Motor Imagery and Turning Practice to Improve Mobility: Pilot Trial
Trial statusNot yet recruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexFemale
Age65+
SponsorBoise State University
About this trial
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether combining in-person turning practice with home-based Motor Imagery Therapy (MIT) is feasible and may improve mobility in community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years and older who report balance or turning-related mobility concerns. MIT involves mentally practicing movements and watching movement demonstrations without physically performing the movement.
The main questions this study aims to answer are whether it is feasible for older adults to complete a combined in-person and home-based turning and motor imagery program based on attendance, retention, and activity monitor use; whether adding MIT to a turning intervention improves turning performance more than a comparison program focused on stress management education; whether MIT increases daily physical activity, increases walking intensity, and reduces sedentary time in daily life; and whether measures of brain function related to movement control predict how much participants improve following the intervention.
Researchers will compare a locomotor turning intervention combined with MIT (Loco+MIT) to a locomotor turning intervention combined with stress management education (Loco+SME) to determine whether MIT leads to greater improvements in mobility and daily activity.
Participants will attend five laboratory visits that include mobility testing, brain stimulation assessments, and physical activity assessments. Participants will also complete six weeks of in-person turning practice sessions held twice per week and home-based sessions three times per week consisting of either motor imagery training or stress management education. In addition, participants will wear a physical activity monitor during daily life to measure movement and sedentary behavior and will complete follow-up assessments after the intervention to evaluate changes in mobility and activity over time.
Eligibility criteria
Qualifiers
Age 65 years or older.
Self-report difficulty with turning, balance, or walking-related mobility tasks.
Self-report increased fall risk, including a history of falls, fall-related injury, multiple falls within the previous year, or fear of falling due to balance or walking concerns.
Report some difficulty with walking-related activities, such as turning, walking longer distances, climbing stairs, or completing household activities.
Disqualifiers
Diagnosis or symptoms of a neurological disorder or central nervous system injury, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, or stroke.
Contraindications to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or non-invasive brain stimulation procedures.
Use of medications known to substantially affect central nervous system function.
Severe arthritis or musculoskeletal impairment that would limit safe participation in mobility training.
Trial design
Treatments tested in this trial
- Motor Imagery Therapy
- Stress Management Education
- Locomotor Turning Practice
Treatment groups
30 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groupsLocations
Sponsors and collaborators
Boise State University
Lead sponsor
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Collaborator
Source ClinicalTrials.gov