Conscious Movement Processing, Postural Stability and Muscle Efficiency in Older Adults

Recruiting

• Conditions: Postural; Defect; Old Age; Debility; Fall Injury
• Interventions: Other: Standing tasks with different task difficulty

• Registration Number: NCT05630911
• Lead Sponsor: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Brief Summary

This study aims to address critical knowledge gaps by investigating the effects of trait conscious movement processing propensity on real-time (state) conscious movement processing propensity, postural stability, and muscle efficiency in older adults at risk of falling in Hong Kong with high and low trait conscious movement processing propensities, while standing in a challenging environment with different levels of standing task difficulties. The study results would contribute to our scientific understanding of the mechanisms of conscious movement processing in older adults while maintaining standing balance in a challenging environment. It could inform the follow-up investigations for the development of the most appropriate psychomotor standing balance re-education intervention in rehabilitation so as to mitigate the effect of conscious movement processing and the risk of falling in older adults. The findings from the proposed research could ultimately help improve the outcome of fall rehabilitation programmes and reduce the impact of falls in the older adults in Hong Kong.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2022-11-18
• Study First Submitted QC: 2022-11-18
• Study First Posted: 2022-11-30
• Study Start: 2023-01-01
• Status Verified: 2024-02
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-02-27
• Last Update Posted: 2024-02-29
• Primary Completion: 2025-06-30
• Study Completion: 2025-06-30

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 132

Inclusion Criteria

• 65 years old or above;
• able to stand independently without a walking aid.

Exclusion Criteria

• a history of any major cerebrovascular and/or neurological disorders (e.g., stroke, Parkinson's disease);
• a history of a major fall event within the past year;
• the existence of an unstable medical or mobility condition that could affect safety in this study;
• a score of 23/30 or below in the Chinese version of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-C);
• a static visual acuity poorer than 20/40 vision (examined by the Tumbling-E eye chart).

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Low Reinvestor Group (LRG)	Standing tasks with different task difficulty	Participants will be invited to complete a series of standing balance trials. The trials will involve participants standing in three different positions on a foam surface (i.e., Airex balance pad elite with a dimension of 16.1" width x 19.7" length x 2.4" height, or equivalent).The three different standing positions will be: wide-base standing on foam (WBF), narrow-base standing on foam (NBF), and tandem standing on foam (TAF) (i.e., low-level of task difficulty, moderate-level of task difficulty, and high-level of task difficulty, respectively). For each standing position, participants will be required to perform two consecutive standing balance trials, with a 1-minute rest break in between.
High Reinvestor Group (HRG)	Standing tasks with different task difficulty	Participants will be invited to complete a series of standing balance trials. The trials will involve participants standing in three different positions on a foam surface (i.e., Airex balance pad elite with a dimension of 16.1" width x 19.7" length x 2.4" height, or equivalent).The three different standing positions will be: wide-base standing on foam (WBF), narrow-base standing on foam (NBF), and tandem standing on foam (TAF) (i.e., low-level of task difficulty, moderate-level of task difficulty, and high-level of task difficulty, respectively). For each standing position, participants will be required to perform two consecutive standing balance trials, with a 1-minute rest break in between.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Real-time (state) conscious movement processing propensity	Day 0	It will be measured by the Alpha2 electrocephalogram (EEG) T3-Fz coherence.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Balance ability	Day 0	It will be measured by the Berg Balance Scale. The minimum value of the scale is 0 and the maximum value is 56. Higher score represents better balance ability.
Postural stability	Day 0	It will be measured by the 3-D motion capture system to identify the postural sway in the unit of millimeter (mm) or the postural sway velocity in the unit of meter per second (m/s).
Trait conscious movement processing propensity	Day 0	It will be measured by the the Chinese version of the Movement-Specific Reinvestment Scale. The minimum value of the scale is 10 and the maximum value is 60. Higher score represents higher trait conscious movement processing propensity.
Fear of falling	Day 0	It will be measured by the Falls Efficacy Scale International. The minimum value of the scale is 16 and the maximum value is 64. Higher score represents higher fear of falling.
Muscle efficiency	Day 0	It will be measured by the surface electromyography (EMG).
Functional mobility	Day 0	It will be measured by the Timed 'Up \& Go' (TUG) test.
Perceived standing task difficulty	Day 0	It will be measured by the Visual Analog Scale. The minimum value of the scale is 0 and the maximum value is 100. Higher score represents higher perceived standing task difficulty.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; 🇨🇳 Hong Kong, China