Neural Substrates Underlying Adaptations in Manual Dexterity of Older Adults
ConditionAging Hands
Trial statusNot yet recruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age54-89
SponsorUniversity of Colorado, Boulder
About this trial
Age-related declines in motor function can compromise independence and quality of life. This project examines how practice and somatosensory stimulation reshape the neural control of hand muscles in older adults, leveraging neuroplasticity to enhance dexterity. By identifying modifiable neural mechanisms that underlie improved motor performance, this research lays the groundwork for targeted, non-invasive interventions that can be translated into clinical and community settings to support healthy aging and functional independence.
Eligibility criteria
This trial accepts healthy volunteersQualifiers
None
Disqualifiers
None
Trial design
Design model
Sequential
Treatments tested in this trial
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
BehavioralForce-steadiness training will be performance either without (sham) or paired with TENS.
Familiarization
BehavioralParticipants will perform 25 trials of the Grooved Pegboard Test
Treatment groups
72 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groupsGroup A: Pegboard timeExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Force-steadiness practiceExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Grooved Pegboard Test
Time taken to insert 25 keyhole-shaped pegs into matching holes on the pegboard.
Time frame
From enrollment until the end of the study at 2 weeks.2
Force steadiness
Coefficient of variation for force during low-intensity isometric contractions.
Time frame
From enrollment until the end of the study at 2 weeks.3
Motor unit modes
The subsets of motor units in hand-forearm muscles that exhibit correlated modulation of discharge rate during low-intensity isometric contractions. The motor unit activity will be identified from high-density surface electromyography with grid electrodes.
Time frame
From enrollment until study completion at 2 weeks.Sponsors and contacts
Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.
Source ClinicalTrials.gov
This trial is not recruiting at the moment. You can still explore other options: