Brain and Muscle Plasticity During Immobilization

NCT ID: NCT05115643

Last Updated: 2022-05-19

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 12 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2021-10-08
• Study Completion Date: 2022-04-21

Brief Summary

Patients in rehabilitation may undergo periods of prolonged limb immobilization in response to injury, surgery, or illness. Due to disuse, the size and strength of muscles controlling the affected limb can decrease significantly, possibly resulting in physical impairment or lower quality of life during the recovery phase. Prior immobilization studies have shown that the rate and degree of decline in muscle strength exceeds that of muscle size, indicating that determinants of muscle strength unrelated to muscle size may further contribute to functional changes during immobilization.

The purpose of this study is to describe the changes in muscle strength, muscle size, corticospinal excitability, voluntary activation, M1 cortical thickness, and resting state functional connectivity following a 2-week limb immobilization period in young women.

Conditions

Muscle Atrophy

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NON_RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Immobilized arm

Left arm of participant

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Immobilization

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Immobilization of left arm using a brace and sling.

Non-immobilized arm

Right arm of participant

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Immobilization

Immobilization of left arm using a brace and sling.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Biologically female
• Right-hand dominant
• Body mass index between 18.5-30 kg/m^2 (inclusive)
• Regular menstrual cycle
• Be able to maintain a habitual diet throughout the duration of the study

Exclusion Criteria

• Use of tobacco
• Pregnancy
• A history of brain trauma
• Suffers from a neurological disease or movement disorder
• Peripheral nerve damage
• Use of medications known to affect protein metabolism (i.e., corticosteroids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or prescription strength acne medications)
• Diagnosed with or suspects having a psychiatric illness
• Use of dietary supplements known to affect muscle size (i.e., creatine, fish oil)
• Past or present diagnosis of an eating disorder by a physician or registered dietician
• Possesses any metal implants (e.g. artificial joints, pacemakers, stents) or non-removeable medical devices that are contraindicative for magnetic resonance imaging (e.g. insulin pumps)

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 35 Years
• Eligible Sex: FEMALE
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

McGill University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Tyler Churchward-Venne

Assistant Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Exercise Metabolism and Nutrition Research Laboratory

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Countries

Canada

Other Identifiers

A00-M01-21A

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id