by Ahmad Rifai Sarraj, Jihan Allaw, Eliane Rached, Joy Khayat, Hassan Karaki, Ahmad Diab, Antonio Pinti Functional recovery in chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) is traditionally viewed as limited, particularly after the spontaneous recovery window has closed. This single-blind randomized controlled trial investigated whether adding anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) to the Neuromotor Recruitment Method (NEUROM)—a protocol combining motor imagery with intensive peripheral sensory stimulation—provides a additive benefit for sensorimotor recovery.
Fifty participants with chronic paraplegia (mean time since injury: 15.4 ± 3.2 months; ASIA Impairment Scale A, B, or C) were recruited and randomized into three arms: Reference (standard care, n = 10), NEUROM (n = 20), or NEUROM+tDCS (n = 20). The intervention was administered over 10 days.
Outcomes included the Lower Extremity Motor Score (LEMS), Light Touch and Pin Prick sensory scores, and the Assessment of Movement Attempt (AMA). The Reference group showed no significant recovery.
PLOS ONE (Medicine) published a clinical update in Research Highlights on 23 Jun 2026.
The item focuses on Additive effect of tDCS and neuromotor recruitment on functional recovery in chronic paraplegia: A randomized controlled trial.
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