Recruiting

Non-invasive Neural Stimulation

Sponsor:

Virginia Commonwealth University

Code:

NCT05947279

Conditions

Motor Adaptation and Generalization

Posterior Parietal Cortex

Cerebellum

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 40

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Comparing motor adaptation reaching performance

Study Details

Brief summary:

Motor adaptation and generalization are believed to occur via the integration of various forms of sensory feedback for a congruent representation of the body's position in space along with estimation of inertial properties of the limb segments for accurate specification of movement. Thus, motor adaptation is often studied within curated environments incorporating a "mis-match" between different sensory systems (i.e. a visual field shift via prism googles or a visuomotor rotation via virtual reality environment) and observing how motor plans change based on this mis-match. However, these adaptations are environment-specific and show little generalization outside of their restricted experimental setup. There remains a need for motor adaptation research that demonstrates motor learning that generalizes to other environments and movement types. This work could then inform physical and occupational therapy neurorehabilitation interventions targeted at addressing motor deficits.

Conditions

Motor Adaptation and Generalization

Posterior Parietal Cortex

Cerebellum

Study ID

NCT05947279

Start date

Apr 3, 2024

Status verified date

Mar, 2026

Completion date

Aug 15, 2026

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Aug 15, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 40

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Right-handed as determined by the short-form Edinburgh Handedness Inventory
  • Between the ages of 18 and 40

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Mixed- or left-handed as determined by the short-form Edinburgh Handedness Inventory
  • Self-reported history of any of the following:

Seizure and/or diagnosis of epilepsy Fainting spells Concussion with loss of consciousness Ringing in the ears (tinnitus) Cochlear implants Migraines Diagnosed psychological or neurological condition Metal in the scalp

  • Any previous adverse reaction to a brain stimulation technique
  • Any previous adverse reaction to 3D virtual reality environments (i.e. 'cybersickness')
  • Possibility of being currently pregnant (for females only)
  • Current open head wound or skin condition of the scalp
  • Current implanted device(s) (i.e. cardiac pacemaker)

Study Design

Enrollment

60 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Single group

Primary purpose

Other

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Posterior parietal cortex group

Posterior parietal cortex group, which will receive the stimulation to their left posterior parietal cortex

experimental: Cerebellum group

Cerebellum group, which will receive stimulation to their right cerebellum,

sham comparator: Sham group

Sham group, which will have the electrode cap placed on their head but receive no stimulation

Interventions

Comparing motor adaptation reaching performance

By comparing motor adaptation reaching performance between these three groups, the investigators can examine how stimulation to each specific area of the brain modulates different aspects of motor adaptation

Primary outcome measure

  • Initial direction error, or difference between participant's fingertip direction [ Time Frame: Completion of the study visit, approx 20 minutes ]
  • Initial direction error variance [ Time Frame: Completion of the study visit, approx 20 minutes ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Brooke Dexheimer, PhD, OTD, OTR/L

563-547-0125dexheimerb@vcu.edu

Locations

Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center

Recruiting

Richmond, Virginia, United States, 23219

Contacts

Principal Investigator:

Brooke Dexheimer, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

Virginia Commonwealth University

Last update posted

Mar 13, 2026

Last verified

Mar, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-25. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Virginia Commonwealth University on 2026-03-13. Recruitment status is synced daily from ClinicalTrials.gov and may not reflect the sponsor's current status. Confirm during your call.