Can Training Balance, or Enjoying Music, Improve Attention, Problem-solving and/or Behavior Control Abilities?

Summary

This randomized controlled trial will investigate the hypothesis that since balance and executive functions (EFs) require a similar neural circuit and EFs are recruited when trying to maintain balance, that training balance might improve EFs as well as balance. There will be an active control condition (watching music videos) and a no-treatment condition. Children (18-12 years old) will be randomly assigned to one of these conditions for 12 weeks (36 per condition). The balance and music conditions will involve 15-min sessions 3x/week and a weekly check-in session with an investigator. Participants will be assessed pre-intervention, immediately post and 3-months post.

Conditions

• Executive Functions
• Postural Balance

Interventions

OTHER

Balance Training

The BT program has multiple difficulty levels, and each child will progress at an individual pace tailored to their balance skills. Training sessions will emphasize top-down control of balance and contain a combination of dynamic and static balance exercises. Children and their parents will receive written step-by-step instructions, with photos, verbal and/or video instructions on their private OneDrive folder. To monitor compliance, whether the exercises were done properly, and evaluate a child's progress, the parent/guardian will film the sessions, and upload the video to OneDrive, so we can score the child's performance and provide them with a progress tracking chart. Every child will be given the equipment needed to do the balance exercises: two wooden beams that will make a 12-foot balance beam, four small wooden cubes that will raise the balance beam 5 inches off the ground, a wobble board, a hopscotch mat, one roll of painter's tape, one measuring tape, a bell, a small book.

OTHER

Music Training

Children assigned to MT will be asked what kind of music and what performers they like best, and what songs they like most. After those open-ended questions, they will be asked about specific songs, guided somewhat by the child's previous answers, and will watch short excerpts from music videos to see which the child would like to listen to and watch during Week 1 of the MT program. This is all to guide the selection of music videos the child will enjoy and might give some thought to. They will receive 10 music videos per week, through the child's private OneDrive folder, from which they can choose 4 to watch every session. Children will be instructed to not do anything else, but simply watch the videos or listen with their eyes closed. To monitor compliance, and to check if the child was paying attention to the music videos or just having them play in the background while doing something else, the parent/guardian will film the MT sessions, and upload the video to OneDrive.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Canada

  collaborator OTHER

• University of British Columbia

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Adele Diamond, PhD · University of British Columbia

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

8 Years

Max Age

12 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-01-25

Primary Completion

2024-11-30

Completion

2024-12-30

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations