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Gait, Depression, and Mind-body Therapy in Seniors

NCT02283541 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 27

Last updated 2017-08-23

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Falls are the leading cause of injury---related hospitalization and death in the elderly. As such, fear of falling (FOF) is common among senior populations and often leads to activity avoidance, social isolation, and reduced physical and mental health. Risk of falls is particularly concerning for individuals suffering from late life depression (LLD) as both depression and antidepressant treatment have been shown to be linked to gait impairments, a strong predictor of fall risk. Currently, our team is conducting a study to examine the effects of a non---pharmacological mind---body therapy commonly known as automatic self---transcending meditation (ASTM) on autonomic and mood---related symptoms of LLD. This study provides a timely opportunity to explore the intricate relationship between gait disturbances and depression severity, as well as the potential benefits of ASTM intervention on gait and FOF in seniors. Using a GAITRite® portable walkway, measures of stride length and gait velocity will be obtained for seniors in the ASTM and control study arms every four weeks for the duration of the ASTM program. The aim of this study is to answer the following research questions: are gait impairments and depression severity correlated, and does ASTM training have any effect on gait and FOF? The results of this study could not only provide insight into the physical manifestations of depression but if ASTM training is found to improve gait and reduce FOF then there is potential to use this mind---body meditation technique as an adjunct therapy to reduce fall risk in seniors with LLD. Furthermore, future research could expand upon these findings to examine the benefits of ASTM on gait impairments secondary to other psychiatric illnesses.

Conditions

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Automatic self-transcending meditation

ASTM is a category of meditation that helps quiet the mind and induce physiological and mental relaxation while the eyes are shut. It utilizes relaxed attention to a specific sound value (mantra) according to specific criteria, in order to draw attention inward.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Akshya Vasudev, MBBS, MD · London Health Sciences Centre

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
65 Years
Max Age
85 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2015-06-30
Primary Completion
2017-01-31
Completion
2017-01-31

Countries

  • Canada

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT02283541 on ClinicalTrials.gov