Optimization Principles in Hemiparetic Gait

University of Southern California

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Stroke

Treatments: Behavioral: Manipulation of spatiotemporal coordination during walking

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT03916562

HS-18-00533

R01HD091184 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

This project seeks to identify the how walking impairments in stroke survivors contribute to mobility deficits through the use of behavioral observations and computational models. The chosen approach integrates biomechanical analyses, physiological assessments and machine learning algorithms to explain how asymmetries during walking influence balance and the effort required to walk. Ultimately, the results of this work may lead to more personalized rehabilitation strategies to improve walking capacity and efficiency, and ultimately reduce fall risk in stroke survivors.

Enrollment: 108 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 21+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria for Control Participants:

• No musculoskeletal injury or conditions that limit walking ability
• No history of neurological disorders or severe head trauma
• Absence of cognitive impairment as demonstrated by a Mini-Mental score greater than 24

Inclusion Criteria for Post-Stroke Participants

• Presence of unilateral brain lesion from a single stroke
• Weakness confined to one side
• Ability to walk on a treadmill for five minutes continuously without a cane or walker
• Absence of cognitive impairment as demonstrated by a Mini-Mental score greater than 24

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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108 participants in 2 patient groups

Healthy Participants

Experimental group

Description:

The investigators will determine how asymmetric walking constraints influence spatiotemporal coordination, energetic cost, and dynamic balance in healthy individuals. The investigators will manipulate spatiotemporal coordination using a special treadmill. Energetic cost will be quantified using expired gas analysis and inverse dynamic approaches. Stability will be evaluated by characterizing participants' ability to recover from unexpected perturbations.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Manipulation of spatiotemporal coordination during walking

Post-stroke Participants

Experimental group

Description:

The investigators will determine how different patterns of coordination during walking influence energetic cost and dynamic balance in people post-stroke. The investigators will manipulate coordination using a special treadmill. Energetic cost will be quantified using expired gas analysis and inverse dynamic approaches. Stability will be evaluated by characterizing participants' ability to recover from unexpected perturbations.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Manipulation of spatiotemporal coordination during walking