N/A
N=38
Improving Locomotor Learning With Brain Stimulation
Motor Learning
Bottom Line
View on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT06414213 ↗Enrolled (actual)
38
Serious AEs
0.0%
Results posted
Feb 2025
Primary outcome: Primary: Prefrontal Cortical Activity — 0.04; 0.11; 0.58; -0.62 μM
Study Design & Population
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- N/A
- Interventions
- Motor Imagery (MI) (Behavioral); Active tDCS (Device); Sham tDCS (Device)
- Age
- Adult, Older Adult · 18+ yrs
- Sex
- All
- Sponsor
- Appalachian State University
- Primary completion
- Dec 2022
Outcome Measures
| Outcome | Result | p-value |
|---|---|---|
| PRIMARY Prefrontal Cortical Activity |
0.04; 0.11; 0.58; -0.62; -0.19; 0.20 | — |
| PRIMARY Adherence to Interventions |
1.92; 1.91; 1.77 | — |
| PRIMARY Retention of Participants |
12; 11; 10 | — |
| PRIMARY Adverse Events in Each Study Arm |
0; 0; 0 | — |
| PRIMARY Time to Completion |
46.60; 47.64; 39.27; 40.72; 47.21; 37.2 | — |
| SECONDARY Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire (KVIQ) |
21.3; 22.7; 22.9; 21.7 | — |
Summary
The primary goal of this research was to assess the practicality and initial effectiveness of a motor imagery (MI) intervention combined with elements of action observation (AO), alongside active or sham transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the prefrontal cortex (PFC), on locomotor learning in healthy adults. Feasibility was determined by examining recruitment rates, participant engagement, and safety measures. The efficacy of the intervention was gauged by analyzing the time taken to complete tasks and changes in cerebral blood flow immediately after the intervention and one week later. The study was guided by three main hypotheses: (1) the intervention techniques would be well-received and safe for the participants; (2) compared to a control group, MI training would lead to better learning outcomes and retention of learning; (3) in comparison to the control and sham tDCS groups, active tDCS would result in superior learning outcomes and retention of learning.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- Male and female adults age 18 and older
- Freely ambulatory (no assistive walking aids)
Exclusion Criteria
- Failure to meet specific inclusion criteria
- History or presence of any neurological disease
- Low visual ability, operationally defined as visual acuity less than 20/70 on the standard eye chart
- Extreme difficulty performing walking tasks due to low visual ability
- Clinical judgment of the investigative team
- Additionally, subjects who are determined to be at increased risk for adverse events during the tDCS procedure, as determined by the tDCS screening questionnaire
Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06414213). 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.