Spinal and brain stimulation to boost hand and arm movement in ALS

Who could benefit from this research

What this research studies

You would receive paired, timed pulses of mild electrical stimulation over the neck (transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation) together with magnetic pulses to the brain (TMS), with the brain pulse arriving just before the spinal pulse. The team will repeat these pairings over sessions to try to induce lasting spinal cord associative plasticity (SCAP) that could strengthen voluntary motor signals to the hands. They will measure muscle responses in the hand and combine stimulation with task-focused exercises to see if function and strength improve beyond the stimulation sessions. The aim is to produce symptomatic improvement in movement and make exercise more effective, not to cure ALS.

Why it matters

Where this research is happening

• James J Peters VA Medical Center
  Bronx, United States Active

Researchers

• Principal investigator: Harel, Noam Y. — James J Peters VA Medical Center
• Study coordinator: Harel, Noam Y.

Related research

Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.

• Investigating how DNA damage and repair mechanisms are altered in ALS and frontotemporal dementia.

  This study is looking at how problems with DNA repair might contribute to conditions like ALS and frontotemporal dementia, and it’s testing ways to fix these issues in cells from patients to help develop new treatments.

  NIH research Methodist Hospital Research Institute · Houston, United States · NIH-9980670

• Understanding how work exposures and genes influence ALS risk

  A study is building a long-term group of people at higher risk for ALS to see how their jobs, exposures at work, and genes together affect if and when the disease might develop.

  NIH research University of Michigan at Ann Arbor · Ann Arbor, United States · NIH-11631673

• NUZ-001: a treatment option for ALS to protect nerve cells

  A small molecule called NUZ-001 is being tested to help people with ALS by improving cell systems that keep proteins balanced and prevent harmful protein clumps.

  NIH research Massachusetts General Hospital · Boston, United States · NIH-11564156

• Alpha5 integrin's role in ALS: how a cell switch worsens disease

  Aims to understand how a specific protein called alpha5 integrin in immune cells affects ALS progression and whether blocking it can help extend life.

  NIH research Cedars-Sinai Medical Center · Los Angeles, United States · NIH-11540166

• C9orf72 ALS/FTD Prevent: prepping for future treatment

  This grant aims to get ready for a preventive treatment for people who carry the C9orf72 genetic change that can lead to ALS or frontotemporal dementia.

  NIH research University of Miami School of Medicine · Coral Gables, United States · NIH-11431628

• Air pollutants and ALS: mapping environmental links to motor neuron disease

  This NIH grant explores whether different air pollutants are linked to the development of ALS and uses a large U.S. data set to look for environmental risk factors.

  NIH research Washington University · Saint Louis, United States · NIH-11423391

About this research

1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.