Recruiting

Naps

Sponsor:

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Code:

NCT04312126

Conditions

Stroke

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

MRI system

MEG system

Study Details

Brief summary:

Background:

Memory consolidation is the process by which memories become stable, long-term representations in the brain. Consolidation of a motor skill is dependent upon sleep. Some research shows that daytime naps improve people s motor performance and memory retention. Researchers want to find out how daytime naps may contribute to learning and support consolidation of motor skill memories.

Objective:

To learn the role of memory replay during wakeful rest and sleep (naps) in retaining a newly learned skill.

Eligibility:

English-speaking adults ages 18 and older with chronic stroke, or healthy, right-handed, English-speaking adults ages 18-35 and 50-80

Design:

Participants will be screened with:

  • medical history
  • neurological history
  • medicine review
  • medical exam
  • neurological exam.

Participants will have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the brain. For this, they will lie down in a scanner. The scanner makes loud noises, so they will wear earplugs. They will fill out an MRI screening form before each MRI.

Participants will also have magnetoencephalography (MEG). MEG maps brain activity. It does this by recording the magnetic fields produced by naturally occurring electrical currents in the brain. For MEG, participants will lie down in the MEG room. Their eye movements may be recorded by a video camera.

Participants will have behavior testing. They will practice typing random keys. Then they will repeatedly type a custom sequence that they see on a computer screen. Then they will take a 2-hour nap. Then they will type the same sequence again.

Participants will have no more than 4 visits at the NIH over 3 months. Visits will last 2-4 hours each.

Conditions

Stroke

Study ID

NCT04312126

Start date

Mar 4, 2021

Status verified date

Aug 13, 2026

Completion date

Aug 1, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Aug 1, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

  • HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS:

INCLUSION CRITERIA:

  • Age 18-35 (Arm 1) or 50-80 (Arms 2).
  • English speaking.
  • Clear right-hand dominance (>74 on Edinburgh Handedness Inventory).
  • Normal neurological examination as determined by the screening clinician.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

  • HCPS affiliated NIH staff (i.e. - staff from our section).
  • Current pregnancy.
  • Contraindications for MRI or MEG.
  • Use of sleep medications within 24 hours of Experimental Session participation.
  • Severe or progressive neurological, psychological or medical condition as determined by the screening clinician.

STROKE PATIENTS:

INCLUSION CRITERIA:

  • Age 18 or older
  • Willing and able to provide consent
  • Experienced a stroke 6 months ago or more that affected at least one of the upper extremities at time of stroke diagnosis
  • Ability to perform the study task as assessed during physical examination
  • English-speaking

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

  • HCPS-affiliated NIH staff (i.e. - staff from our section).
  • Current pregnancy
  • History of large stroke lesions in brainstem or cerebellum as determined by screening clinician
  • Severe or progressive neurological disorder other than stroke (e.g., Parkinson s disease or multiple sclerosis) as determined by the screening clinician
  • Uncontrolled heart, lung, kidney, gastrointestinal, metabolic, psychiatric, sleep, or endocrine disorders as determined by the screening clinician
  • Contraindications for MRI or MEG.

Study Design

Enrollment

199 participants

Anticipated

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

Arm 1

46 healthy young (18-35) volunteers

Arm 2

46 healthy older (50-80) volunteers

Arm 3

46 chronic (>6 months post-stroke) stroke patients

Interventions

MRI system

MRI system - GE Discovery MR750 3T

MEG system

MEG system The CTF MEG 275 Magnetoencephalography (MEG) scanner system

Primary outcome measure

  • The primary endpoint measure is the degree to which motor skill consolidation (i.e., offline change in correct sequence typing speed) is predicted by replay rates during wakeful rest and sleep, and spindle rates during sleep (i.e. multiple r... [ Time Frame: 4 years ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Tasneem F Malik, C.R.N.P.

(301) 496-4000tasneem.malik@nih.gov

Leonardo G Cohen, M.D.

(301) 496-9782cohenl1@mail.nih.gov

Locations

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center

Recruiting

Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892

Contacts

For more information at the NIH Clinical Center contact Office of Patient Recruitment (OPR)

800-411-1222prpl@cc.nih.gov

More Information

Sponsor

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Last update posted

Aug 18, 2026

Last verified

Aug 13, 2026

Keywords

  • Motor Skill
  • Sleep
  • Neural Replay
  • Natural History

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) on 2026-08-18.