A new way to record spinal cord activity, non‑invasively and consistently

Background

The spinal cord plays a vital role in how the brain communicates with the rest of the body. It carries signals that allow us to move, feel sensation, and respond to the world around us. Despite its importance, the spinal cord has been much harder to study in humans than the brain. 

Brain activity can be recorded routinely and non-invasively using electroencephalography (EEG), which uses electrodes placed on the scalp. However, there has been no widely accepted equivalent system for the spinal cord. Existing methods to measure spinal cord electrical activity are either invasive, technically limited, or vary widely between research groups. 

This lack of standardisation makes it difficult to compare results across studies or to build a clear picture of how spinal cord function changes in neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, motor neuron disease, spinal cord injury, or after stroke.  

Research

Researchers at Trinity College Dublin, supported by FutureNeuro and international collaborators, have developed a new high‑density electrode placement system called SC10X/U. The system provides a clear, standardised map of where surface electrodes should be placed along the neck and upper back to record spinal cord activity non‑invasively — a technique known as electrospinography (ESG). 

Inspired by the well‑established EEG “10–10 system” used for the brain, SC10X/U defines precise electrode locations based on easily identifiable anatomical landmarks. In total, it specifies up to 76 standard electrode positions, allowing researchers and clinicians to record spinal signals in a consistent and reproducible way. 

To demonstrate that the system works, the team used a 64‑electrode version of SC10X/U in healthy volunteers. While gently stimulating a nerve in the arm, they recorded spinal cord responses through the skin. The system reliably detected well‑known spinal signals, including the N13 and P9 responses, which matched decades of physiological and anatomical research. This confirmed that the recordings accurately reflect real spinal cord activity. 

Potential Impact

The SC10X/U system provides, for the first time, a standardised framework for non-invasive spinal cord recording, similar to how EEG standardisation transformed brain research. By allowing spinal activity to be measured consistently across people, studies and centres, it opens the door to large-scale, comparable research into spinal cord function.  

In the future, this approach could significantly advance understanding of how the spinal cord contributes to movement, sensation, and brain–body communication. It may also help researchers identify new biomarkers to track disease progression or treatment response in conditions such as multiple sclerosis, motor neuron disease, spinal cord injury, stroke, and cerebral palsy. Ultimately, this technology has the potential to support more precise diagnosis, monitoring, and personalised care for people with neurological disorders.