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Effects of Step Training in Older Adults with Mild Dementia

NCT05655403 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 145

Last updated 2025-03-13

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Step training has been shown to be effective at reducing the incidence of falls and improving related risk factors, including choice stepping, in healthy older adults. However, the effects of step training have not been investigated in OWMD. The primary objective of the proposed project will be to assess the effects of a step-training program involving concurrent stepping and visuospatial tasks on choice stepping, prefrontal cortex functioning during choice stepping, and fall-related outcomes (i.e., step length, lower-limb muscle strength, balance, mobility, dual-task ability, and fear of falling) in OWMD.

The prefrontal cortex is responsible for the executive functions such as attention and inhibitory function, which are integral to choice stepping reaction time tasks. However, the effects of step training on prefrontal cortex functioning during choice stepping in OWMD remain unclear. The neural mechanisms underlying the potential effects of step training on choice stepping have never been investigated in this population. Therefore, the secondary objective of the proposed project will be to evaluate the mediating effects of changes in the prefrontal cortex functioning during choice stepping on the potential benefits of a step-training program for choice stepping in OWMD.

The proposed project will provide robust evidence to support the use of step training to improve choice stepping and reduce the risk of falls in OWMD. Disentangling the neural mechanisms underlying the effects of step training will be crucial to the development of the most effective interventions to target these mechanisms.

Conditions

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Step training program

The program will consist of 3 phases: (1) getting familiar, (2) increasing complexity, and (3) consolidating skills. In Phase 1, the participants will be asked to use one foot to step on single-colored stepping panels located in a specific region of the plastic mat (e.g., upper quadrant). In Phase 2, the exercise will progress by introducing the following 4 cognitively challenging stepping tasks. After finishing the 4 stepping tasks in Phase 2, the exercises will progress to Phase 3, which will consolidate the participants' stepping and cognitive skills. The following 4 additional stepping tasks will be introduced. The instructor will tailor the exercises for each participant, based on their training performance.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University Grants Committee, Hong Kong

    collaborator OTHER_GOV

  • The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Wayne LS Chan, PhD · The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
65 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2024-01-01
Primary Completion
2026-09-30
Completion
2026-12-31

Countries

  • Hong Kong

Study Locations

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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 NCT05655403 on ClinicalTrials.gov