Motor Imagery Reaction Time in Individuals With Paraplegic Spinal Cord Injury

Upper and Lower Extremity Motor Imagery Reaction Time in Individuals With Paraplegic Spinal Cord Injury: A Comparative Study With Healthy Controls

Individuals aged 18-65 years who have been clinically diagnosed with spinal cord injury and have developed paraplegia will be included in the study. Demographic and clinical data of the participants, including age, sex, height, weight, etiology of injury, level of injury, duration of injury, and comorbidities, will be recorded. In addition, disease-specific characteristics such as ambulation status, wheelchair use, presence of incontinence, and presence and severity of pain will be assessed. For the healthy control group, demographic data including age, sex, height, weight, and comorbidities will be recorded.

Motor imagery performance of the participants will be evaluated using a computer-based left/right judgment task. In this context, both upper extremity (hand) and lower extremity (foot) images will be used to record reaction time (motor imagery reaction time) and accuracy rate. All tests will be performed under standardized conditions, in a seated position, and using the same device.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Spinal Cord Injuries
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: No intervention

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 128

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Bahcelievler
    • Istanbul, Bahcelievler, Turkey (Türkiye), 34100
      • Istanbul Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Trainig and Research Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: N/A

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population will consist of individuals aged 18-65 years with a clinical diagnosis of spinal cord injury and paraplegia who are followed in the inpatient and outpatient clinics of Istanbul Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital. A healthy control group, matched for age and sex, will also be included. Participants will be recruited from patients presenting to the clinic during the study period and from healthy volunteers. All participants will be medically stable and able to complete the study assessments.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged between 18 and 65 years
• Clinically diagnosed with spinal cord injury
• Presence of paraplegia
• Injury duration of at least 3 months
• Medically stable condition
• Ability to understand and follow study instructions
• Ability to complete the computer-based left/right judgment task
• Willingness to participate and provide written informed consent
• For the healthy control group: age- and sex-compatible individuals without a history of neurological or major musculoskeletal disease, willing to participate and provide written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Tetraplegia
• History of other neurological disorders that may affect motor imagery performance
• Severe cognitive impairment or communication problems preventing proper participation
• Severe visual impairment uncorrected by glasses or lenses
• Upper or lower extremity musculoskeletal disorders, deformities, or recent injuries that may affect task performance
• Severe psychiatric disorder
• Uncontrolled pain or acute medical condition at the time of assessment
• Current participation in another interventional clinical study

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Control group; Healthy controls	Other: No intervention; No intervention
SCI group; Patients with spinal cord injury	Other: No intervention; No intervention

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Motor Imagery Reaction Time - Upper Extremity	Reaction time (in milliseconds) required to correctly identify left or right hand images in a computer-based motor imagery task. Longer reaction times indicate impaired motor imagery processing.	Baseline
Motor Imagery Reaction Time - Lower Extremity	Reaction time (in milliseconds) required to correctly identify left or right foot images. Higher values indicate slower motor imagery performance.	Baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Functional Independence	Functional independence will be assessed only in individuals with spinal cord injury. Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater independence.	Baseline
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale - Anxiety Subscale (HADS-A)	Scores range from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety.	Baseline
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale - Depression Subscale (HADS-D)	Scores range from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating greater depressive symptoms.	Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Istanbul Physical Medicine Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): April 20, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 20, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 20, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 18, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 18, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): April 23, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 23, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 18, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Wounds and Injuries; Trauma, Nervous System; Spinal Cord Diseases; Spinal Cord Injuries
• Other Study ID Numbers: istftreah12

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No