An interventional study of Action Observation in Muscle Weakness, Dynapenia and Sarcopenia, sponsored by University of Central Florida. Terminated at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 60 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2021-06-28.
Sponsored by University of Central Florida · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science
A critical problem facing aging adults is muscle weakness. Whereas scientists have traditionally attributed the loss of muscle strength with aging to muscle atrophy, emerging evidence suggests that impairments in the neuromuscular system's ability to voluntarily generate force plays a more central role than previously appreciated. One area that has not yet been investigated includes the role that observing another's actions - thereby activating mirror neurons - plays in muscle force generation. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the acute effects of action observation on muscular strength, voluntary muscle activation, and cortical excitability and inhibition in older adults.
A critical problem facing aging adults is muscle weakness. Whereas scientists have traditionally attributed the loss of muscle strength with aging to atrophic effects, emerging evidence suggests that impairments in the neuromuscular system's ability to voluntarily generate force plays a more central role than previously appreciated. One area that has not yet been investigated includes the role that observing another's actions - thereby activating mirror neurons - plays in muscle force generation. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the acute effects of action observation on muscular strength, voluntary activation, and cortical excitability and inhibition in older adults. Following a thorough familiarization visit, twenty-five men and women ≥60 years of age will complete three action observation sessions in a randomized, counterbalanced manner: 1) observation of very strong hand/wrist contractions, 2) observation of very weak hand/wrist contractions, and 3) a control condition. Maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs) of the wrist flexors will be performed before and after observation sessions. Percent voluntary activation will be determined via the interpolated twitch technique. Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electromyographic (EMG) recordings from the flexor carpi radialis and first dorsal interosseous will be used to quantify cortical excitability and inhibition, via motor evoked potential amplitude and silent period duration, respectively. The hypothesis of this study is that observation of strong muscle contractions will acutely increase muscle strength, and such changes will be facilitated by enhanced corticospinal excitability and decreased inhibition. In contrast, it is hypothesized that observation of very weak contractions will cause no such efforts or even acute muscle weakness. Collectively, we propose that manipulation of mirror neurons is a worthwhile strategy for clinicians hoping to induce neuromuscular adaptations in older adults, particularly in settings where movement of a joint is painful or infeasible (e.g., bedrest or immobilization).
601 studies on the registry are indexed under Muscle Weakness; 99 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 14 is below the median of 46 across 444 interventional studies indexed under Muscle Weakness.
Browse Muscle Weakness studies →University of Central Florida is the lead sponsor of 99 studies on the registry; 40 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Exclusion Criteria:
Other: Action Observation
Other: Action Observation
Strength, voluntary activation, and cortical responses to three conditions will be measured: 1) action observation of very strong, forceful contractions of the hand and wrist flexors 2) action observation of very weak, feeble contractions of the hand and wrist flexors 3) no action observation. Experimental conditions will be randomized and counterbalanced.
Muscle Strength
Isometric muscle strength of the non-dominant hand and wrist flexors will be assessed during maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs).
Time frame: 5 minutes
Voluntary Activation
Percent voluntary activation will be quantified during the MVCs to determine each participant's ability to maximally activate their wrist flexor muscles voluntarily.
Time frame: 5 minutes
Corticospinal excitability
Transcranial magnetic stimulation will be used to quantify corticospinal excitability throughout the study.
Time frame: 5 minutes
Plan to share: No
This study is terminated, as verified in Jun 2021. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
University of Central Florida