Neuroplasticity in Motor LearningNMLPCNCT04921072
Neuroplasticity in Motor Learning in Young Adults Under Variable and Constant Practice Conditions
A study testing Constant practice conditions and Variable practice conditions in people with Neuroplasticity in Motor Learning, run by Masaryk University at 1 site in Czechia.
Trial summary
The project aims at providing a better understanding of motor skill acquisition and learning processes. The primary objectives of the study are to determine how practice conditions, i.e., variable and constant practice conditions, in motor learning affect Central Nervous System. There are three objectives: 1. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 20 to 35 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Neuroplasticity in Motor Learning
- What is being tested?
- Constant practice conditions and Variable practice conditions
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 50 participants
- Where
- 1 siteCzechia
- Study dates
- 24 Jan 2022to 30 Jun 2024
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 20 to 35 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- no history of epilepsy, any known neurological disorder, no psychiatric history, were medication-free during the previous 14-days prior to participation, had not used alcohol within the previous 24-h and were not pregnant
Who cannot join
- Participants will be excluded if they were a musician or a professional typist, or had any contraindications to MRI, significant medical conditions that prevented them from performing the task, or scored less than 3 on the Mini-Cog ™ test.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Czechia1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Masaryk University, Faculty of Sport Studies
Brno
Stanisław H. Czyż, Ph.D., +420 770 156 944, stanislaw.czyz@fsps.muni.cz
About this study
Official title: Neuroplasticity in Motor Learning Under Variable and Constant Practice Conditions
The project aims at providing a better understanding of motor skill acquisition and learning processes.
The primary objectives of the study are to determine how practice conditions, i.e., variable and constant practice conditions, in motor learning affect Central Nervous System. There are three objectives:
- to determine functional changes following constant and variable practice conditions in motor learning (resting-state fMRI)
- to determine the EEG activation and connectivity between cognitive, sensory, and motor cerebral cortex areas (central, temporal, parietal, occipital) in constant and variable practice conditions and as a function of practice time.
Read the detailed description
Variable practice involving the practice of several variations of motor skill benefits learning differently than practice in constant conditions, i.e., practice that involves only one variation of a skill. The variable practice results in better retention and transfer. The performance of a skill practiced in variable conditions is more accurate and stable. In contrast, practicing only one variation of a skill better refines the recall schema. It means that the motor program (which serves as an "example" while executing a movement) is developed better. The trained variation of a skill (in constant practice), produces an advantage in performance compared to the same variation of the skill that was practiced in variable conditions (assuming that variable and constant practice had similar capacity).
This finding has an important implication for those who want to master their skills and it does not matter whether this skill refers to sport, driving, piloting, or rehabilitation. If one wants to be good at performing only one variation of a skill, one should practice in constant conditions, whereas if one wants to be good in more than one variation of skill and wants to generalize the experience to novel situations an individual should practice in variable conditions. As one can see, this implication is practical, although the mechanisms underlying this distinction and differences are unknown.
On the other hand, it is unquestioned today that learning new motor skills dynamically changes brain, i.e., brain is neuroplastic. The neuroplasticity of the brain is specifically conspicuous in the progression of motor learning. As it was reported in previous research, cortico-striatal and cortico-cerebellar systems play an important role in motor skill acquisition. However, both of these systems differ in terms of the role they play as learning progresses. Cortico-striatal system (associative/premotor brain regions) is primarily engaged in the initial phase of learning, i.e., in cognitive functioning and sensory processing. Cortico-cerebellar system (sensorimotor network) is becoming more active in the later phase of motor learning. However, none of the previous research focused on what role these systems play in learning under different conditions and how the different roles the systems may play affect structural neuroplasticity, including grey and white matter.
It may be also interesting to look at the functional neuroplasticity. A lesser degree of cognitive involvement during the execution of movements may be associated with lower activation in the sensorimotor cortex. On the other hand, increased cognitive involvement may be expected in variable conditions due to, e.g., stimulus identification or decision making. Therefore, the assumption that decreased cognitive involvement and, as a result, decreased prefrontal cortex activation in constant practice conditions sounds reasonable. Moreover, it may be hypothesized that practicing and learning in constant conditions will be characterized by lower sensorimotor cortex activation since there will be decreased control during the motor performance, which leads to more adaptive motor performance.
- Conditions
- Neuroplasticity in Motor Learning
- Being tested
- Constant practice conditions, Variable practice conditions
- Keywords
- sensorimotor cortex activity, neuroplasticity, specificity of practice, variability of practice, practice conditions, motor learning
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Constant practice conditionsBehavioural
CG will be practicing only one specific pattern of step isometric contractions (SPSIC) scheme. It means that 90 trials in all training sessions will consist only of SPSIC 1.
