Clinical trial NCT07009561: Cortical Excitability and Typing Performance After Action Observation and Motor Execution
Official title: Comparison of Cortical Excitability and Typing Performance Across Action Observation, Motor Execution, and Control Conditions
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Young Adults
Keywords: Transcranial magnetic stimulation
Cortical excitability
Action observation
Motor execution
Typing
Lead sponsor: University of Sharjah
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2025-06-06
Enrollment: 60
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 26
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: This study will be a prospective, double-blinded, parallel, randomized controlled trial. A total of 60 participants will be randomly assigned into three groups: Motor Execution (ME), Action Observation (AO), and Control. Each group will consist of 20 participants. Interventions will include a 3-minute typing task (ME), a 3-minute observation video (AO), or no task (Control). All participants will undergo pre- and post-intervention typing and TMS assessments.
Primary purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE

Brief summary: Goal:

This study will aim to investigate the effects of different motor stimulation strategies-motor execution (ME) and action observation (AO)-on cortical excitability and typing performance in healthy individuals.

Recruitment:

A total of 60 healthy university students will be recruited and randomly assigned into three groups:

Motor Execution group (n=20) Action Observation group (n=20) Control group (n=20)

Evaluation Tools:

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) using DEYMED DuoMAG XT will be used to measure Resting Motor Threshold (RMT), Motor Evoked Potential (MEP) Amplitude, and MEP Latency of the First Dorsal Interosseous (FDI) muscle.

Online Typing Test will be used to assess typing speed (words per minute) and accuracy (percentage of correct characters).

Intervention:

The ME group will perform a 3-minute typing task. The AO group will observe a 3-minute first-person video of typing. The Control group will not receive any intervention between assessments.

All participants will undergo TMS and typing assessments twice, once before and once after the intervention.

Detailed description: This study will be designed as a randomized controlled trial to compare the effects of motor execution (ME) and action observation (AO) on cortical excitability and fine motor performance, using typing as the target motor task.

A total of 60 healthy university students will be recruited from the University of Sharjah through convenience sampling. Participants will be screened based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and will provide informed consent prior to enrollment. Eligible participants will then be randomly assigned into three groups (ME, AO, and Control), with stratification based on baseline typing proficiency to ensure balanced motor skill levels across groups.

All participants will undergo a pre-assessment session that will include a 3-minute typing task focused on the index finger and TMS testing targeting the First Dorsal Interosseous (FDI) muscle. TMS measures will include Resting Motor Threshold (RMT), MEP Amplitude, and MEP Latency.

During the intervention phase:

The ME group will perform the typing task for 3 minutes. The AO group will watch a 3-minute point-of-view video of the same typing task. The Control group will receive no intervention and will simply wait between the assessments.

After the intervention, participants in all groups will repeat the same typing task and TMS assessments in the post-assessment phase.

Typing performance will be evaluated using an online typing platform, capturing typing speed (words per minute) and accuracy (percentage of correct characters). TMS data will be collected using the DEYMED DuoMAG XT with consistent coil placement and stimulation parameters. Five reproducible MEPs will be recorded per participant per session to ensure reliability.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Age between 18 and 26 years
* Healthy university students with no known neurological, psychiatric, or musculoskeletal conditions
* Intact motor functioning of the upper limbs
* Basic typing proficiency using a 10-finger typing method
* Ability to understand study procedures and provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

* Typing speed less than 16 words per minute
* Use of hunt-and-peck or single-finger typing style
* History of seizures or epilepsy
* Current use of neuroactive medications
* Presence of metallic implants in the head or upper body
* Any contraindications to Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
* Left-handed individuals using non-standard typing techniques (unless provided with adapted materials)

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in Resting Motor Threshold (RMT)
timeFrame: Pre-intervention (Day 1) and Post-intervention (within 15 minutes after intervention on Day 2, between 48 hours to a 3-week window)
measure: Change in MEP Latency and Amplitude
timeFrame: Pre-intervention (Day 1) and Post-intervention (within 15 minutes after intervention on Day 2, between 48 hours to a 3-week window)
measure: Change in Typing Speed (Words Per Minute)
timeFrame: Pre-intervention (Day 1) and Post-intervention (within 15 minutes after intervention on Day 2, between 48 hours to a 3-week window)
measure: Change in Typing Accuracy
timeFrame: Pre-intervention (Day 1) and Post-intervention (within 15 minutes after intervention on Day 2, between 48 hours to a 3-week window)
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: University city
country: United Arab Emirates
facility: University of Sharjah
state: Sharjah
Study officials:
References:
citation: Bhattacharya A, Mrudula K, Sreepada SS, Sathyaprabha TN, Pal PK, Chen R, Udupa K. An Overview of Noninvasive Brain Stimulation: Basic Principles and Clinical Applications. Can J Neurol Sci. 2022 Jul;49(4):479-492. doi: 10.1017/cjn.2021.158. Epub 2021 Jul 9.
citation: Birdsong D. Plasticity, Variability and Age in Second Language Acquisition and Bilingualism. Front Psychol. 2018 Mar 12;9:81. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00081. eCollection 2018.
citation: Grilc N, Valappil AC, Tillin NA, Mian OS, Wright DJ, Holmes PS, Castelli F, Bruton AM. Motor imagery drives the effects of combined action observation and motor imagery on corticospinal excitability for coordinative lower-limb actions. Sci Rep. 2024 Jun 6;14(1):13057. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-63758-6.
citation: Ma ZZ, Wu JJ, Hua XY, Zheng MX, Xing XX, Ma J, Li SS, Shan CL, Xu JG. Brain Function and Upper Limb Deficit in Stroke With Motor Execution and Imagery: A Cross-Sectional Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study. Front Neurosci. 2022 May 19;16:806406. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2022.806406. eCollection 2022.