Aging, Cognitive Decline, Motor Activity, Pain, Acute
Conditions
Keywords
Acute pain, Adults, Cognition, Elderly, Learning, Memory, Pain, Cognitive ability, Motor learning, Young adults, Older Adults, Gait, Locomotion, Walking, Motor Consolidation
Brief 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. 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.
Interventions
PROCEDUREpain delivery
Experimental pain paradigm delivered that is short-term and painful but not harmful.
Sponsors
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
University of Delaware
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Masking description
Application of pain or no stimulus cannot be masked from participants, nor from outcomes assessors.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 85 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Abbreviations: YA= young adult; OA= older adult; HR= heart rate, bpm= beats per minute; BP= blood pressure; ADD= attention deficit disorder; ADHD= attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; MoCA= Montreal Cognitive Assessment; GAD-7= Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 Scale; PHQ-2, PHQ-9= Patient Health Questionnaire-2 and -9. Inclusion Criteria: 1. 18-35 (YA group only) or 55-85 (OA group only) years old 2. Sex-matched to a participant in the OA group (YA group only) 3. Self-identifying as generally medically healthy 4. Able to read, write and speak English 5. Able to provide informed consent and attend all testing sessions 6. Willing to undergo the experimental pain or non-painful electrical stimulation, if selected
Exclusion criteria
1. Resting HR \< 50 or \> 100 bpm 2. Resting BP \< 90/60 or \> 140/95 mmHg (YA group only) or \> 165/95 (OA group only) 3. 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. 4. Score on the MoCA \<23 5. Score on the GAD-7 ≥ 10 6. Score on the PHQ-2 ≥ 2 and score on the PHQ-9 ≥ 10 7. 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) 8. Any impaired sensation or weakness in either lower extremity or in the area targeted for the stimulus 9. 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 10. Any history of acute or chronic problems with balance, any dizziness, or \> 1 fall in the last 12 months 11. Taking 4 or more medications (YA group only) 12. 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.) 13. 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 14. Allergy to capsaicin or hot peppers 15. Any skin lesion, breakage or irritation in the area targeted for the painful stimulus 16. Skin sensitivity to soaps/creams/perfumes or to heat 17. Poor circulation in the area targeted for the painful stimulus 18. 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.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Motor Retention Magnitude | 24 hours post learning (day 2) | degree to which the learned locomotor pattern has been remembered (in step length % change, normalized to the amount learned from day 1) |
| Motor Learning Magnitude | immediately after learning (day 1) | degree to which the new locomotor pattern has been acquired (in step length % change) |
| Digit Span Backward Test | the change between baseline and during application of intervention | number of digits (numbers) that can be repeated back in the reverse order from which they were presented |
| Digit Span Forward Test | the change between baseline and during application of intervention | number of digits (numbers) that can be repeated back in the same order as they were presented |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed