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AgingNCT05471557

Effects of Acute Pain on Motor Learning in Young vs Older Adults

A study testing pain delivery in people with Aging and Pain, Acute, run by University of Delaware at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

To date, the effects of pain on motor learning have not been thoroughly investigated, particularly in older adults. Broadly, the purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of acute pain on locomotor learning and its retention in older adults. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 85 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Aging, Pain, Acute, Cognitive Decline
What is being tested?
pain delivery
Type of treatment
Surgery or procedure
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
61 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
20 Aug 2024to 5 Jun 2025
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 18 to 85 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • 18-35 (YA group only) or 55-85 (OA group only) years old
  • Sex-matched to a participant in the OA group (YA group only)
  • Self-identifying as generally medically healthy
  • Able to read, write and speak English
  • Able to provide informed consent and attend all testing sessions
  • Willing to undergo the experimental pain or non-painful electrical stimulation, if selected

Who cannot join

  • Resting HR < 50 or > 100 bpm
  • Resting BP < 90/60 or > 140/95 mmHg (YA group only) or > 165/95 (OA group only)
  • Any history or current mental health condition, learning/developmental disability or cognitive impairment, including severe untreated ADD/ADHD, severe untreated anxiety, severe untreated depression, autism spectrum disorder, insomnia, mild cognitive impairment, etc.
  • Score on the MoCA <23
  • Score on the GAD-7 ≥ 10
  • Score on the PHQ-2 ≥ 2 and score on the PHQ-9 ≥ 10
Show all 18Show fewer
  • Any current (within last 3 month) or chronic medical conditions, including any musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, endocrine, pulmonary, metabolic, psychiatric or neurological diagnosis that (for OA group only) affects activities of daily living or would confound testing or place the subject at risk by participating, such as a significant cardiovascular condition or event (e.g., heart attack < 3 months ago, uncontrolled atrial fibrillation, uncontrolled angina, or congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, peripheral vascular disease)
  • Any impaired sensation or weakness in either lower extremity or in the area targeted for the stimulus
  • History of serious concussion or head injury, defined as a loss of consciousness for > 5 minutes and/or requiring medical treatment, or > 2 concussions over the lifespan
  • Any history of acute or chronic problems with balance, any dizziness, or > 1 fall in the last 12 months
  • Taking 4 or more medications (YA group only)
  • Currently or regularly using any analgesic medications, over-the-counter remedies, or any other treatment for the purposes of pain relief (i.e., baby aspirin for heart health permitted, etc.)
  • Any current or chronic pain condition during the last year, located anywhere in the body with a (OA group only) pain intensity of > 2/10
  • Allergy to capsaicin or hot peppers
  • Any skin lesion, breakage or irritation in the area targeted for the painful stimulus
  • Skin sensitivity to soaps/creams/perfumes or to heat
  • Poor circulation in the area targeted for the painful stimulus
  • Prior participation in a locomotor learning study in this lab within the last 2 years or prior participation in a study in this lab that included the cognitive testing battery within the last 2 years.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site

  • University of Delaware

    Newark, Delaware, 19713

Other trials in United States

About this study

To date, the effects of pain on motor learning have not been thoroughly investigated, particularly in older adults. Broadly, the purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of acute pain on locomotor learning and its retention in older adults. The investigators hypothesize that acute pain impairs retention of locomotor learning in young and older adults and that in older adults, these deficits are worsened and are related to the degree of normal age-related cognitive decline.

Being tested
pain delivery
Keywords
Acute pain, Adults, Cognition, Elderly, Learning, Memory, Pain, Cognitive ability, Motor learning, Young adults, Older Adults, Gait, Locomotion, Walking, Motor Consolidation
Medical subject headings
Acute Pain, Cognitive Dysfunction, Motor Activity, Pain

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • pain deliveryProcedure or surgery

    Experimental pain paradigm delivered that is short-term and painful but not harmful.

Study groups in NCT05471557
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Pain StimulusExperimentalCapsaicin combined with heat applied to intact skin
Receives: Procedure: pain delivery
No StimulusNo interventionNothing applied to skin

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Motor Retention Magnitude

    degree to which the learned locomotor pattern has been remembered (in step length % change, normalized to the amount learned from day 1)

    Measured: 24 hours post learning (day 2)

  2. Motor Learning Magnitude

    degree to which the new locomotor pattern has been acquired (in step length % change)

    Measured: immediately after learning (day 1)

  3. Digit Span Backward Test

    number of digits (numbers) that can be repeated back in the reverse order from which they were presented

    Measured: the change between baseline and during application of intervention

  4. Digit Span Forward Test

    number of digits (numbers) that can be repeated back in the same order as they were presented

    Measured: the change between baseline and during application of intervention

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted25 Jul 2022
  2. Study start20 Aug 2024
  3. Primary completion5 Jun 2025
  4. Study completion5 Jun 2025

Resources

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
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
61 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05471557
Sponsor's protocol ID
1786370-1.1
Other IDs
R01AG071585
Status last verified
Dec 2025
First submitted
17 Jul 2022
Last updated
10 Dec 2025
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No

Publications

  • Patel KV, Guralnik JM, Dansie EJ, Turk DC. Prevalence and impact of pain among older adults in the United States: findings from the 2011 National Health and Aging Trends Study. Pain. 2013 Dec;154(12):2649-2657. doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2013.07.029.

    PubMed 24287107

  • Whitlock EL, Diaz-Ramirez LG, Glymour MM, Boscardin WJ, Covinsky KE, Smith AK. Association Between Persistent Pain and Memory Decline and Dementia in a Longitudinal Cohort of Elders. JAMA Intern Med. 2017 Aug 1;177(8):1146-1153. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2017.1622.

    PubMed 28586818

  • Higgins DM, Martin AM, Baker DG, Vasterling JJ, Risbrough V. The Relationship Between Chronic Pain and Neurocognitive Function: A Systematic Review. Clin J Pain. 2018 Mar;34(3):262-275. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000536.

    PubMed 28719507

  • Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Advancing Pain Research, Care, and Education. Relieving Pain in America: A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education, and Research. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2011. Available from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK91497/

    PubMed 22553896

  • van der Leeuw G, Leveille SG, Dong Z, Shi L, Habtemariam D, Milberg W, Hausdorff JM, Grande L, Gagnon P, McLean RR, Bean JF. Chronic Pain and Attention in Older Community-Dwelling Adults. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2018 Jul;66(7):1318-1324. doi: 10.1111/jgs.15413. Epub 2018 Jun 6.

    PubMed 29876923

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing pain delivery in people with Aging and Pain, Acute, run by University of Delaware at 1 site in United States.

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 6 inclusion and 18 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: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 10 Dec 2025. 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 United States. 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?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Motor Retention Magnitude (time frame: 24 hours post learning (day 2)). The study lists 4 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 NCT05471557, which also lists 5 linked publications.

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 10 Dec 2025; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 7 Nov 2026.

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