Age-related gait impairment Not Applicable
Conditions
Interventions
This study uses a double-blinded, randomised, sham-controlled design. Forty-four participants are recruited and assigned into two groups: healthy young adults (YA
n = 23) and healthy older adults (OA
n = 21). Prior to the experiment, OA and YA are randomly allocated to active tDCS intervention (active-OA and active-YA) or control sham tDCS intervention (sham-OA and sham-YA). Participants are rando
Sponsors
Newcastle University
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: 1. Young adults aged between 18-40 years and older adults aged =60 years 2. Able to walk unaided on a treadmill for 5 min 3. Good English language comprehension
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: 1. Adults aged <18 years and between 41-60 years 2. Not able to walk unaided for 5 min 3. Poor English language comprehension 4. Cognitive impairment (Montreal Cognitive Assessment [MoCA] score =21) 5. Psychiatric co-morbidities 6. History of drug or alcohol abuse 7. Chronic musculoskeletal, cardiovascular or respiratory disease affecting gait 8. Implanted metal objects 9. A history of seizures or any contraindication to tDCS
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Cortical activity is assessed using functional near-infrared spectroscopy which measures oxygenated haemoglobin levels (HbO2), from which cortical activity can be inferred. HbO2 is recorded during the 5-minute pre-intervention treadmill walking, during the 20-minute treadmill walking with tDCS and during the 5-minute post-intervention treadmill walking. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| 1. Gait is measured using an accelerometer (Axivity, Newcastle, UK) placed on the lower back during the 5-minute pre-intervention treadmill walking and 20 minutes later during the 5-minute post-intervention treadmill walking. Gait parameters are extracted from the accelerometry data using previously validated algorithms. Initial contact and final contact detection times are used to estimate the step and stance time. Step/stride length is determined from the initial contact events through the application of the inverted pendulum model. 2. Cognitive performance is measured with a cognitive vigilance task before and after the 20-minute tDCS intervention. This task involves the person listening to a sequence of odd or even numbers. The person then has to state how many odd or even numbers they heard. The performance is quantified by the absolute error (difference between the correct answer and the response given by the participant) and expressed as a percentage (0% indicates that there is no error) 3. Dual-task motor costs are calculated before and after the 20-minute tDCS intervention. Dual-task motor cost is the difference in a gait parameter (e.g step length) between the value of the parameter when single task walking compared to dual-task walking. 4. Global cognitive function is assessed with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) prior to the 20-minute tDCS intervention 5. Fear of falling is assessed with the Falls Efficacy Scale - International (FES-I) score prior to the 20-minute tDCS intervention 6. Muscle activity is recorded with electromyography (EMG) during the 5-minute pre-intervention treadmill walking, during the 20-minute treadmill walking with tDCS and during the 5-minute post-intervention treadmill walking. EMG electrodes are placed on the leg muscles tibialis anterior, soleus, lateral gastrocnemius and medial gastrocnemius. | — |
Countries
England, United Kingdom
Outcome results
None listed