Improving Mobility and Cognition in Older Adults Using Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation

Executive Dysfunction Clinical Trial

— NIBS  

Official title:

Improving Mobility and Cognition in Older Adults: Establishment of an Interdisciplinary Clinical Research Program Using Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Terminated

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT02740530
• Other study ID #: 107526
• Status: Terminated
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: April 2016
• Est. completion date: May 2023

Study information

• Verified date: March 2024
• Source: Lawson Health Research Institute
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This study aims to test the efficacy of a type of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS), known as repetitive transcranial magnetic (rTMS) stimulation, in improving mobility, particularly gait stability and variability, and executive dysfunction in older adults. The study will be conducted in forty older adults (≥60 years) with a diagnosis of executive dysfunction.

Description:

The proposed study using rTMS will build upon the investigators previous work demonstrating the link between cognitive impairment, particularly executive dysfunction, and mobility/gait abnormalities in older adults, even in those labeled as "cognitively normal". Emerging evidence demonstrates that executive dysfunction is an early phenomenon in the pathway to mobility disability and subtle changes in executive function are independently associated with future falls. The investigators have piloted studies showing that pharmacological enhancement of executive function, can improve gait-motor performance and, potentially, reduce mobility decline and risk of falls. This supports the rationale for a promising intervention: enhancing cognition to prevent mobility decline and reduce risk of falls. The long-term goal is to create a clinical research program to apply rTMS as an early novel intervention for cognitive/motor interaction to ultimately delay the onset of cognitive and mobility disabilities and their devastating consequences, dementia and falls, in older adults. However, it is first necessary to study a smaller group of seniors to plan for recruitment, study retention and compliance, and to gather preliminary data as proof of principle before proceeding to a larger clinical trial.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Terminated
• Enrollment: 25
• Est. completion date: May 2023
• Est. primary completion date: March 2022
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 60 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Having executive dysfunction (defined as score below 11 out of a possible 13 in the "Montreal Cognitive Assessment -MoCA- executive score index")
• Age 60 years and older
• English speaking
• Able to ambulate 10m independently without any gait aid (eg. walker, cane)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unable to understand or communicate in English
• Parkinsonism or any neurological disorder with residual motor deficit (eg. Major stroke, epilepsy)
• Musculoskeletal disorder detected by clinical examination which affects gait performance -Active osteoarthritis affecting lower limbs (American College of Rheumatology criteria)
• Severe depression operationalized as Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) score>10

TMS specific exclusion criteria:

• Persons with metal anywhere in the head, excluding the mouth, including shrapnel, and screws and clips from surgical procedures
• Persons with cardiac pacemakers, implanted medication pumps, electrodes inside the heart
• Unstable heart disease
• Persons with increased intracranial pressure, as in acute large infarctions or trauma
• Previous major stroke, history seizure, Parkinson D, Huntington D.
• History of schizophrenia/schizo-affective disorder, substance use disorder within 1 year of study

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Executive Dysfunction
• Gait Performance
• Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Intervention

Device:
• Magstim® Rapid 2 machine
See Arms description

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Canada	Parkwood Institute	London	Ontario

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Lawson Health Research Institute

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Canada, 

References & Publications (23)

Andrews SC, Hoy KE, Enticott PG, Daskalakis ZJ, Fitzgerald PB. Improving working memory: the effect of combining cognitive activity and anodal transcranial direct current stimulation to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Brain Stimul. 2011 Apr;4(2):84-9. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2010.06.004. Epub 2010 Jul 11. — View Citation

Barr MS, Farzan F, Rajji TK, Voineskos AN, Blumberger DM, Arenovich T, Fitzgerald PB, Daskalakis ZJ. Can repetitive magnetic stimulation improve cognition in schizophrenia? Pilot data from a randomized controlled trial. Biol Psychiatry. 2013 Mar 15;73(6):510-7. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.08.020. Epub 2012 Oct 3. — View Citation

Connolly KR, Helmer A, Cristancho MA, Cristancho P, O'Reardon JP. Effectiveness of transcranial magnetic stimulation in clinical practice post-FDA approval in the United States: results observed with the first 100 consecutive cases of depression at an academic medical center. J Clin Psychiatry. 2012 Apr;73(4):e567-73. doi: 10.4088/JCP.11m07413. — View Citation

Doruk D, Gray Z, Bravo GL, Pascual-Leone A, Fregni F. Effects of tDCS on executive function in Parkinson's disease. Neurosci Lett. 2014 Oct 17;582:27-31. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2014.08.043. Epub 2014 Aug 30. — View Citation

Elder GJ, Taylor JP. Transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation: treatments for cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms in the neurodegenerative dementias? Alzheimers Res Ther. 2014 Nov 10;6(9):74. doi: 10.1186/s13195-014-0074-1. eCollection 2014. — View Citation

Fregni F, Boggio PS, Nitsche M, Bermpohl F, Antal A, Feredoes E, Marcolin MA, Rigonatti SP, Silva MT, Paulus W, Pascual-Leone A. Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation of prefrontal cortex enhances working memory. Exp Brain Res. 2005 Sep;166(1):23-30. doi: 10.1007/s00221-005-2334-6. Epub 2005 Jul 6. — View Citation

Gersner R, Kravetz E, Feil J, Pell G, Zangen A. Long-term effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on markers for neuroplasticity: differential outcomes in anesthetized and awake animals. J Neurosci. 2011 May 18;31(20):7521-6. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.6751-10.2011. — View Citation

