Does Motor Imagery Training Enhance Control of Movement in Older Adults?

Healthy Clinical Trial

Official title:

Motor Imagery Training, Force Steadiness and Neural Drive

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Not yet recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT05669131
• Other study ID #: MIT&ForceSteadiness
• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: December 2022
• Est. completion date: August 2023

Study information

• Verified date: December 2022
• Source: University of British Columbia
• Contact: Jennifer Jakobi, PhD
• Phone: 250-807-9884
• Email: jennifer.jakobi[@]ubc.ca
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is learn about motor imagery training (i.e. imagining a task) with healthy older adults. The main question this clinical trial aims to answer is:

• Will imagining a task improve control of force during an elbow flexion muscle contraction in healthy older adults?

Participants will:

• Complete questionaries about general activity levels and ability to imagine tasks

• Perform either motor imagery training or watch a documentary

• Perform maximal and submaximal elbow flexion contractions

Researchers will compare the motor imagery training with the control group to see if control of force is improved in the motor imagery training group.

Description:

Motor imagery training could be beneficial in rehabilitative settings when participants are not physically capable of preforming a motor task or in injury prevention scenarios such as when multiple repetitions of a motor task should not be performed. If the effects of motor imagery training are favourable then they could have meaningful influence on the performance of steady movements in older adults who experience declines in force steadiness with age. Therefore, the first aim of this study will be to determine if one session of motor imagery training will influence corticospinal excitability in older adults and improve force steadiness during isometric elbow flexion contractions with the observed benefit being greater in females. The second aim of this study will be to determine if there is an associated change in oscillations in common synaptic input to motor neurons with a change in force steadiness.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Enrollment: 60
• Est. completion date: August 2023
• Est. primary completion date: August 2023
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 65 Years to 90 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

Healthy older adults aged 65 to 90 years old

Exclusion Criteria:

1. have had an injury or orthopaedic surgery to the arm or shoulder in the prior 6 months

2. are involved in high levels of upper-body strength training

3. have history of training in fine motor tasks (i.e., musicians)

4. have a history of MIT

5. have systemic diseases and/or nerve damage affecting neuromuscular function

6. have severe cognitive impairment

7. are unable to read or speak English fluently

8. are left hand dominant

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Healthy

Intervention

Other:
• Motor imagery training
Participants imagine themselves through their own eyes performing submaximal elbow flexion contractions.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
n/a

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University of British Columbia

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Force steadiness	Measured as the the coefficient in variation of force	Within one session: Change from baseline (immediately before session) to 20 minutes after the session
Primary	Corticospinal excitability	Measured as the peak-to-peak amplitude of a motor evoked potential	Within one session: Change from baseline (immediately before session) to 20 minutes after the session
Primary	Common synaptic input	Estimated from motor unit discharge times.	Within one session: Change from baseline (immediately before session) to 20 minutes after the session
Secondary	Maximal elbow flexion force	The total amount of force produced during a maximal contraction	Within one session: Change from baseline (immediately before session) to 20 minutes after the session