Effects of Ritalin on Postural Stability of Old Adults

Soroka University Medical Center

Status

Completed

Conditions

Postural Imbalance

Treatments

Drug: Methylphenidate

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT00817960

SOR476508CTIL

MZ4765

Details and patient eligibility

About

Experimental design overview The proposed project is a prospective experimental study design. independent old adults(age 65 years old and older) who do not suffer from balance problems willing to participate in the study will be tested with well-established measuring techniques of Balance control before and 2 hours after taking of Methylphenidate (Ritalin) in the movement and Rehabilitation Laboratory at BGU. An automated algorithm will be used to extract standardized stabilogram-diffusion parameters from each of the COP data sets collected during quiet standing. These parameters include diffusion coefficients, critical displacement, critical time and scaling exponents for both lateral and anterior-posterior sway directions (Collins & De Luca, 1993). For each of the conditions (before and 1 hour after the use of Ritalin) in three task conditions single task; dual task (concentrating and identifying specific music); and just Listening to a relaxing music. Participants will be required to stand on the platform 10 times for 30 s. For each trial, they will be instructed to sway as little as possible.

Enrollment

30 patients

Sex

All

Ages

65+ years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Age 65 years old and older
independent elderly adults
do not suffer from balance prblems
minimental score 24 and above

Exclusion criteria

old adults who suffer from neurological disease or stroke
old adults who suffer from psychiatric state
old adults who suffer from orthopedic condition (1/2 a year after a fracture in the lower limb)
old adults who suffer from heart conditions
old adults who suffer from blindness