Effect of Mental Arithmetic Priming on Gait and Balance in Stroke
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Mental Arithmetic, Passive Viewing.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Stroke, Hemiparesis, Gait Disorders, Posture. Basic parameters: 60 years — 80 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Lebanon
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Mental Calculus Can Enhance Gait Performance in Post-Stroke Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Overview
This study investigates the effect of cognitive priming through mental arithmetic on functional mobility in post-stroke patients. It hypothesizes that performing mental calculations (addition, subtraction, multiplication) prior to movement stimulates frontoparietal networks, thereby improving gait speed and dynamic balance compared to a passive control condition.
Detailed description
Stroke often results in impaired sensorimotor integration and executive dysfunction, leading to gait and balance deficits. Emerging evidence suggests a link between numerical cognition and motor control networks. This randomized controlled trial compares an experimental group (performing 30-second mental arithmetic tasks) against a control group (passive visual exposure). Functional mobility is assessed immediately following the cognitive stimulus using the Ten-Meter Walk Test (10mWT) and the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test to evaluate the immediate "priming" effects of cognitive load on motor performance.
Interventions
- Behavioral Mental Arithmetic
Visual presentation of arithmetic equations (Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication) projected on a screen. Participants must calculate and verbally report the answer within a 10-second window per equation. - Behavioral Passive Viewing
Passive viewing of a black screen with no cognitive demand.
Primary outcome measures
- Gait Speed (10mWT) [Time frame: Immediately following the 30-second cognitive stimulus.]
- Dynamic Balance (TUG) [Time frame: Immediately following the 30-second cognitive stimulus.]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Diagnosis of stroke.
- Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score ≥ 23.
- Ability to walk 10 meters independently (with or without assistive device).
Exclusion criteria
- Hemianopia.
- Wernicke's aphasia or Global aphasia.
- Orthopedic injuries or recent surgeries affecting the lower limbs.
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Single blind
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
Lebanon · 1 center
- Faculty of Public Health, Branch 1 — Beirut
Publications
- Khayat J, Champely S, Diab A, Rifai Sarraj A, Fargier P. Effect of mental calculus on the performance of complex movements. Hum Mov Sci. 2019 Aug;66:347-354. doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2019.05.008. Epub 2019 May 28. No abstract available. PMID 31146193
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07327814 · ED-STROKE-MENTAL-CALCULUS