Variable practice conditionsBehavioural
VG will practice three SPSIC's (1-3). Each SPSIC will be practiced 30 times per session, which means that each session will consist of 90 SPSIC like CG.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| CG - Constant practice condition group | Experimental | CG will be practicing only one specific pattern of step isometric contractions (SPSIC) scheme. It means that 90 trials in all training sessions will consist only of SPSIC 1. Receives: Behavioral: Constant practice conditions |
| VG - Variable practice condition group | Experimental | VG will practice three SPSIC's (1-3). Each SPSIC will be practiced 30 times per session, which means that each session will consist of 90 SPSIC like CG. Receives: Behavioral: Variable practice conditions |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Functional changes following constant and variable practice conditions in motor learning (resting state fMRI)
Structural, diffusion, and resting-state functional scans will be acquired both prior to and after the three weeks of practicing the unimanual index finger abduction motor task. High-resolution T1-weighted (MPRAGE) and FLAIR images will be exploited to assess grey matter changes. Diffusion-weighted (DWI) data will be used for probabilistic tractography to obtain specific tracts that will be analyzed in terms of alterations in fractional anisotropy, mean, radial, and parallel diffusivity. In addition, whole-brain white matter microstructural changes will be assessed using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS).
Regarding resting-state fMRI data, BOLD multi-echo echo-planar imaging fMRI sequence will be applied.
Measured: pretest - 3 and 4 weeks posttests
SMR differences in constant and variable practice conditions in motor learning and as a function of practice time
To test the sensorimotor cortex activity and coherence in constant and variable practice conditions, the sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) will be recorded.
Measured: pretest - 3 and 4 weeks posttests
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted10 Jun 2021
- Study start24 Jan 2022
- Primary completion30 Jun 2024 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Jun 2024 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Neuroplasticity in Motor LearningStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Fifty participants will be randomly assigned to two groups: constant and variable practice condition group (CG and VG). The pretest-posttest design will be applied. All participants will go through MRI scanning and EEG measurements. All participants will perform a pretest (baseline) consisting of 15 trials of SPSIC (1-3) and MRCP - motor related cortical potential, as the specific type of event related potential. The testing will start with MRCP, then SPSIC 1, then SPSIC 2, and will finish with SPSIC 3. The testing will be scheduled in blocked order. After completing the whole training program, each participant will perform a posttest analogically to the pretest.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 50 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Masaryk University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Czech-BioImaging, Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Stanisław Henryk Czyż, Masaryk University
- Investigators
- Stanisław H. Czyż, Ph.D., Principal investigator, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04921072
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- FSpS SHC 1
- Acronym
- NMLPC
- Status last verified
- Mar 2024
- First submitted
- 3 Jun 2021
- Last updated
- 15 Mar 2024
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided: All anonymized IPD will be shared using one of the many open repositories, however, how the data will be organized and how it will be presented has to be decided (given the complexity and amount of imaging data).
Publications
Czyz SH, Marusiak J, Klobusiakova P, Sajdlova Z, Rektorova I. Neuroplasticity in Motor Learning Under Variable and Constant Practice Conditions-Protocol of Randomized Controlled Trial. Front Hum Neurosci. 2022 Mar 17;16:773730. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.773730. eCollection 2022.
PubMed 35370573
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 15 Mar 2024. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Neuroplasticity in Motor Learning Under Variable and Constant Practice Conditions
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04921072
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- NMLPC / FSpS SHC 1
- Conditions
- Neuroplasticity in Motor Learning
- Keywords
- sensorimotor cortex activity, neuroplasticity, specificity of practice, variability of practice, practice conditions, motor learning
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Unknown status
- Enrolment
- 50 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Masaryk UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Czech-BioImaging, Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences
- Study start
- 24 Jan 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Jun 2024 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 Jun 2024 (estimated)
- First posted
- 10 Jun 2021 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The project aims at providing a better understanding of motor skill acquisition and learning processes.
The primary objectives of the study are to determine how practice conditions, i.e., variable and constant practice conditions, in motor learning affect Central Nervous System. There are three objectives:
- to determine functional changes following constant and variable practice conditions in motor learning (resting-state fMRI)
- to determine the EEG activation and connectivity between cognitive, sensory, and motor cerebral cortex areas (central, temporal, parietal, occipital) in constant and variable practice conditions and as a function of practice time.
Detailed description
Variable practice involving the practice of several variations of motor skill benefits learning differently than practice in constant conditions, i.e., practice that involves only one variation of a skill. The variable practice results in better retention and transfer. The performance of a skill practiced in variable conditions is more accurate and stable. In contrast, practicing only one variation of a skill better refines the recall schema. It means that the motor program (which serves as an "example" while executing a movement) is developed better. The trained variation of a skill (in constant practice), produces an advantage in performance compared to the same variation of the skill that was practiced in variable conditions (assuming that variable and constant practice had similar capacity).
This finding has an important implication for those who want to master their skills and it does not matter whether this skill refers to sport, driving, piloting, or rehabilitation. If one wants to be good at performing only one variation of a skill, one should practice in constant conditions, whereas if one wants to be good in more than one variation of skill and wants to generalize the experience to novel situations an individual should practice in variable conditions. As one can see, this implication is practical, although the mechanisms underlying this distinction and differences are unknown.
