The RISES System: An Innovative and Activity-Based Closed-Loop Platform for Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation and Recovery

Abstract

As spinal cord injury disrupts the communication between neural circuitry, electrical stimulation of the spinal cord may improve the rewiring and recovery of the affected pathways. Although significant recovery was initially observed in invasive implantable epidural stimulation settings, recent advancements in non-invasive transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation have shown the potential for significant improvements in individuals living with Spinal Cord Injury. In this study, we introduce the Reynolds Innovative Spinal Electrical Stimulation (RISES) technology which is an innovative person-tailored and task-specific stimulation system intended to optimize stimulation parameters in real-time with its multi-data acquisition and closed-loop capabilities. We aimed to pilot the safety and feasibility of the RISES system by implementing the developed technology as part of an intervention modeled on clinical rehabilitation. The results confirmed that the technology was able to establish a framework for achieving safe and feasible neurological recovery evident in enhancements of muscle activation for proximal muscles, and without any indication of physiological adverse effects.