Cortical Excitability and Typing Performance After Action Observation and Motor Execution

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

60 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-06-15

Study Completion Date

2025-07-30

Brief Summary

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Goal:

This study will aim to investigate the effects of different motor stimulation strategies-motor execution (ME) and action observation (AO)-on cortical excitability and typing performance in healthy individuals.

Recruitment:

A total of 60 healthy university students will be recruited and randomly assigned into three groups:

Motor Execution group (n=20) Action Observation group (n=20) Control group (n=20)

Evaluation Tools:

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) using DEYMED DuoMAG XT will be used to measure Resting Motor Threshold (RMT), Motor Evoked Potential (MEP) Amplitude, and MEP Latency of the First Dorsal Interosseous (FDI) muscle.

Online Typing Test will be used to assess typing speed (words per minute) and accuracy (percentage of correct characters).

Intervention:

The ME group will perform a 3-minute typing task. The AO group will observe a 3-minute first-person video of typing. The Control group will not receive any intervention between assessments.

All participants will undergo TMS and typing assessments twice, once before and once after the intervention.

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Detailed Description

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This study will be designed as a randomized controlled trial to compare the effects of motor execution (ME) and action observation (AO) on cortical excitability and fine motor performance, using typing as the target motor task.

A total of 60 healthy university students will be recruited from the University of Sharjah through convenience sampling. Participants will be screened based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and will provide informed consent prior to enrollment. Eligible participants will then be randomly assigned into three groups (ME, AO, and Control), with stratification based on baseline typing proficiency to ensure balanced motor skill levels across groups.

All participants will undergo a pre-assessment session that will include a 3-minute typing task focused on the index finger and TMS testing targeting the First Dorsal Interosseous (FDI) muscle. TMS measures will include Resting Motor Threshold (RMT), MEP Amplitude, and MEP Latency.

During the intervention phase:

The ME group will perform the typing task for 3 minutes. The AO group will watch a 3-minute point-of-view video of the same typing task. The Control group will receive no intervention and will simply wait between the assessments.

After the intervention, participants in all groups will repeat the same typing task and TMS assessments in the post-assessment phase.

Typing performance will be evaluated using an online typing platform, capturing typing speed (words per minute) and accuracy (percentage of correct characters). TMS data will be collected using the DEYMED DuoMAG XT with consistent coil placement and stimulation parameters. Five reproducible MEPs will be recorded per participant per session to ensure reliability.

Conditions

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Young Adults

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

This study will be a prospective, double-blinded, parallel, randomized controlled trial. A total of 60 participants will be randomly assigned into three groups: Motor Execution (ME), Action Observation (AO), and Control. Each group will consist of 20 participants. Interventions will include a 3-minute typing task (ME), a 3-minute observation video (AO), or no task (Control). All participants will undergo pre- and post-intervention typing and TMS assessments.

Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Participants Outcome Assessors

This will be a double-blinded randomized controlled trial in which participants will be unaware of their group allocation or the purpose of the intervention they receive. Outcome assessors and data analysts will also be blinded to the group assignments. To ensure assessor blinding, TMS and typing data will be coded and analyzed by an independent researcher who is not involved in intervention delivery or participant interaction. The interventions (ME, AO, Control) will be conducted in a standardized format, minimizing interaction and disclosure that could bias results.

Study Groups

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ME

Participants will undergo pre and post assessments. Each assessment include Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and typing performance tests.

Pre-assessment will be conducted in the first visit.

In the second visit, Motor Execution (ME) group will perform a 3-minute typing task using both hands in a standardized posture. The typing task will consist of custom-designed text that emphasizes use of the index finger, matching the target muscle for TMS.

Participants will then undergo post-assessment as same as the pre-assessment within 15 minutes after completing the typing task.

There will be time window more than 48 hours between visits.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Motor Execution Typing Task

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants will perform a 3-minute typing task using custom-designed text that emphasizes index finger use. This task is designed to actively engage the motor cortex and will be administered in a controlled environment using standard posture and equipment. The task aims to elicit changes in cortical excitability, which will be measured pre- and post-intervention using TMS.

AO

Participants will undergo pre and post assessments. Each assessment include Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and typing performance tests.

Pre-assessment will be conducted in the first visit.

During the second visit, participants in the Action Observation (AO) group will observe a 3-minute first-person point-of-view video of a person typing the same standardized text used in the ME group. The video will emphasize index finger movement on a QWERTY keyboard.

Participants will then undergo post-assessment as same as the pre-assessment within 15 minutes after watching the typing video.

There will be time window more than 48 hours between visits.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Action Observation of Typing Task

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants will observe a 3-minute first-person video of an individual typing the standardized text. The video is designed to activate mirror neuron systems through visual engagement with a familiar motor task. It will be shown once in a controlled setting, and post-assessment of cortical excitability will follow immediately after.

Control

Participants in the Control group will not receive any intervention between the pre- and post-assessments.

They will undergo the same assessments as the other groups to allow comparison of changes in cortical excitability and typing performance.

There will be time window more than 48 hours between visits.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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Motor Execution Typing Task

Participants will perform a 3-minute typing task using custom-designed text that emphasizes index finger use. This task is designed to actively engage the motor cortex and will be administered in a controlled environment using standard posture and equipment. The task aims to elicit changes in cortical excitability, which will be measured pre- and post-intervention using TMS.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Action Observation of Typing Task

Participants will observe a 3-minute first-person video of an individual typing the standardized text. The video is designed to activate mirror neuron systems through visual engagement with a familiar motor task. It will be shown once in a controlled setting, and post-assessment of cortical excitability will follow immediately after.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Age between 18 and 26 years
* Healthy university students with no known neurological, psychiatric, or musculoskeletal conditions
* Intact motor functioning of the upper limbs
* Basic typing proficiency using a 10-finger typing method
* Ability to understand study procedures and provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

* Typing speed less than 16 words per minute
* Use of hunt-and-peck or single-finger typing style
* History of seizures or epilepsy
* Current use of neuroactive medications
* Presence of metallic implants in the head or upper body
* Any contraindications to Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
* Left-handed individuals using non-standard typing techniques (unless provided with adapted materials)

Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

26 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes