Effect of Mental Arithmetic Priming on Gait and Balance in Stroke (MA-Stroke)

February 10, 2026 updated by: Ahmad Rifai Sarraj, Lebanese University

Mental Calculus Can Enhance Gait Performance in Post-Stroke Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study investigates the effect of cognitive priming through mental arithmetic on functional mobility in post-stroke patients. It hypothesizes that performing mental calculations (addition, subtraction, multiplication) prior to movement stimulates frontoparietal networks, thereby improving gait speed and dynamic balance compared to a passive control condition.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Stroke often results in impaired sensorimotor integration and executive dysfunction, leading to gait and balance deficits. Emerging evidence suggests a link between numerical cognition and motor control networks. This randomized controlled trial compares an experimental group (performing 30-second mental arithmetic tasks) against a control group (passive visual exposure). Functional mobility is assessed immediately following the cognitive stimulus using the Ten-Meter Walk Test (10mWT) and the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test to evaluate the immediate "priming" effects of cognitive load on motor performance.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

17

Phase

  • 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 Contact

Study Contact Backup

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of stroke.
  • Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score ≥ 23.
  • Ability to walk 10 meters independently (with or without assistive device).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Hemianopia.
  • Wernicke's aphasia or Global aphasia.
  • Orthopedic injuries or recent surgeries affecting the lower limbs.

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: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention: Behavioral: Mental Arithmetic
Visual presentation of arithmetic equations (Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication) projected on a screen. Participants must calculate and verbally report the answer within a 10-second window per equation.
Behavioral: Mental Arithmetic
Visual presentation of arithmetic equations (Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication) projected on a screen. Participants must calculate and verbally report the answer within a 10-second window per equation.
Placebo Comparator: Passive Viewing
Passive viewing of a black screen with no cognitive demand.
Behavioral: Passive Viewing
Passive viewing of a black screen with no cognitive demand.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Gait Speed (10mWT)
Time Frame: Immediately following the 30-second cognitive stimulus.
Assessed using the Ten-Meter Walk Test (10mWT). Participants walk 14 meters; time is recorded for the middle 10 meters to determine steady-state gait speed.
Immediately following the 30-second cognitive stimulus.
Dynamic Balance (TUG)
Time Frame: Immediately following the 30-second cognitive stimulus.
Assessed using the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. Time taken to stand from a chair, walk 3 meters, turn, walk back, and sit down.
Immediately following the 30-second cognitive stimulus.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Lebanese University

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 (Estimated)

February 11, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

May 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 25, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 25, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

January 8, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 10, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • ED-STROKE-MENTAL-CALCULUS

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data (IPD) that underlie the results reported in this article (after de-identification) will be shared. This includes the data used to generate the tables and figures.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Data will be available beginning 6 months and ending 5 years following article publication.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Data will be shared with researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal to the corresponding author. Proposals should be directed to ahmadrifaisarraj@ul.edu.lb. To gain access, data requestors will need to sign a data access agreement.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF

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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