Fitt's Law MI Experiment

Science and Research Centre Koper

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Healthy

Treatments: Behavioral: Motor imagery of Fitts's law tasks; Behavioral: Skip counting; Behavioral: Real execution of Fitts's law tasks

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04744597

TwinBrainFittsLaw

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim of our study is to investigate the acute effects of real execution (RE) and motor imagery (MI) of Fitts law tasks on near and far transfer of learning.

Full description

Studies show changes in alpha (7.5 - 15 Hz) and beta (15 - 30 Hz) frequencies before and during motor tasks. However, researchers still disagree on the origin, timing, and direction of this. The neurophysiological mechanisms of motor learning are not yet fully understood. The authors note that event-related beta desynchronization is most commonly associated with motor learning. Reduced beta wave power can be observed in motor cortex, but it is still unclear whether this change is related to motor learning, performance, or movement repetition.

A comparative study of motor imagery and actual performance showed the occurrence of similar neurophysiological processes in the motor cortex. All the mentioned studies were conducted on adults and the results were mainly from the analysis of upper limb movements. In the present study, the investigators will comprehensively evaluate the upper and lower limb movements of children: from the recognition of visual stimuli to the generation of the motor program and the execution itself (behavioral data).

Forty-five children (year 2009) will be recruited from local primary schools. In a single-blinded design, children will be randomized into three groups (1st - real execution, 2nd - motor imagery, 3rd - control) and compared at baseline, immediately post-intervention and at follow-up 24 hours post-intervention. At pre-, post-, and follow-up assessments, participants will perform two different patterns of the Fitts Law task with the predefined difficulty: lower limbs/whole body and upper limbs/hands on an interactive whiteboard. The intervention period lasts approximately 10 minutes, during which participants perform the Fitts law task with different difficulty according to the intervention group to which they belong.

During the upper limb/hand tasks, brain activity will be recorded with electroencephalography (EEG).

Enrollment: 45 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 11 to 12 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• born in 2009
• no significant muscular, skeleton or nervous system damage
• the earlier-signed agreement to take part in the protocol.

Exclusion criteria

• Nervous system disorders

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

---

45 participants in 3 patient groups

Real execution group

Experimental group

Description:

The real execution group will perform the acute intervention by the actual performance of the Fitt's law task.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Real execution of Fitts's law tasks

Motor imagery group

Experimental group

Description:

The motor imagery group will perform the acute intervention by simulating (mental process) the Fitt's law task.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Motor imagery of Fitts's law tasks

Control group

Active Comparator group

Description:

The control group will perform skip counting.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Skip counting