Hausdorff JM, Doniger GM, Springer S, Yogev G, Simon ES, Giladi N. A common cognitive profile in elderly fallers and in patients with Parkinson's disease: the prominence of impaired executive function and attention. Exp Aging Res. 2006 Oct-Dec;32(4):411-29. doi: 10.1080/03610730600875817. Erratum In: Exp Aging Res. 2007 Jan-Mar;33(1):121. — View Citation

Li KZ, Roudaia E, Lussier M, Bherer L, Leroux A, McKinley PA. Benefits of cognitive dual-task training on balance performance in healthy older adults. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2010 Dec;65(12):1344-52. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glq151. Epub 2010 Sep 13. — View Citation

Luber B, Kinnunen LH, Rakitin BC, Ellsasser R, Stern Y, Lisanby SH. Facilitation of performance in a working memory task with rTMS stimulation of the precuneus: frequency- and time-dependent effects. Brain Res. 2007 Jan 12;1128(1):120-9. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2006.10.011. Epub 2006 Nov 20. — View Citation

Miniussi C, Cappa SF, Cohen LG, Floel A, Fregni F, Nitsche MA, Oliveri M, Pascual-Leone A, Paulus W, Priori A, Walsh V. Efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation/transcranial direct current stimulation in cognitive neurorehabilitation. Brain Stimul. 2008 Oct;1(4):326-36. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2008.07.002. Epub 2008 Oct 7. — View Citation

Montero-Odasso M, Hachinski V. Preludes to brain failure: executive dysfunction and gait disturbances. Neurol Sci. 2014 Apr;35(4):601-4. doi: 10.1007/s10072-013-1613-4. Epub 2013 Dec 24. — View Citation

Montero-Odasso M, Oteng-Amoako A, Speechley M, Gopaul K, Beauchet O, Annweiler C, Muir-Hunter SW. The motor signature of mild cognitive impairment: results from the gait and brain study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2014 Nov;69(11):1415-21. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glu155. Epub 2014 Sep 2. — View Citation

Montero-Odasso M, Verghese J, Beauchet O, Hausdorff JM. Gait and cognition: a complementary approach to understanding brain function and the risk of falling. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2012 Nov;60(11):2127-36. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2012.04209.x. Epub 2012 Oct 30. — View Citation

Muir SW, Gopaul K, Montero Odasso MM. The role of cognitive impairment in fall risk among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Age Ageing. 2012 May;41(3):299-308. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afs012. Epub 2012 Feb 27. — View Citation

Muir SW, Speechley M, Wells J, Borrie M, Gopaul K, Montero-Odasso M. Gait assessment in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: the effect of dual-task challenges across the cognitive spectrum. Gait Posture. 2012 Jan;35(1):96-100. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2011.08.014. Epub 2011 Sep 22. — View Citation

Oliver D, Connelly JB, Victor CR, Shaw FE, Whitehead A, Genc Y, Vanoli A, Martin FC, Gosney MA. Strategies to prevent falls and fractures in hospitals and care homes and effect of cognitive impairment: systematic review and meta-analyses. BMJ. 2007 Jan 13;334(7584):82. doi: 10.1136/bmj.39049.706493.55. Epub 2006 Dec 8. — View Citation

Pascual-Leone A, Tarazona F, Keenan J, Tormos JM, Hamilton R, Catala MD. Transcranial magnetic stimulation and neuroplasticity. Neuropsychologia. 1999 Feb;37(2):207-17. doi: 10.1016/s0028-3932(98)00095-5. — View Citation

Reis J, Robertson EM, Krakauer JW, Rothwell J, Marshall L, Gerloff C, Wassermann EM, Pascual-Leone A, Hummel F, Celnik PA, Classen J, Floel A, Ziemann U, Paulus W, Siebner HR, Born J, Cohen LG. Consensus: Can transcranial direct current stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation enhance motor learning and memory formation? Brain Stimul. 2008 Oct;1(4):363-9. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2008.08.001. Epub 2008 Oct 7. — View Citation

Rossi S, Hallett M, Rossini PM, Pascual-Leone A; Safety of TMS Consensus Group. Safety, ethical considerations, and application guidelines for the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation in clinical practice and research. Clin Neurophysiol. 2009 Dec;120(12):2008-2039. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2009.08.016. Epub 2009 Oct 14. — View Citation

Shaw FE, Bond J, Richardson DA, Dawson P, Steen IN, McKeith IG, Kenny RA. Multifactorial intervention after a fall in older people with cognitive impairment and dementia presenting to the accident and emergency department: randomised controlled trial. BMJ. 2003 Jan 11;326(7380):73. doi: 10.1136/bmj.326.7380.73. Erratum In: BMJ. 2003 Mar 29;326(7391):699. — View Citation

Shaw FE. Prevention of falls in older people with dementia. J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2007;114(10):1259-64. doi: 10.1007/s00702-007-0741-5. Epub 2007 Jun 8. — View Citation

Verghese J, Lipton RB, Hall CB, Kuslansky G, Katz MJ, Buschke H. Abnormality of gait as a predictor of non-Alzheimer's dementia. N Engl J Med. 2002 Nov 28;347(22):1761-8. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa020441. — View Citation

* Note: There are 23 references in all — Click here to view all references

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Other	Gait variability which is calculated as coefficient of variation (CoV)		Seven days
Primary	Gait velocity - cm/s		Seven days
Secondary	Executive function, assessed as time to take to complete Trail Making A and B (TMT A and B) in seconds.		seven days