At a glance
ClinicalIndex Comparison RecordStandardized by ClinicalIndex from the ClinicalTrials.gov record · verify against the source.
Does Practice Beyond Performance Plateau Improve Motor Learning in Healthy Adults?
In Brief
A clinical study evaluating Motor Practice of a Standing Serial Reaction Time Task for Aging. Completed, enrolled 65 participants across 1 site.
Detailed Summary
This study contains two pilot studies: 1) one study will investigate practice dosage of a postural stepping task in healthy young individuals in order to determine an operational definition of performance plateau, and 2) the other study will investigate whether practicing beyond reaching a performance plateau improves learning of a postural stepping task in healthy older adults, compared to discontinuing practice immediately after reaching a performance plateau. The investigators hypothesize that the group that continues to practice beyond reaching their performance plateau will learn and retain the motor task better than the other group.
Study Details
Timeline
Interventions
Subjects will perform a standing serial reaction time task on a step reaction mat. Subjects will step to a series of targets, based on a series of stimuli that are presented. One trial is composed of two 12-step sequences. One of the 12-step sequences is random, while the other is a repeated sequence; sequences are presented in random order. After each trial, the subject rests for 25 seconds. Six trials equal 1 block of practice, which is followed by a 4 minute rest break. After each block, feedback is provided about average response time (RT) on all steps included in the block. One complete day of practice consists of 6 blocks of practice in which each block consists of 6 trials.