Self-controlled Practice on Motor Learning and Motivation in Parkinson's Disease

NCT ID: NCT07028515

Last Updated: 2025-08-27

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Total Enrollment: 72 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-07-08
• Study Completion Date: 2027-06-30

Brief Summary

People with Parkinson's disease have been known to have low motivation and motor learning impairment, which might limit the effectiveness of neurorehabilitation, exacerbate motor performance and quality of life, and increase the burden on caregivers. Therefore, enhancing motor learning ability and motivation is crucial for people with PD. According to the OPTIMAL theory, practice under self-controlled conditions has been shown to improve motivation and learning in healthy individuals. However, few studies have explored the effects of self-controlled practice on motor learning and motivation in people with PD and examined the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms. This study aims to investigate the effects of self-controlled practice on motor learning and motivation in people with PD, as well as the associated neurophysiological changes.

People with PD and age-matched healthy controls without neurological disorders will be recruited. Participants will be pair-matched based on age, gender, and disease severity, and then assigned to either the self-controlled group or the yoked group. The participants will be required to visit the lab for a total of three times in one week: on Day 1 for baseline assessments, neurophysiological evaluation using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), practice of the trajectory matching task, motivation evaluation, and exercise education; on Day 2 for additional trajectory matching task practice, motivation evaluation, immediate retention test of the task, neurophysiological evaluation using TMS, and exercise education; and on Day 7 for delayed retention and transfer tests and final TMS assessment. On Days 1 and 2, all participants will practice the trajectory matching task. At the beginning of each trial, a target trajectory will be shown, and participants will be asked to replicate it using a joystick. Feedback will be provided after each trial to indicate accuracy. The self-controlled group will be allowed to choose the story contents they prefer when practicing the task, and the exercise they would like to learn after the task. In contrast, yoked participants will receive the same story and exercise education as their matched counterparts in the self-controlled group.

This study will help clarify the effects of self-controlled practice on motor learning and motivation in people with PD, offering a new perspective for clinical interventions and emphasizing the importance of patients actively participating in treatment planning.

Conditions

Parkinson Disease

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: COHORT
• Study Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

PD self-controlled group

PD participants in the choice condition

No interventions assigned to this group

PD yoked group

PD participants in the no-choice condition

No interventions assigned to this group

HC self-controlled group

Healthy controls in the choice condition

No interventions assigned to this group

HC yoked group

Healthy controls in the no-choice condition

No interventions assigned to this group

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• age above 20-year-old
• able to follow instructions and the rules of the motor task
• do not have surgery or injury in their upper extremities in the past 6 months

Exclusion Criteria

• neurological disorders other than PD
• symptoms of severe tremor in upper extremities
• symptoms of anxiety and depression
• deep brain stimulator or pacemaker implanted in the body
• history of seizure or epilepsy
• unstable medical conditions
• migraines or tinnitus uncontrolled by medication
• pregnant

• Minimum Eligible Age: 20 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

National Taiwan University Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Graduate Institute of Physical Therapy

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

National Taiwan University

Locations

School and Graduate Institute of Physical Therapy

Taipei, Zhongzheng Dist., Taiwan

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

Taiwan

Central Contacts

Ya-Yun Lee, PhD

Role: CONTACT

yayunlee@ntu.edu.tw

+886-2-33668155

Chiao-Rou Wang

Role: CONTACT

r13428003@ntu.edu.tw

+886-9-66766790

Facility Contacts

Shwu-Fen Wang, Director

Role: primary

sfwang@ntu.edu.tw

886-2-33668156

References

Lewthwaite R, Chiviacowsky S, Drews R, Wulf G. Choose to move: The motivational impact of autonomy support on motor learning. Psychon Bull Rev. 2015 Oct;22(5):1383-8. doi: 10.3758/s13423-015-0814-7.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 25732095 (View on PubMed)

Wulf G, Lewthwaite R. Optimizing performance through intrinsic motivation and attention for learning: The OPTIMAL theory of motor learning. Psychon Bull Rev. 2016 Oct;23(5):1382-1414. doi: 10.3758/s13423-015-0999-9.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 26833314 (View on PubMed)

Chiviacowsky S, Wulf G, Lewthwaite R, Campos T. Motor learning benefits of self-controlled practice in persons with Parkinson's disease. Gait Posture. 2012 Apr;35(4):601-5. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2011.12.003. Epub 2011 Dec 30.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 22209649 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

202503040RINA

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id