LAnguage-Motor Imagery Circuits to Improve Motor Learning and Language Comprehension

Recruiting

• Conditions: Corticospinal Excitability; Cortical Activation
• Interventions: Other: Motor imagery; Other: Action reading; Other: Motor localizer

• Registration Number: NCT06478303
• Lead Sponsor: University Hospital, Grenoble

Brief Summary

Recent evidence suggests that cognitive systems do not operate in isolation but interact within broader networks, thus opening new avenues for fundamental and clinical research. An illustrative example is the interaction between language comprehension and motor representations. For instance, motor training (e.g., sports, origami training) can facilitate action verb recognition, whereas motor deficits (e.g., upper limb immobilization) can hinder the processing of action language. Similarly, action language has been shown to affect motor performance. These effects are attributed to an implicit form of motor imagery, an automatic simulation of motor experience (without actual movement) evoked by action words. Interestingly, literature supports the idea that the motor simulations used for imagining an action are also engaged during the reading of action language, leading to similar neurophysiological and behavioral changes in both processes. However, questions remain about the similarity of the simulations generated by motor imagery and action language. This project, encompassing three experimental sequences, aims to address these questions to achieve significant scientific advancements in both theoretical and applied domains.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2024-06-13
• Study First Submitted QC: 2024-06-21
• Study First Posted: 2024-06-27
• Study Start: 2024-07-27
• Status Verified: 2024-08
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-08-01
• Last Update Posted: 2024-08-02
• Primary Completion: 2027-07-26
• Study Completion: 2028-07-26

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 105

Inclusion Criteria

• persons who have given written consent,
• healthy subjects
• subjects reading and understanding French
• right-handed,
• affiliated with a social security system,
• between 18 and 40 years old,
• had completed the TMS inclusion questionnaire or had undergone a medical examination prior to participation in the MRI study.

Exclusion Criteria

• Existence of a severe general medical condition: cardiac, respiratory, hematological, renal, hepatic, cancerous,
• Regular use of anxiolytics, sedatives, antidepressants, neuroleptics,
• Characterized psychiatric pathology,
• Ingestion of alcohol prior to the examination,
• Persons covered by articles L1121-5 to L1121-8 of the CSP,
• Presence of contraindications to MRI or TMS.

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
control group	Motor imagery	-
Experimental ccPAS group	Motor imagery	-
control group	Action reading	-
fMRI Experimental group	Motor localizer	-
Experimental ccPAS group	Action reading	-
fMRI Experimental group	Motor imagery	-
Sham ccPAS group	Motor imagery	-
TMS Experimental group	Motor imagery	-
fMRI Experimental group	Action reading	-
TMS Experimental group	Action reading	-
Sham ccPAS group	Action reading	-

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Level of corticospinal excitability	1 hour and 30 minutes	this is a physiological response obtained by transcranial magnetic pulses (TMS). This is an indicator of the excitability of the motor system, which can be used at rest or during various cognitive tasks (motor imagery or action reading).
Cortical activation (BOLD signal)	1 hour	this is a cortical response obtained via a fMRI. This is an indicator of the brain activity, which can be used at rest or during motor and cognitive tasks (motor imagery or action reading).

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

CHU Grenoble Alpes; 🇫🇷 Grenoble, Grenob, France

Université de Bourgogne; 🇫🇷 Dijon, France