Combining tDCS and Neurorehabilitation to Treat Age-related Deficits of Mobility and Cognition: UPfront Walking Study

June 13, 2024 updated by: University of Florida
Loss of mobility and cognitive ability are serious conditions that threaten the independence of older adults. The objective of this study is to initiate a line of research to develop a novel therapeutic intervention to enhance both mobility and cognition via neuroplasticity of frontal/executive circuits.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Frontal lobe dysfunction has been implicated as a factor contributing to gait deficits in some individuals with Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia and vascular dementia. There is a critical gap in knowledge about what therapeutic strategies are effective for maintaining or reinstating function in this critical brain region in order to preserve physical and cognitive health in older adults. The goal of our research is to develop a novel therapeutic intervention to enhance both mobility and cognition via neuroplasticity of frontal/executive control circuits. The Investigator will engage neuroplasticity of frontal circuits in two ways. The first is through neurorehabilitation with "complex walking tasks" (CWTs), such as obstacle crossing, obstacle avoidance and walking on non-uniform surfaces. CWTs are a potent behavioral approach for engaging prefrontal circuits. Furthermore, CWTs are crucial to successful ambulation in the home and community settings and therefore provide an ecologically valid therapeutic approach. The second approach that the Investigator will use to engage neuroplasticity of frontal circuits is anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Anodal tDCS is a safe, non-invasive neuromodulation technique. It has previously been shown to induce excitatory effects on brain tissue and, in single-session assessments, to improve performance during complex walking tasks. tDCS has also been shown to be an effective adjuvant for enhancing the effects of cognitive training. The objective of this study is to calculate effect size, establish variance of response and demonstrate feasibility of the experimental interventions in order to plan for a full scale clinical trial. Participants will include thirty older adults who demonstrate evidence of frontal/executive impairment. Participants will be randomized to one of three groups: 1) standard walking neurorehabilitation with sham tDCS ('standard/sham' group), 2) complex walking neurorehabilitation with sham tDCS ('complex/sham' group), or 3) complex walking neurorehabilitation with active anodal tDCS ('complex/active' group). Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) will be used to explore intervention-induced changes in prefrontal cortical activity. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, post-treatment and 3-month follow up. The Investigator propose the following specific aims:

Specific Aim 1: Determine preliminary efficacy for recovery of mobility and cognitive function.

Specific Aim 2: Demonstrate feasibility/safety of tDCS as an adjuvant to rehabilitation.

Specific Aim 3: Explore the relationship between prefrontal activity and behavioral outcomes The data collected here will provide the information needed to justify and plan a future full scale clinical trial to assess the relative efficacy and underlying mechanisms of each intervention approach.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
20

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Florida
      • Gainesville, Florida, United States, 32611
        • University of Florida
      • Gainesville, Florida, United States, 32608
        • HealthStreet
      • Gainesville, Florida, United States, 32611
        • UF Institute on Aging

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

65 years to 110 years (Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion criteria

  • preferred 10m walking speed < 1.0 m/s
  • 40th-80th percentile rank (age and education corrected score) on NIH toolbox executive assessments: Card Sort Test and Flanker test
  • willingness to be randomized to either intervention and to participate in all aspects of study assessment and intervention

Exclusion criteria

  • contraindications to non-invasive brain stimulation and/or MRI including metal in the head, pacemaker, known abnormal cranial fissures/holes.
  • difficulty communicating with study personnel
  • uncontrolled hypertension at rest (systolic > 180 mmHg and/or diastolic > 100 mmHg)
  • low vision that cannot be corrected by wearing glasses. Low visual will be operationally defined as visual acuity less than 20/70 on a standard eye chart, or difficulty performing complex walking tasks due to visual conditions affecting accurate navigation around and over obstacles (self-reported or observed by examiner).
  • illiterate, due to the likelihood of difficulties performing some of the cognitive tasks
  • non-English speaking, due to the likelihood of difficulties following instructions during therapy and during assessments
  • use of medications that are know to modify tDCS effectiveness including those with anticholinergic, GABAergic, or glutamatergic properties, or sodium channel blockers
  • clinical judgment of investigative team

