Effects of Whole-body Electrical Muscle Stimulation Exercise on Spinal Motoneuronal Activation in Older Adults

NCT ID: NCT06689618

Last Updated: 2025-04-13

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 12 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-06-01
• Study Completion Date: 2025-12-31

Brief Summary

During this pilot study, the investigators will examine the effects of whole-body electrical muscle stimulation exercise (WB-EMS Exercise) on motoneuronal activation in healthy adults, which typically decreases with age. The investigators will also test whether WB-EMS Exercise will improve measures of physical function. Participants will undergo clinical and electrophysiologic testing before and after the WB-EMS Exercise intervention. The WB-EMS Exercise intervention will be delivered two times per week for four weeks. The hypothesis is that whole-body electrical muscle stimulation combined with physical exercise (WB-EMS Exercise) could bypass the problem of insufficient motoneuronal activation to improve exercise effect in older adults.

Detailed Description

During this pilot study, the investigators will examine the effects of whole-body electrical muscle stimulation exercise (WB-EMS Exercise) on motoneuronal activation in healthy adults, which typically decreases with age. The investigators will also test whether WB-EMS Exercise will improve measures of physical function. The intervention consists of WB-EMS Exercise twice a week for four weeks. The investigators will use decomposition electromyography, interpolated twitch technique, and clinical measures to assess pre- and post-treatment motoneuronal activation and physical functioning. Correlation matrices will be performed associating the measures of motoneuronal activation to the measures of physical function (pre-intervention values, post-intervention values, and change values). At the conclusion of the study, expected outcomes include that whole-body electrical muscle stimulation combined with physical exercise (WB-EMS Exercise) could bypass the problem of insufficient motoneuronal activation to improve exercise effect in older adults. This project represents early work to uncover motoneuronal mechanisms of WB-EMS Exercise in older adults. An intervention that combines voluntary and involuntary activation of motoneurons to enhance the effectiveness of exercise could have significant impact in maximizing the functional independence of an aging population.

Conditions

Aging; Sarcopenia; Sarcopenia in Elderly

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Healthy Adults

All participants will receive the WB-EMS Exercise intervention 2 times per week for 4 weeks. Participants will only perform leveled exercise programs in the "Strength" Training Mode. These programs are 20-minute videos led by exercise professionals. They are full-body workouts with no one muscle group receiving more attention than another. They consist of 10-12 exercises performed for 14 repetitions. Each repetition takes 4 seconds to complete (the time that the stimulation is "on") and is followed by a 4 second rest (the time that the stimulation is "off"). All exercises occur in a double-limb stance position. Most exercises occur with feet in wide base of support, hips width or more apart. All exercises are modifiable by the healthcare professional administering and monitoring the intervention based on participant's safe and available range of motion (i.e. arm movements, torso positions, extent of knee bend).

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Exercise

Intervention Type: DEVICE

The WB-EMS Device is a fitness device that delivers whole-body electrical muscle stimulation in conjunction with exercise programs. After donning a base layer consisting of fitted shorts and shirt, a vest, shorts, and arm straps with integrated electrodes mapped to major muscle groups (biceps, triceps, pectorals, abdominals, periscapular musculature, paraspinal musculature, gluteus musculature, quadriceps, and hamstrings) are donned. The suit connects to an impulse pack that communicates with the Katalyst iPad App to deliver the programmed stimulation to the participant. Within the Katalyst App, there are leveled exercise programs where low levels (i.e. Level 1 and 2) are simple movements and higher levels (i.e. Levels 3, 4, and 5) have more complex and dynamic movements. There is complete user control of the stimulation level of each individual muscle group to tailor to participant responses and tolerance.

Interventions

Exercise

The WB-EMS Device is a fitness device that delivers whole-body electrical muscle stimulation in conjunction with exercise programs. After donning a base layer consisting of fitted shorts and shirt, a vest, shorts, and arm straps with integrated electrodes mapped to major muscle groups (biceps, triceps, pectorals, abdominals, periscapular musculature, paraspinal musculature, gluteus musculature, quadriceps, and hamstrings) are donned. The suit connects to an impulse pack that communicates with the Katalyst iPad App to deliver the programmed stimulation to the participant. Within the Katalyst App, there are leveled exercise programs where low levels (i.e. Level 1 and 2) are simple movements and higher levels (i.e. Levels 3, 4, and 5) have more complex and dynamic movements. There is complete user control of the stimulation level of each individual muscle group to tailor to participant responses and tolerance.

Intervention Type: DEVICE

Other Intervention Names

Whole-Body Electrical Stimulation

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Age (65 years or older) for healthy older adults and between 18-39 for healthy younger adults
• Ambulatory without an assistive device
• More than anti-gravity strength in major muscle groups as assessed by manual muscle testing
• Medical clearance to participate in an exercise program
• Ability to conform to the requirements of the study (i.e. attendance at assessment and intervention visits, maintain current level of non-study physical activity for the duration of the study, no intention to relocate mid-study)

Exclusion Criteria

• Regular use of an assistive device for mobility (i.e. cane, walker, wheelchair)
• Presence of a pacemaker, metal implants, or other implanted medical devices that could impact participant safety during WB-EMS intervention
• Known pregnancy at the time of screening
• Presence of unstable acute or chronic disease (i.e. renal failure, rheumatologic disease cardia arrhythmia, neoplasm, uncontrolled hypertension)
• Presence of terminal disease (i.e. receiving hospice services)
• Current of previous use of any drugs known to influence muscle mass or performance within 6 months; these may include but are not limited to anabolic steroids, IGF01, growth hormone, replacement and androgen therapy, anti-androgen therapy.
• Known neuromuscular or neurologic condition affecting somatosensory or motor function/control (i.e. motor neuron disease, muscle disease, severe peripheral neuropathy, NMJ disease, Parkinson's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, h/o stroke, TBI, SCI, ataxia, apraxia, hemiplegia, etc.)
• Musculoskeletal condition or surgery in the past year that would confound results of exercise interventions (i.e. TKA, THA, RTC repair, spinal fusion)
• Other medical conditions, signs, or symptoms that would interfere with study conduct or interpretation of results as determined by a PI

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

University of Missouri-Columbia

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Kristina Kelly

Assistant Research Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

NextGen Precision Health Building, Clinical and Translational Science Unit

Columbia, Missouri, United States

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

United States

Central Contacts

Kristina Kelly, DPT, MS

Role: CONTACT

kristina.kelly@health.missouri.edu

5738842596

W. David Arnold, MD

Role: CONTACT

Facility Contacts

Manny Morales

Role: primary

moralesman@missouri.edu

573-882-8571

Stacee Baker

Role: backup

bakersa@health.missouri.edu

Other Identifiers

2116666

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id