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N/A N=64 Randomized Basic Science

Cortical Contributions to Motor Sequence Learning

Brain Injuries

Enrolled (actual)
64
Serious AEs
0.0%
Results posted
Aug 2024
Primary outcome: Primary: Serial Reaction Time Task (SRTT) Performance — 31; 35; 38; 24 milliseconds (ms)

Study Design & Population

Study type
Interventional
Phase
N/A
Interventions
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) (Device); Sham TMS (Other)
Age
Adult, Older Adult · 18+ yrs
Sex
All
Sponsor
Emory University
Primary completion
Aug 2023

Outcome Measures

OutcomeResultp-value
PRIMARY
Serial Reaction Time Task (SRTT) Performance
31; 35; 38; 24; 30; 17
SECONDARY
Cortical Excitability Measured by Motor Evoked Potentials (MEPs)
1.03; 1.29; 0.45; 1.15; 1.37; 0.51

Summary

The long-term objective initiated with this study is to determine which brain areas functionally contribute to learning a motor skill. The primary hypothesis of this trial is that premotor cortex (PMC) is necessary to learn a new motor skill. Participants may undergo a MRI scan to acquire a structural image of their brain to target noninvasive stimulation, using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to one of two brain areas: PMC or primary motor cortex (M1). A third group of individuals will undergo a placebo stimulation protocol. For all three groups, stimulation will be used to create a transient 'virtual lesion' during motor skill training. Temporarily disrupting the normal activity of these brain regions during training will allow us to determine which regions are causally involved in learning a new motor skill. The primary outcome measure will be the change in skill after training in each group.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

  • No history of movement impairment or neurodegenerative disease
  • Right handedness
  • No contraindication to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Exclusion Criteria

  • Participants that are outside the age range of 18-85
  • Have a history of head trauma or neurodegenerative disorder
  • Report contraindications to TMS.
  • Participants over age 65 will be asked to complete the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and participants with a score of 25 or lower (out of the "normal" range) will be excluded.
View full record on ClinicalTrials.gov →

Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04138953). Outcome figures and adverse-event rates are extracted automatically from the registry's posted results and are provided for clinician reference, not as a substitute for the primary publication.

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