Effects of Exercise and Sleep on Motor Learning and Functional Abilities in Multiple Sclerosis

Brief summary (registry, in English)

The ExSiMS study is a randomized, controlled crossover study including 20 individuals (18-70 years) diagnosed with relapsing remitting Multiple Sclerosis (MS) This project investigates, through behavioral and neurophysiological measurements, how aerobic exercise on an ergometer bike and sleep in the form of a nap and overnight sleep may enhance cortical motor skill learning evaluated by a complex hand motor skill test and thereby improve functional capacity in individuals with MS. Beyond the effect on motor skill learning, the project investigate the effect on electroencephalography (EEG) - electromyography (EMG) coherence. The study hypothesizes that individuals with neurological conditions, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), may experience beneficial effects on specific motor rehabilitation through systematically planned cardiovascular exercise and sleep scheduling, due to positive impacts on memory consolidation. Aims: * Investigate the brain's neurophysiological responses and memory effects following a training intervention and, separately, sleep, in the form of a power nap, in individuals with MS. * Examine whether these effects persist beyond the few days previously observed in healthy individuals by implementing a longer-term intervention. * Explore whether the training effect is influenced by disease activity in the brain, such as during relapses and during immunosuppressive treatment. * Assess whether the presence of abnormally reduced cognitive endurance (fatigue) affects the impact of the intervention involving exercise and sleep. The study is based on documented positive effects of physical activity and sleep in both young and older adults, as well as in individuals recovering from stroke. The research thus offers promising perspectives for broader applications within neurorehabilitation, and particularly for MS, as the disease is associated with functional impairments. At the same time, both physical exercise and sleep represent meaningful interventions that should be thoughtfully integrated into rehabilitation strategies.

What you commit to

• Study type: Interventional
• Planned participants: 20
• From 1 Dec 2025 to the primary completion date, 30 Aug 2028
• 2 sites in 1 country
• Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.

Who cannot take part

Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.

Who the study is looking for

Age in the registry: 18 years to 70 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers

Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov

Sites (2)

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