RecruitingNot Applicable

Locomotion Adaptation Deficits in Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimers Disease

United States10 participantsStarted 2025-07-22

Plain-language summary

In people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's Disease (AD), reduced capacity for locomotor adaptation is a fundamental but poorly understood mechanism that can be a sensitive biomarker of cognitive-motor impairments. It is also an important therapeutic target for exercise-based interventions to improve walking function. The overall goal of this study is to understand the effects of MCI and AD on locomotor adaptation and walking function.

Who can participate

Age range50 Years – 90 Years

SexALL

See this in plain English?

AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.

Inclusion Criteria: * AD and MCI will be defined through formal diagnosis provided by a board-certified Neurologist. Amnestic MCI will be defined using the AD Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) criteria. All MCI participants in ADNI are required to have an amnestic subtype defined as: * Subjective memory concern or a memory problem noted by their partner * Abnormal memory function documented by a specified education adjusted cutoff score on the delayed paragraph recall of the Anna Thompson story of the Logical Memory subtest from the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised * Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) score between 20 and 26 (inclusive). Exceptions may be made for subjects with less than 8 years of education at the discretion of the PI. (iv) Single or multi-domain amnestic MCI (both subtypes are at high risk for progression to AD) * Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) = 0.5 (Memory Box score must be at least 0.5) * General functional performance sufficiently preserved * Evidence of impaired executive function based on Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score 13-17 * Able to walk 10 or more feet without an assistive device * Completed six grades of education or has a good work history (sufficient to exclude intellectual disabilities) * Not hospitalized within the last 60 days Exclusion Criteria: * Acute medical illness requiring hospitalization * Uncontrolled congestive heart failure * History of stroke * Inability to perform study procedures * Medical or physical conditions t…

What they're measuring

Change in Adaptation Magnitude Assessed as Peak Step Length Symmetry

Timeframe: Baseline (Pre-training), Week 2 (Post-training)

Change in Adaptation Rate Assessed as the Number of Steps to Reach Step Symmetry

Timeframe: Baseline (Pre-training), Week 2 (Post-training)

Change in 10-Meter Overground Walk Test

Timeframe: Baseline (Pre-training), Week 2 (Post-training)

Change in 6-Minute Walk Test

Timeframe: Baseline (Pre-training), Week 2 (Post-training)

Change in Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) Score

Timeframe: Baseline (Pre-training), Week 2 (Post-training)

Change in NIH-EXAMINER n-back Task Accuracy

Timeframe: Baseline (Pre-training), Week 2 (Post-training)

Trial details

NCT IDNCT06484244

SponsorEmory University

Sponsor typeOTHER

Study typeINTERVENTIONAL

Primary completion2026-12-31

Contact for this trial

Trisha Kesar, PT, PhD

(404) 712-5803 tkesar@emory.edu

View on ClinicalTrials.gov More Alzheimers Disease trials

Plain-language summary

Who can participate

Age range50 Years – 90 Years

SexALL

See this in plain English?

AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.

What they're measuring

Change in Adaptation Magnitude Assessed as Peak Step Length Symmetry

Timeframe: Baseline (Pre-training), Week 2 (Post-training)

Change in Adaptation Rate Assessed as the Number of Steps to Reach Step Symmetry

Timeframe: Baseline (Pre-training), Week 2 (Post-training)

Change in 10-Meter Overground Walk Test

Timeframe: Baseline (Pre-training), Week 2 (Post-training)

Change in 6-Minute Walk Test

Timeframe: Baseline (Pre-training), Week 2 (Post-training)

Change in Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) Score

Timeframe: Baseline (Pre-training), Week 2 (Post-training)

Change in NIH-EXAMINER n-back Task Accuracy

Timeframe: Baseline (Pre-training), Week 2 (Post-training)