 1 (Phase 1; Year 1) Quantify early and late within-session effects on spasticity of 50Hz TSS applied
at each of 3 different intensities (0.8xRT, 0.8xRT-burst, 1.2xRT) to inform Phase 2.
Specific Aim 2 (Phase 2; Years 2–5) Quantify early, late, cumulative and persistent multi-session effects on
spasticity of 3 different TSS frequency conditions (30Hz, 50Hz, 80Hz; at the intensity/pattern)
Specific Aim 3 (Phase 2; Years 2–5) Quantify early, late, and persistent effects on nociception of 3 different TSS
frequency conditions (30Hz, 50Hz, 80Hz)
Specific Aim 4 (Phase 2; Years 2–5) Quantify per-stimulation, early, and persistent effects on lower extremity
muscle strength and motor control of 3 different TSS frequency conditions (30Hz, 50Hz, 80Hz)
OMB No. 0925-0001/0002 (Rev. 01/18 Approved Through 03/31/2020) Page 1 Continuation Format Page
