Effects of Motor Imagery on Motor Learning and Motor Retention in Octogenarian. (IMAge-8)

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Saint Etienne

Status: Terminated

Conditions: Aging

Treatments: Other: emotionally neutral film as training of manual task; Other: motor imagery as training motor task; Other: motor imagery as training manual task; Other: emotionally neutral film as training of motor task

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04018196

18CH128

2018-A02365-50 (Other Identifier)

Details and patient eligibility

About

Aging is associated with impairments in cognitive function, particularly motor learning and memorizing, impacting functional capacities. Older adults are still able to learn new skills but at a slower rate, and they forget quickly the new-learned skill because of an alteration in motor memory. Motor imagery, which is a mental simulation of an action without actual execution, has been demonstrated to improve performance in young adults and stabilize performance after a short break in older adults. However, in very old adults (>80 years old) for whom the decline in motor and cognitive functions is greater, it is unknown whether motor imagery training during a short break is still efficient. Previous studies on old adults were performed on upper limb muscles. Because aging differentially affects upper and lower limb muscles, the present study will aim to explore the effects of motor imagery on motor memorizing in both upper and lower limb muscles.

Full description

The primary purpose is to evaluate the effectiveness of motor imagery to improve the performance of very old people (> 80 years) through learning a task of the upper limbs.

Enrollment: 84 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 80+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Being part of the Proof cohort
• Signed written consent form
• Affiliated to social security

Exclusion criteria

• Pathology or chirurgical intervention causing locomotor disorder
• Neurological or psychic pathology
• Use psychotropic drugs
• Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) < 20

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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84 participants in 2 patient groups

Experimental group

Experimental group

Description:

Patient aged over 80 years old will be included. They will have motor imagery training of manual task and motor imagery training of motor task.

Treatment:

Other: motor imagery as training manual task

Other: motor imagery as training motor task

Control group

Active Comparator group

Description:

Patient aged over 80 years old will be included. They will have emotionally neutral film as training of manual task and emotionally neutral film as training of motor task.

Treatment:

Other: emotionally neutral film as training of motor task

Other: emotionally neutral film as training of manual task