Investigation of Motor Imagery Ability, Body Awareness and Cognitive Functions in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

March 9, 2026 updated by: Ismail Okur, Kutahya Health Sciences University

Relationship Between Motor Imagery Ability, Body Awareness and Cognitive Functions in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between motor imagery skills, body awareness and cognitive functions in individuals with Type 2 Diabetes mellitus.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

Motor imagery can be defined as a voluntary action simulation process that involves focusing intently on the cognitive components of motor tasks. In the literature, motor imagery is seen as a window opening to cognitive motor processes and especially motor control. Motor imagery is negatively affected in many diseases that affect the brain and brain functions, such as stroke, Parkinson, and multiple sclerosis, and motor imagery is frequently used in the rehabilitation of these diseases. Poor glycemic control in Type 2 Diabetes mellitus leads to deterioration in brain and cognitive functions. However, no study has been found on the effects of these disorders seen in Type 2 Diabetes mellitus on MI skills. Motor imagery is a mental practice that is becoming widespread in many areas. However, before considering using Motor imagery-based exercises as a therapy tool for patients, it is important to consider the extent to which patients cognitive impairments are related to their ability to form accurate motor images. For example, studies have found that patients with the lack of body awareness may not be able to produce kinesthetic images of motor movements.

Body awareness is the tendency to pay attention to internal bodily sensations and stimuli and includes the cognitive, emotional, and perceptual abilities that constitute the person general self-awareness. Chronic diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes mellitus affect body awareness and image. Body awareness has been found to be associated with clinical parameters related to diabetes, such as fasting blood sugar and HbA1c levels and duration of diabetes in patients with Type 2 Diabetes mellitus. Changes in body awareness may disrupt the patient self-perception, leading to a poor clinical picture and a poor course of chronic diseases. Therefore, it is important to evaluate possible changes in internal body perception.

To our knowledge, no study has been found in the literature examining the relationship between motor imagery skills of individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus and body awareness and cognitive functions. The existence of this relationship may guide the use of motor imagery as a treatment method in individuals with Type 2 Diabetes mellitus whose body awareness and cognitive functions are impaired.

Individuals who meet the inclusion criteria will be asked to sign an informed consent form. Then, demographic data of the individuals will be collected using a demographic data form. Individuals; motor imagery skills will be assessed using a mental stopwatch and mental rotation, body awareness will be assessed using the Body Awareness Questionnaire, and cognitive functions will be assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment questionnaire.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

100

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Locations

    • Central
      • Kütahya, Central, Turkey (Türkiye), 43100
        • Recruiting
        • Kutahya Health Sciences University
        • Contact:

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Individuals aged 18-65 who have had type 2 DM for at least 5 years

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Being a type 2 DM patient between the ages of 18-65 for at least 5 years,
  • Being willing to participate in the study,
  • Not having any vision, hearing or speech problems that would prevent the tests from being performed.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Having previous experience with Motor Imagery techniques or training,
  • Having any orthopedic problems that prevent walking,
  • Having a history of neurological disease,
  • People who are receiving any medication that affects the central nervous system will not be included in the study.

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
18-65 years old with type 2 DM for at least 5 years
Individuals motor imagery skills will be assessed using a mental chronometer and mental rotation, body awareness will be assessed using the Body Awareness Questionnaire, and cognitive functions will be assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment questionnaire.
Other Names:
  • Cognitive Function
  • Motor imagery Ability
  • Body Awareness
Individuals motor imagery skills will be assessed using a mental stopwatch and mental rotation, body awareness will be assessed using the Body Awareness Questionnaire, and cognitive functions will be assessed using theMontreal Cognitive Assessment questionnaire.
Other Names:
  • Cognitive Function
  • Body Awareness

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Mental Chronometer
Time Frame: 10 minutes
Mental chronometry provides information about the temporal relationship between real and simulated movements. As part of this assessment, participants will be administered the Nine-Hole Wooden Peg Test. In the study, the patient will be asked to place wooden sticks in the box one by one into the holes on the board as quickly as possible with their dominant hand. They will then be asked to place the sticks back into the box one by one. The total duration of the test will be determined by a chronometer. After the materials are removed from the field of vision, they will be asked to perform this carrying activity using the imagery method and the elapsed time will again be recorded by a chronometer. Motor imagery trials will begin with a countdown of "3-2-1-Start" and will end when participants indicate that they have finished placing by saying "stop".
10 minutes
Mental Rotation
Time Frame: 10 minutes
Mental rotation provides information about the accuracy of imagined movements. Mental rotation will be evaluated as a hand lateralization task, which is choosing which side the hand belongs to. The test will be applied using the Recognize App Recognize Hand software (Neuro Orthopedic Institute, Adelaide, Australia). Two data will be obtained by performing the test. The first is the percentage of correct responses that are capable of understanding whether the hand images shown belong to the right or the left, and the second is the reaction times of the individuals while performing the task. The "Vanilla" mode will be used for mental rotation ability in the study. This mode consists of images of real human hands in different postures/positions. The patient is given 5 seconds for each hand image and is expected to indicate whether the hand in the image is right or left from the buttons below during this time.
10 minutes
Body Awareness
Time Frame: 10 minutes
Individuals; body awareness will be measured with the Body Awareness Questionnaire. The Body Awareness Questionnaire consists of 18 questions. Participants will be asked to score each statement between 1 (1: Not true for me at all) and 7 (7: Completely true for me), and the total score is obtained by adding the scores given for each statement. The total score takes a value between 18 and 126. The higher the total score, the better the body awareness.
10 minutes
Cognitive Function
Time Frame: 20 minutes
Cognitive functions will be assessed with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) questionnaire. MOCA is a screening test that assesses attention and concentration, executive functions, memory, language, visual-spatial abilities, abstract thinking, calculation, and orientation. The total score on the MOCA test ranges from 0 to 30. The cutoff for a normal MOCA score is 26.
20 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: İsmail Okur, PhD, Kutahya Health Sciences University

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)

October 14, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

November 14, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 10, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 5, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 5, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

September 19, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 10, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 9, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2026

More Information

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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