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Standard walking with Sham tDCS
Neurorehabilitation of Standard Walking and Sham Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (Sham tDCS)
Behavioral: Neurorehabilitation of Standard Walking
Neurorehabilitation is a behavioral therapeutic approach for enhancing the neural control of task performance by: Restoration of function, specificity of training, Sensory input to the nervous system, Intensity, Repetition and Progression of training. Neurorehabilitation of standard walking will focus on the use of typical steady state walking.
Device: Sham Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (Sham tDCS)
tDCS will be used to induce positive neuromodulation of frontal/executive circuits to make them more amenable to the "activity-dependent neuroplasticity" that is known to occur with behavioral neurorehabilitation. Specifically, tDCS may facilitate the efficacy of our walking neurorehabilitation intervention by strengthening the synaptic connections within the recruited circuits.
Other Names:
  • Soterix Direct Current Stimulator
Active Comparator: Complex walking with Sham tDCS
Neurorehabilitation of Complex Walking and Sham Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (Sham tDCS)
Behavioral: Neurorehabilitation of Complex Walking
Neurorehabilitation is a behavioral therapeutic approach for enhancing the neural control of task performance by: Restoration of function, specificity of training, Sensory input to the nervous system, Intensity, Repetition and Progression of training. Neurorehabilitation of complex walking will focus on the use of walking tasks that require increased attention and executive functions. The following walking tasks will be used: over obstacles, navigating around obstacles, changing speeds, on soft surfaces (exercise mat), in dim lighting, while conversing with the therapist, up/down ramps and climbing/descending stairs.
Device: Sham Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (Sham tDCS)
tDCS will be used to induce positive neuromodulation of frontal/executive circuits to make them more amenable to the "activity-dependent neuroplasticity" that is known to occur with behavioral neurorehabilitation. Specifically, tDCS may facilitate the efficacy of our walking neurorehabilitation intervention by strengthening the synaptic connections within the recruited circuits.
Other Names:
  • Soterix Direct Current Stimulator
Active Comparator: Complex walking with Active tDCS
Neurorehabilitation of Complex Walking and Active Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (Active tDCS)
Behavioral: Neurorehabilitation of Complex Walking
Neurorehabilitation is a behavioral therapeutic approach for enhancing the neural control of task performance by: Restoration of function, specificity of training, Sensory input to the nervous system, Intensity, Repetition and Progression of training. Neurorehabilitation of complex walking will focus on the use of walking tasks that require increased attention and executive functions. The following walking tasks will be used: over obstacles, navigating around obstacles, changing speeds, on soft surfaces (exercise mat), in dim lighting, while conversing with the therapist, up/down ramps and climbing/descending stairs.
Device: Active Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (Active tDCS)
tDCS will be used to induce positive neuromodulation of frontal/executive circuits to make them more amenable to the "activity-dependent neuroplasticity" that is known to occur with behavioral neurorehabilitation. Specifically, tDCS may facilitate the efficacy of our walking neurorehabilitation intervention by strengthening the synaptic connections within the recruited circuits.
Other Names:
  • Soterix Direct Current Stimulator

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Mobility: Figure-of-eight Walking Test (Figure-8 Walk Test)
Time Frame: Change (value at 6 weeks minus value at baseline)
Time to complete a walking course at usual pace. The course is 15 feet in length and arranged as a Figure-8 pattern.
Change (value at 6 weeks minus value at baseline)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Cognitive Composite Executive Score on EXAMINER Battery
Time Frame: Change (value at 6 weeks minus value at baseline)

EXAMINER is an acronym for "Executive Abilities:Measures and Instruments for Neurobehavioral Evaluation and Research.

EXAMINER is a battery of assessments that tests 7 domains of executive function separately and as a composite score. The composite score is based on Item Response Theory (logistic modeling) and ranges from a minimum value of -4 to a maximum value of 4. Higher scores indicate better performance.
Change (value at 6 weeks minus value at baseline)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Florida

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: David Clark, ScD, University of Florida

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 1, 2017

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 31, 2020

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
March 6, 2021

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 7, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 17, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 20, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 14, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 13, 2024

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • IRB201602317 -N
  • R21AG053736 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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