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Effects of Acute Pain on Motor Learning in Young vs Older Adults | Clinical Trials | Clareo Health

COMPLETEDNA

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

NCT05471557•University of Delaware

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.

Eligibility

Age

18 - 85 years

Sex

ALL

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.
•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
+8 more criteria

Locations (1)

University of Delaware

Newark, Delaware, United States

Key Dates

Start Date

August 20, 2024

Primary Completion Date

June 5, 2025

Completion Date

June 5, 2025

Last Updated

December 10, 2025

Enrollment

ACTUAL participants

Conditions

AgingPain, AcuteCognitive DeclineMotor Activity

Interventions

pain delivery

PROCEDURE

Lombard Cohort of Brain Health Services

NCT07457138

Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD)Functional Cognitive Disorder+2 more

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RECRUITINGNA

Targeting Aging With a Ketone Ester for Function in Frailty

NCT06645847

Frail ElderlyAging+2 more

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Data Source & Attribution

This clinical trial information is sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

ClinicalTrials.gov last update: December 10, 2025Data synced to Clareo: March 29, 2026

Modifications: This data has been reformatted for display purposes. Eligibility criteria have been parsed into inclusion/exclusion sections. Location data has been geocoded to enable distance-based search. For the authoritative and most current information, please visit ClinicalTrials.gov.

Neither the United States Government nor Clareo Health make any warranties regarding the data. Check ClinicalTrials.gov frequently for updates.

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

Inclusion Criteria

Exclusion Criteria

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