On the other hand, it is unquestioned today that learning new motor skills dynamically changes brain, i.e., brain is neuroplastic. The neuroplasticity of the brain is specifically conspicuous in the progression of motor learning. As it was reported in previous research, cortico-striatal and cortico-cerebellar systems play an important role in motor skill acquisition. However, both of these systems differ in terms of the role they play as learning progresses. Cortico-striatal system (associative/premotor brain regions) is primarily engaged in the initial phase of learning, i.e., in cognitive functioning and sensory processing. Cortico-cerebellar system (sensorimotor network) is becoming more active in the later phase of motor learning. However, none of the previous research focused on what role these systems play in learning under different conditions and how the different roles the systems may play affect structural neuroplasticity, including grey and white matter.
It may be also interesting to look at the functional neuroplasticity. A lesser degree of cognitive involvement during the execution of movements may be associated with lower activation in the sensorimotor cortex. On the other hand, increased cognitive involvement may be expected in variable conditions due to, e.g., stimulus identification or decision making. Therefore, the assumption that decreased cognitive involvement and, as a result, decreased prefrontal cortex activation in constant practice conditions sounds reasonable. Moreover, it may be hypothesized that practicing and learning in constant conditions will be characterized by lower sensorimotor cortex activation since there will be decreased control during the motor performance, which leads to more adaptive motor performance.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Fifty participants will be randomly assigned to two groups: constant and variable practice condition group (CG and VG). The pretest-posttest design will be applied. All participants will go through MRI scanning and EEG measurements. All participants will perform a pretest (baseline) consisting of 15 trials of SPSIC (1-3) and MRCP - motor related cortical potential, as the specific type of event related potential. The testing will start with MRCP, then SPSIC 1, then SPSIC 2, and will finish with SPSIC 3. The testing will be scheduled in blocked order. After completing the whole training program, each participant will perform a posttest analogically to the pretest.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| CG - Constant practice condition group | Experimental | Behavioral: Constant practice conditionsCG will be practicing only one specific pattern of step isometric contractions (SPSIC) scheme. It means that 90 trials in all training sessions will consist only of SPSIC 1. |
| VG - Variable practice condition group | Experimental | Behavioral: Variable practice conditionsVG will practice three SPSIC's (1-3). Each SPSIC will be practiced 30 times per session, which means that each session will consist of 90 SPSIC like CG. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 20 to 35 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- no history of epilepsy, any known neurological disorder, no psychiatric history, were medication-free during the previous 14-days prior to participation, had not used alcohol within the previous 24-h and were not pregnant
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Participants will be excluded if they were a musician or a professional typist, or had any contraindications to MRI, significant medical conditions that prevented them from performing the task, or scored less than 3 on the Mini-Cog ™ test.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Constant practice conditionsCG will be practicing only one specific pattern of step isometric contractions (SPSIC) scheme. It means that 90 trials in all training sessions will consist only of SPSIC 1. | Behavioural | CG - Constant practice condition group |
| Variable practice conditionsVG will practice three SPSIC's (1-3). Each SPSIC will be practiced 30 times per session, which means that each session will consist of 90 SPSIC like CG. | Behavioural | VG - Variable practice condition group |
Primary outcome
Functional changes following constant and variable practice conditions in motor learning (resting state fMRI)
Time frame: pretest - 3 and 4 weeks posttests
Structural, diffusion, and resting-state functional scans will be acquired both prior to and after the three weeks of practicing the unimanual index finger abduction motor task. High-resolution T1-weighted (MPRAGE) and FLAIR images will be exploited to assess grey matter changes. Diffusion-weighted (DWI) data will be used for probabilistic tractography to obtain specific tracts that will be analyzed in terms of alterations in fractional anisotropy, mean, radial, and parallel diffusivity. In addition, whole-brain white matter microstructural changes will be assessed using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS). Regarding resting-state fMRI data, BOLD multi-echo echo-planar imaging fMRI sequence will be applied.
SMR differences in constant and variable practice conditions in motor learning and as a function of practice time
Time frame: pretest - 3 and 4 weeks posttests
To test the sensorimotor cortex activity and coherence in constant and variable practice conditions, the sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) will be recorded.
Results and safety
Results are not available in the source record.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 15 Mar 2024.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 35370573Czyz SH, Marusiak J, Klobusiakova P, Sajdlova Z, Rektorova I. Neuroplasticity in Motor Learning Under Variable and Constant Practice Conditions-Protocol of Randomized Controlled Trial. Front Hum Neurosci. 2022 Mar 17;16:773730. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.773730. eCollection 2022.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided. All anonymized IPD will be shared using one of the many open repositories, however, how the data will be organized and how it will be presented has to be decided (given the complexity and amount of imaging data).
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Stanisław H. Czyż, Ph.D. principal investigator
Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Constant practice conditions and Variable practice conditions in people with Neuroplasticity in Motor Learning, run by Masaryk University at 1 site in Czechia.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 15 Mar 2024. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Czechia. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Results are not available in the source record.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Stanisław H. Czyż, Ph.D. (+420 770 156 944, stanislaw.czyz@fsps.muni.cz), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Functional changes following constant and variable practice conditions in motor learning (resting state fMRI) (time frame: pretest - 3 and 4 weeks posttests). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT04921072, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 15 Mar 2024.