An Early Phase 1 interventional study of hypoxia and sham hypoxia in SCI, sponsored by VA Office of Research and Development. Terminated at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 85 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-02-27.
Sponsored by VA Office of Research and Development · Early Phase 1, Interventional, and Treatment
Contusive cervical spinal cord injury (cSCI) impairs upper limb function (reach-and-grasp) which limits daily-life activities and thus decreases the quality of life. Promoting neuroplasticity may support upper limb recovery after SCI. Repetitive exposure to acute intermittent hypoxia (rAIH) combined with motor training promotes recovery of motor function after SCI; however, the overall effects of rAIH/training are limited. The investigators will use an adult rat model of long-term contusive cSCI to study novel approaches to enhance the effect of rAIH/training on forelimb function and study the neuronal substrate underlying the effects. The findings will be used to direct the development of more effective rAIH/training approaches for people with contusive, functionally incomplete, cSCI. Because deficits in upper limb function are a major problem after stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, and other motor disorders, this work may also be relevant for patients with other types of central nervous system (CNS) lesions.
The overall goal is to develop effective, clinically applicable, approaches to restore upper limb function (reach-and-grasp) after chronic contusive cervical spinal cord injury (cSCI). Impairments in upper limb function significantly reduce the quality of life for people with cSCI. Reach-and-grasp actions in animals and humans are largely controlled by the corticospinal tract (CST). The investigators argue that promoting plasticity within the CST may support the recovery of upper limb function after cSCI. Repetitive exposure to acute intermittent hypoxia (rAIH) combined with motor training is a safe, minimally invasive, treatment that elicits neuroplasticity resulting in improved recovery after cSCI, but its overall effects remain limited. The main goals are to: 1) enhance rAIH/training-induced aftereffects on forelimb function and increase the understanding of the neuronal substrates in an adult rat model of chronic contusive cSCI, and 2) use this knowledge to guide the development of more effective rAIH/training approaches to improve upper limb function in humans with chronic contusive cSCI.
In Specific Aim 1, using an adult rat model of chronic contusive cSCI, the investigators will investigate the effects of rAIH frequency and dose on rAIH/training-mediated functional recovery of the impaired forelimb. Also, the investigators will combine rAIH/training with N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA)-mediated synaptic plasticity through D-cycloserine treatment and study the effects on recovery of forelimb function. Immunocytochemistry with imaging techniques will be used to assess structural neuronal plasticity in the CST after rAIH/training. In Specific Aim 2, in people with chronic incomplete cSCI, guided by the findings in Specific Aim 1, the investigators will study the effects of rAIH frequency and concurrent D-cycloserine treatment on rAIH/training-mediated upper limb function recovery. The investigators will comprehensively analyze the effects of rAIH on the strength of electrophysiological and functional aftereffects in the upper limb.
The proposed research will provide new knowledge on rAIH/training-mediated functional and anatomical aftereffects (Specific Aim 1), which will be used to develop effective rAIH/training protocols for people with contusive, functionally incomplete, cSCI (Specific Aim 2). The data from the investigators' experiments may lead to clinically applicable approaches that improve arm and hand function recovery after chronic contusive cSCI, which would positively impact the quality of life of Veterans with cSCI. The relevance of this proposal is emphasized by the limited efficacy of current strategies to improve upper limb function after cSCI.
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This study's enrollment of 50 is above the median of 24 across 1,566 interventional studies indexed under Spinal Cord Injuries.
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Inclusion Criteria:
Motor scores ISNCSCI: 1 to 4 but not 5 on finger flexors and finger abductors on the hand tested.
Inclusion criteria for controls:
Exclusion Criteria:
Receiving drugs acting primarily on the central nervous system, which lower the seizure threshold such as antipsychotic drugs
AIH Exclusion Criteria (in addition to the above listed exclusion criteria):
Exclusion criteria for healthy controls:
combined hypoxia treatment with exercise training
Behavioral: hypoxia · Behavioral: exercise training
combined sham hypoxia treatment with exercise training
Behavioral: sham hypoxia · Behavioral: exercise training
combined hypoxia treatment with exercise training and with NMDA agonist treatment
Behavioral: hypoxia · Drug: D-cycloserine · Behavioral: exercise training
combined hypoxia treatment with exercise training and with sham NMDA agonist treatment
Behavioral: hypoxia · Drug: sham-NMDA agonist · Behavioral: exercise training
intermittent cycles of normoxia-hypoxia
intermittent cycles of sham hypoxia
NMDA agonist treatment
Also known as: NMDA agonist
sham-NMDA agonist treatment
bimanual massed practice training
Change in grip strength
Grip strength will be measured using a hand-held dynamometer, with an average force (measured in dynes) taken over the course of three trials. A rest break is provided between trials. Strength testing will be completed bilaterally.
Time frame: baseline, 1st week, 2nd week, 4th week, 8th week, and 12th week
Change in pinch strength
Pinch strength will be assessed using a digital pinch gauge (unit of Force= Newton). The minimum value of zero will be assigned when a participant cannot actively squeeze the pinch meter between the thumb and index finger. The mean value of total of 3 trials will be assessed, with a rest break provided between trials.
Time frame: baseline, 1st week, 2nd week, 4th week, 8th week, and 12th week
Change in motor evoked potential size
Resting and active motor thresholds (RMT and AMT) will be tested in each of the muscles using a stimulator.
Time frame: 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after intervention
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Plan to share: No
This study is terminated, as verified in Feb 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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VA Office of Research and Development