Brain activity during balance exercises in people with multiple sclerosis
Studies brain activity during treadmill balance training in adults with multiple sclerosis and healthy volunteers.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Unraveling Active Ingredients of Neurorehabilitation: Investigating Cortical Activity During Task-oriented Exercises
Key facts
- Where
- Genova and Milan, ItalySee the 3 sites
Could this be for you?
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 18 and 60 years old?
Source: NCT06826638, who can take part
Where in Italy
- Università di GenovaGenova, ItalyTaking people
- IRCCS Santa Maria Nascente - Fondazione Don Carlo GnocchiMilan, ItalyTaking people
- Università degli Studi di MilanoMilan, ItalyNo longer taking part
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?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ETS
- Trial code
- NCT06826638
- Record updated
- 14 February 2025
- Original description
The driving idea of this project is to use new imaging techniques during 0functional movements to study relearning during a typical rehabilitation session.Read full original descriptionShow less
Investigate Neuro-rehabilitation Active Ingredients of Specific Task-oriented Training In People With Multiple Sclerosis With Different Challenging Conditions and Extrinsic Feedbacks
The driving idea of this project is to use new imaging techniques during 0functional movements to study relearning during a typical rehabilitation session.
The novelty of this project is to move from studies inquiring changes in brain activity patterns before and after rehabilitation toward a paradigm in which cortical activity is studied during the execution of the exercise. This would allow better understanding of cortical mechanisms underpinning functional improvements.
The project builds on preceding studies, partially funded by FISM, from the three research units involved in this project, aimed at assessing the impact of rehabilitation on mobility and balance and at assessing the effects of neurorehabilitation on brain plasticity. In this study, we will include 40 healthy subjects and a sample of 20 consecutive People with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS), and we will investigate brain cortical activity during a typical session of task-oriented exercises. In specific, participants will undergo a treadmill training in which they will be required to keep their trunk and head stable in space using a biofeedback device. To study the effects of the session in improving dynamic stability, Head/trunk movements will be registered by inertial measurement units, while cortical activity will be concurrently assessed by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).
The first phase of the project will include healthy subjects and will be useful to understand the main cortical areas involved in the proposed motor tasks, in order to design the appropriate montage and protocol for fNIRS acquisition in PwMS. Finally, the analysis of the possible differences in cortical activation during different experimental conditions (e.g., biofeedback rehabilitation) in healthy subjects and PwMS will serve to develop a model for neurological rehabilitation.
Inclusion: subjects between 18 and 60 years of age,; diagnosis of MS (McDonald criteria, Thompson et al, 2018), stable disease course without worsening more than 1 EDSS point over the last 3 months, EDSS between 3 and 4.5 points,; healthy right-handed volunteers,; able to release a written informed consent.
Exclusion: intake of neuroleptic and antiepileptic drugs; Severe joint and/or bone disorders interfering with balance and gait (based upon clinical judgment); Cardiovascular diseases; epilepsy; Unable to comprehend the aims of the study and to follow test instructions; Diagnosis of major depression (DSM-5); Severe visual impairments interfering with the execution of the protocol.