Measuring how children and young adults with cerebral palsy move, with a leg exoskeleton
Tests new ways to measure movement and brain activity in people with cerebral palsy.
Key facts
- Who runs it
- National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC)
- Where
- Bethesda, United StatesSee the site
- Trial code
- Registry title
- Investigating New Methods to Study Movement in Children and Young Adults With Movement Disorders.
- Status
- Recruiting
- People taking part
- 30 people, planned
- Started
- 20 Feb 2025
- Expected to end
- 31 Dec 2027
- Type of study
- Observational, 2 groups
- Record updated
- 23 June 2026
Who can take part
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.
The trial is looking for children and young adults with cerebral palsy who have trouble walking. It also needs healthy volunteers of the same age and sex.
- Age
- 5 to 25 years
- Sex
- All sexes
- Disease stage
- People with cerebral palsy must have a walking problem caused by it. Each person must be able to bend and straighten the knee by at least 50 degrees. Some tasks also need ankle movement of at least 40 degrees, wrist movement of at least 50 degrees, or walking at least 1 minute on a treadmill.
Main reasons for not taking part
- Another nerve, muscle, bone, heart or lung problem besides cerebral palsy that limits joint movement or treadmill walking
- Several seizures in the past year that medicine does not control
- Pregnancy
The registry criteria, word for word
Show all 11 criteriaShow less
Who cannot take part
- Any neurological, musculoskeletal or cardiorespiratory injury, health condition, or diagnosis other than cerebral palsy that would affect the ability to move the required joints through the necessary range of motion or walk as directed on a treadmill
- A history of multiple seizures that have occurred in the past year that are not controlled by medication
- An individual who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study:
- Pregnancy
Other criteria
- INCLUSION CRITERIA:; In order to be eligible to participate in this study, an individual must meet criteria 1-4 and 5a as given below. If they also meet 5b, 5c or 6, they will perform the tasks related to the respective joint(s) for which criteria are met, and/or walking.:
- Provision of signed and dated separate informed consent and assent forms for screening purposes. Upon inclusion in the protocol, provision of signed and dated informed consent and assent forms to begin participation in the study will be necessary
- Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study, or alternatively, ability to do so based on parent report and physician observation during history and physical examination
- Age 5 to 25 years old
- Group A: Have a gait pathology arising from a diagnosis of cerebral palsy; Group B: Healthy volunteers who are age and sex matched to individuals recruited in Group A
- Sufficient range of motion to perform the target acquisition task, specifically:; Knee joint range of motion of at least 50 degrees in the sagittal plane (knee extension/flexion) assessed with hip extended in supine position. Limited hamstring flexibility as assessed by straight leg raising test does not limit ability to participate in the study; Ankle joint range of motion of at least 40 degrees in the sagittal plane (dorsiplantar- flexion) with the foot in neutral alignment; Wrist joint range of motion of at least 50 degrees in the frontal plane (wrist extension/flexion) assessed with hip extended in standing position
- Able to walk at least 1 minute on a treadmill without stopping with or without holding onto side or front support rails. This assessment will be completed by the physician during the medical history and physical exam
Check if you might fit
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 5 and 25 years old?
Where in United States
- National Institutes of Health Clinical CenterBethesda, United StatesContact: NIH Clinical Center Office of Patient Recruitment (OPR)Taking people
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
Background:
Read full original descriptionShow less
Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common motor disorder that affects children. People with CP have weak muscles; they may have trouble controlling the movements of their arms and legs. Researchers have been developing braces called robotic exoskeletons for people with CP. These devices can adapt to the person s movements and help them move better. This natural history study will explore new technologies that may tell us more about how people with CP move and improve how these exoskeletons work.
Objective:
To test new technologies to measure people s movements and brain function while they move with and without a robotic exoskeleton.
Eligibility:
People aged 5 to 25 years with CP. Healthy volunteers are also needed.
Design:
Participants will have 3 to 5 clinic visits in 2 months.
Participants will be fitted with an exoskeleton that will be worn on one of their legs.
At each visit, participants will be asked to move their wrist, ankle, and knee while the following measurements are taken:
Ultrasound. A bar will be placed against the skin. It will send soundwaves into the body to take pictures of the muscles.
Electroencephalography (EEG). Participants will wear a cap with sensors. Their brain waves will be recorded.
Electromyography (EMG). Small metal discs will be taped to the skin. They will measure electrical activity of muscle.
Participants will flex and extend each joint (wrist, ankle, or knee) on one side of their body. These movements will be done on their own and while assisted by two devices:
Functional electrical stimulation (FES). Small adhesive pads will be placed on the skin and electric. Pulses will stimulate muscles to help move the limb. This will be done for the wrist, ankle and knee.
Robotic Exoskeleton. A leg brace will be placed on one limb with a motor that will help move the knee. The exoskeleton can be used with or without FES.
Participants will also walk on a treadmill at their own pace.
Photographs and videos will record how they move.
The 2 groups in the trial
- Control
Healthy volunteer
- Patient
cerebral palsy (CP)
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorData and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- A Natural History Study Evaluating the Use of Multimodal Signal Acquisition Techniques to Characterize Movement in Children and Young Adults With Movement Disorders
- Plain-language title
- Measuring how children and young adults with cerebral palsy move, with a leg exoskeletonGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
- AI summary
- From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 14 November 2026.
- Fit questions
- Built from NCT06498596, who can take part
- Record updated
- 23 June 2026