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Locomotion Adaptation Study for Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment

This study is looking at how walking ability changes in older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Researchers want to understand if problems with adapting your walking style, called locomotor adaptation, are linked to how these conditions progress and affect daily movement. You would participate in 5 sessions of "split-belt treadmill-based locomotor adaptation," where each leg moves on a treadmill belt at a different speed. The goal is to see how this training affects your walking symmetry and speed. The study is currently recruiting 10 participants, aged 50 to 90, who have a formal diagnosis of AD or MCI.

Study design
This is an interventional study, meaning participants will receive a specific intervention. It plans to enroll 10 participants.
What's involved
You would complete 5 sessions of split-belt treadmill training. Your walking will be assessed at the beginning and two weeks after training.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Your walking will be assessed at baseline (before training) and again at Week 2 (after training).

AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.

NCT06484244

Locomotion Adaptation Deficits in Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimers Disease

Recruiting
NAAges 50–90InterventionalTreatment
Emory University
~10 participants
Updated 2026-03-02 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:5 Sessions of Split-belt Treadmill-based Locomotor Adaptation

At a glance

Recruiting sites
1 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Change in Adaptation Magnitude Assessed as Peak Step Length Symmetry
Measured over Baseline (Pre-training), Week 2 (Post-training)
+5 more outcomes measured

Conditions

Alzheimers Disease
Mild Cognitive Impairment

Explore related trials

Alzheimer's DiseaseMild cognitive disorder

Where it's being run

1 sites across 1 states
Georgia1

Study leadership

  • Trisha Kesar, PT, PhD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · Emory University

Who to contact

Trisha Kesar, PT, PhD
[email protected]
(404) 712-5803
Email the study team

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Do you actually qualify for this trial?

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

AD and MCI will be defined through formal diagnosis provided by a board-certified Neurologist. Amnestic MCI will be defined using the AD Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) criteria. All MCI participants in ADNI are required to have an amnestic subtype defined as:
Subjective memory concern or a memory problem noted by their partner
Abnormal memory function documented by a specified education adjusted cutoff score on the delayed paragraph recall of the Anna Thompson story of the Logical Memory subtest from the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised
Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) score between 20 and 26 (inclusive). Exceptions may be made for subjects with less than 8 years of education at the discretion of the PI. (iv) Single or multi-domain amnestic MCI (both subtypes are at high risk for progression to AD)
Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) = 0.5 (Memory Box score must be at least 0.5)
General functional performance sufficiently preserved
Evidence of impaired executive function based on Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score 13-17
Able to walk 10 or more feet without an assistive device
Completed six grades of education or has a good work history (sufficient to exclude intellectual disabilities)
Not hospitalized within the last 60 days

Exclusion

Acute medical illness requiring hospitalization
Uncontrolled congestive heart failure
History of stroke
Inability to perform study procedures
Medical or physical conditions that would preclude participation or walking (e.g., severe arthritis or mobility problems, uncontrolled hypertension or diabetes, renal failure, history of angina with activity)
On medications that could adversely affect cognition, eg: antipsychotics, opioids, stimulants, chemotherapy, anti-parkinsonian drugs (eg Levodopa), neurologic prescriptions to treat Multiple sclerosis and/or Parkinson's
Psychotic disorders
Confounding neurologic conditions (e.g., active central nervous system (CNS) opportunistic infections, seizure disorders, head injury with loss of consciousness \>30 minutes, intracranial neoplasms, stroke with neurological or neuropsychiatric sequelae)
Substance Use Disorder, Major Depressive and Generalized Anxiety Disorders within six months of evaluation

What this trial measures

  • Change in Adaptation Magnitude Assessed as Peak Step Length SymmetryBaseline (Pre-training), Week 2 (Post-training)

    Locomotor adaptation is the ability to adjust stepping movements to changing environmental demands via trial-and-error processing. Step length symmetry data from the split-belt phase will be used to evaluate each individual's locomotor adaptation magnitude capacity by assessing the peak step length symmetry in the early adaptation period.

  • Change in Adaptation Rate Assessed as the Number of Steps to Reach Step SymmetryBaseline (Pre-training), Week 2 (Post-training)

    The adaptation rate is assessed as the number of steps required to reach a plateau in step symmetry during late adaptation.

  • Change in 10-Meter Overground Walk TestBaseline (Pre-training), Week 2 (Post-training)

    Gait speed is assessed with the 10-Meter Overground Walk Test. The 10-Meter Overground Walk Test is used to assess walking speed over a short distance. A 10 meter (m) walkway over solid flooring will be measured and marked at start (0 m), 2 m, 8 m, and finish (10 m). Participants will be asked to complete three trials of the 10 m walk at their comfortable self-selected walking speed. The time for the three trials for each speed will be averaged and gait speed converted to meters/second.

  • Change in 6-Minute Walk TestBaseline (Pre-training), Week 2 (Post-training)

    Gait endurance is assessed with the 6-minute walk test. The 6-Minute Walk Test is a sub-maximal exercise test used to assess walking endurance. A walkway of a minimum 12 m over solid flooring will be measured and marked with a turn-around marked at either end of the walkway. The turn-around points will be approximately 49 inches (124 cm) wide with clear markings. A chair will be placed at one end of the walkway to allow for seated rest breaks if necessary. Prior to administering the test, the participant will be seated in the chair resting. The participant will then be asked to walk as far as possible in 6 minutes along the walkway using scripted instruction (see below). The distance (in meters) will be calculated by multiplying the number of total laps by 12 meters and adding the distance of the partial lap completed at the time the test ended.

  • Change in Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) ScoreBaseline (Pre-training), Week 2 (Post-training)

    MoCA is an instrument to screen for mild cognitive dysfunction, assessing the cognitive domains of attention and concentration, executive functions, memory, language, visuoconstructional skills, conceptual thinking, calculations, and orientation. Total scores range from 0 to 30 with higher scores indicating better cognitive function. A normal score is considered to be 26 or higher.

  • Change in NIH-EXAMINER n-back Task AccuracyBaseline (Pre-training), Week 2 (Post-training)

    The NIH-EXAMINER assesses spatial working memory with the n-back tasks. The 1-back involves maintaining and updating one location at a time while two locations at a time are maintained and updated with the 2-back. During the n-back tasks, participants view a series of stimuli and press a button when a particular stimulus has been previously shown. The 1-back consists of one block of 30 trials, ten of which match the location of the previous square, and 20 that are in a different location. The 2-back consists of one block of 90 trials, 30 of which match the location of the square two before, and 60 that are in a different location. The score is calculated as the percentage of correct responses.